Scratch the Surface
by starfairy14s
Summary: Ch. 39 - Shikamaru accompanies Hinata on her first trip back to Osaka in several weeks, where it all began and ended. Mysteries still coil around the quiet girl and the missing troublemaker. Neji aims to undercut his uncle's ambitions, he needs to be the winner in this unsaid rivalry. [Modern AU]
1. Goodbye My Safe and Selfish Former Life!

Momo- Allo everyone! XD Alright, this fanfic is totally inspired by the AU NaruHina fanfic "Lolita Girl", by Lovelyanime-san. And she has graciously allowed my to write my own AU NaruHina Lolita Love Story, with all of the Harajuku and Japan popculture goodiness! XD The concept is the same as her fanfic, but not to worry, it's all different as far as plot goes. So there. ..no copyright issues, lol. :D

Please enjoy and leave reviews. Arigato.

HARAJUKU RUULZ! ALL HAIL THE THRIVING CATWALK! XDDD

**This Chapter has Been Rewritten**

**EDIT: ALSO I BEGAN WRITING THIS STORY AS A TENTH GRADER, SO PLEASE DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SPORADIC USE OF JAPANESE WORD AND PHRASES IN THE FIRST DOZEN CHAPTERS.**

**I was young and having fun with what I was learning, and it seemed like a good idea back then because Japanese slang and such don't always retain the same meaning in English. I have, since summer of 2008, completely stopped with 'Engrish' as I know now it doesn't make any sense. (It's only alright to use Japanese words for nouns, as in: Places, People and Things. Getabako is totally valid. I could say shoe cupboard, but the technical term is still Getabako.)**

**So again, PLEASE DON'T POINT OUT THE GEEKY MISUSE OF JAPANESE PHRASES IN DIALOGUE. I WROTE THIS FOUR YEARS AGO, AND I'M TOO LAZY TO GO AND FIX IT NOW. (maybe someday I will, but as for now, this fic is a record of my progression as an amateur writer.)**

_(**Warning**: This story has a CRAPLOAD of OC's. I accidently created them because I didn't want to make any canon characters take on OOC roles, and now I can't get rid of them. The OC's I mean. Can't get rid of them, lololol. -shot-)_

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch.1 - Goodbye, My Safe and Selfish Former Life

_"Where do you run away to?"_

The bell hanging from the head jamb of the doorway, rang as the door opened, the wind from outside carressing the bright pink and white ribbons, carrying the smell of the city into the store.

_"Where?"_

The young cashier at the front counter turned with a warm greeting, her bland black eyes eager, and polite, and her smile immaculate.

"Welcome back." She said with a cheery wave of the hand, her simple brown hair held high on top of her head in a messy bun, strands falling on the sides of her somewhat darker cheeks. It was assumed that she recieved a lot of sunlight, unlike the girl who had entered.

_The question still remained in the young girl's reddish-brown eyes, annoyance soon taking seat in her demeanor._

_The younger girl beside her merely smiled, shy and hesitant as always._

_"I don't know where.." She answered with a tiny smile. Her friend sighed annoyedly._

She was pale, her skin almost milky white. Long black, nearly bluish hair flowed from her head like ribbons of water, her bangs stopping just above her brow. Her eyes were pale too.

_"You bush beater!" She exclaimed belligerently, though half-heartedly, pinning a glare on her small friend._

_"Oh gawd, that sounds so wrong!" Another voice said, a boy's voice, clearly sounding embarrassed as he hung his head, and hid his face in his hands._

A smile slowly bloomed onto her lips, the further she walked through the store. Lolita clothing, accessories and merchandise cluttered the walls and the shelves in an array of white, pink and baby blues; The floral and candy prints called out to her, their innocent allure pulling her by the wrists.

Petticoats.

Mary Janes.

Headresses.

Cutsews shirts.

Handbags that resembled eclairs and strawberry shortcakes.

Jumper dresses in bold and solid colors.

Linen pinafores with frilly edging.

Skirts with tiers, with panniers and hoops.

Although this was a specialty shop, practically everything here were plain and cheap knock-offs. Some items were taken from overseas rather than made by real Japanese Lolita brand designers. But the DIY aspect of the shop appealed to her to most, and it was the most affordable Lolita shop in Tokyo.

_"So where do you go?" She asked once more as soon as the air of nonsense had passed. She had been trying to create a deep connection the whole hour. They hardly ever got to see eachother, and everytime they did, a schreechy phonecall by someone's parents always cut their time short._

_The young girl with cropped bluish-black hair paused, her tiny hand held pensively by her lips. In that moment, she caught a glimpse of her sanctuary. _

_It came so easy to her, to fall into daydreams, to find relief in the otherworldly sweetness of fantasies. _

_She lived in tunnelvision for the most part of her life. Falling into her daydreams was like falling through a rabbit hole. _

_Except there was no white rabbit. _

_There was nothing for her to chase, because she had everything that she wanted._

_Didn't she?_

_Or maybe she just wasn't looking._

She knew what she wanted today, it was all she could afford until December, when she went to her temp job. She picked up the latest issue of Gothic&Lolita Bible, with _Jui_ of _Vidoll_ posing on the front, the dark elegance of his pale blue eyes emanating from the cover, his lips set in an almost sensual frown.

She could never get into Gothic nor Visual-Kei however, for she was a sweet lolita, who followed in the footsteps of Marie Antoinette and _Kana._

_"I g-go.." She started out quietly at first, unsure with herself, with her answer._

The girl held the photomook close to her chest, as if her soul was chained to it.

Her love for the lifestyle was inextricable with herself and at times.. hard to explain.

It was simply her escape.

_"I go the same place as you guys..." She finally answered with a naive and gracious smile, but the hurt could still be seen in her pale eyes._

* * *

Harajuku.

One station north of Shibuya, and one station southwest of Shinjuku.

Disected into four parts by two streets: Omotesando, which runs east-west through Harajuku. And Meiji-dori, which runs north-south through Harajuku.

The intersection of these two roads is a constant current of pedestrians and vehicles.

The Laforet shopping complex sits along the northwest sector of Harajuku. Aside from the Takeshita Street, the Laforet is the most well known piece of infrastructure in Harajuku. So many of the trend-dependent Shibuyan females go there.

_As for me..._

"Emiri-chan, where's your parasol?" spoke a demure voice, worry evident.

The girl spoken to looked up to meet beautiful black eyes, peering curiously into her; she was dressed in a bright red, gold and cream _Wa-Loli _outfit. That was Sabelle's way.

It took a couples minutes for her to wake up. She had been spaced out into a daydream again, absorbing the lively atmosphere of the cosplay bridge.

_..I think this is the best part of Harajuku._

"G-gomen.." The pale-eyed girl mumbled meekly. "I lent it to Mei-chan. Her parasol broke when she was waiting for the commuter train." She explained sheepishly. The older Wa-Lolita's perfectly shaped eyebrows knitted together, a question in her eyes and on her tongue.

"How did that happen?"

"She said just as the train was pulling in, her parasol ripped from her hands and got pulled under the train. Poor thing.. She wanted so much to get noticed by that young photographer." The pale-eyed girl explained with a sympathetic smile.

"Emiri-chan, you shouldn't have done that!" Cried another voice irritably, as a tall and wiry lolita stomped into view, her fake blue eyes pinned lividly on her pale ones.

"LaBelle-san..?" The girl nearly stuttered in her confusion. She had worked so hard not to stutter anymore, it wasn't very Lolita-like.

"I'm the one who bought that for you! So that way you stand out for once! ..High school is almost over, and we're all nearly too old to be lolita now!" She scolded fiercely, as her twin sister stood beside with a calm but bemused glance. LaBelle was frightening their little Emiri-chan, with her zeal. The pale-eyed girl didn't quite understand what she was getting so worked up over.

_'Too old? I'm not too old.. I can still be lolita, I'm eternally sixteen!'_ She thought to herself, rather ignorantly.

"KERA photographers are here. I set today up with a photographer who's friends with a friend with a friend who knows a guy who works for _Shoichi Aoki_! What is he going to think when he sees you?" The wiry blonde continued to rant, her almost stage-mother nature showing through her elegant appearance.

The thing about LaBelle was that she was a blood-type O, a Leo, and a wannabe model. She loved the lolita fashion with all her being, but loved brand names more. Most of the time she would copy an entire outfit from the magazines and mooks, seemingly unable to come up with an original outfit herself. She was practically a walking advertisement. She earnestly strived to for the attention of agents and photographers, wanting more than anything to be featured in at least one column of G&L Bible. She found it unfair that a gravure model got to pose on a cover.

_"They call this G&L __**Bible**__! Having this bikini bitch on the cover like this? It's blasphemy!"_

She was unlike most soft and sweet lolita here, for what she lacked in creativity, she more than made-up for in a 'loud-and-proud' personality.

Sabelle, however, was different altogether. Though they identical twins -Sabelle being older by 20 minutes-, she dressed in the ways of the Wa-Loli. She had a natural sense of fashion, much like her own sister, but was creative and made her own outfits, much like a true Harajuku-ist. She was natural and a traditionalist. She never dyed her hair nor wore colored contacts. Though she too loved lolita lifestyle, she did not harbour a Rococo spirit for she felt it was too hedonistic. She loved traditional Japan, and expressed her love of heritage in her Wa-Loli style.

"Are you listening, girl?" LaBelle irritably snapped again, her temper getting the best of her. She often got this way whenever she set uneccessarily lofty expections.

"Would you chillax or something, Queen of all B's?" Came a more friendly and hyperactive voice. "I'm starting to doubt that this is a 'mode' for you... I swear, you're always like this." She said, her reddish-brown eyes sitting coolly on the taller girl before her. She smiled warmly at the pale-eyed girl and gave her an assuring wink, her energetic grin smoothing out her troubles, like she so often had done.

She knew that their 'Emiri-chan' was getting nervous.

LaBelle scoffed irritably as she crossed her arms across her chest, unable to get over her needs at the moment. If she wasn't in total "B-mode", than she was in total "Sel-mode"..

"Mad selfish." The girl muttered under her breath.

"I hope you two don't fight." Moaned a young boy wearily. This kind of thing always happened. And everytime he hoped it wouldn't, but there was never a way around it.

"So what's going on with you and Atsushi? Anything?" The reddish-brown eyed girl asked, recieving a less-than-happy response.

"Don't make me cry, you jerk!" The boy accused aggravatedly, as he hung his head in mopish shame.

The girl with the pale-eyes giggled quietly to herself. Her group was always so amusing.

_It's been years since I started going here._

_I've never taken the time to think about too many things._

_I've always had Sundays on my mind, and I can never have enough.._

_In this masquerade of bored and rebellious teens, we do not know one another's names, and yet bonds form almost instantly._

_It's a congregation of kindred spirits, who all share the same destiny._

_The destiny of mundanity._

_But I refuse to give in._

_I don't care if my body ages._

_The spirit of a Lolita is forever._

_Long as I am a Lolita, I don't need anything else._

_I don't._

_I mean... it's the only thing that keeps me happy.._

* * *

"Hinata!"

"Kyaa!" Hinata shrieked breathlessly. She was sitting by the kotatsu, studying, with her legs under the futon.

Her father had been the one that called her, his voice harsh and demanding as always.

"Yes, papa?" She called sweetly, as she turned around to face him.

This was her home mask, her _tatemae_ so to speak: the sweetly indifferent face of an obedient and loving daughter. She lived in an old-fashioned household, held by out-of-date ideals. Her father was -like any other parent who cared too much or didn't have a life of their own- strict and relatively controlling.

He gave her a curfew.

He had her cook the dinner, do the chores and not to mention.. She had to study, study, study.

She did well to keep up with the day-to-day demands, never complaining, never breaking a sweat. Always grinning and bearing it.

Even though portrayed as the perfect daughter, and made it top of her class, she was never perfect in her father's eyes. It was something she couldn't understand, but had become accustomed to it. She never looked for his approval nor acknowledgment, but merely did as she was told without question. At one point she had come to the conclusion that he didn't want her to slip up, or perhaps he expected her to be like Neji. She wasn't sure which, but it didn't help make the house feel any less empty.

He was emotionally distant. This much was clear.

"Stop using the kotatsu's heat." Was his stern command as he continued looking through the bills and paperwork.

"But papa, it's winter." She softly countered, only to meet another cold response.

"Then put on a sweater and sock. We are not using any more charcoal."

"Hai, Otou-san." She said curtly in her sweet and soft voice, as she pulled the sweater and socks she kept hidden under the kotatsu and put them on, warming her instantly. She turned back to her math.

Hinata paused.

This last question was hard.

As she drummed the eraser tip of the pencil lightly against her lips, her cousin Neji came from the hallway to sit across from her, a large and advanced book in hand. He always had such a pensive look on his face, detached and curt.

He hardly smiled.

Hinata began to stare at him thoughtfully.

She remembered when he first came to live with them. He was four, and she was three. Her father had dropped her off at her uncle and aunt's to be babysat, while he went to Yokohama for a business trip. Her and Neji were real close then, almost thought they were brother and sister, the concept of cousins not quite being understood yet.

Later that night, there had been fervored knocking at their door. The loud repeatitions soon erupted into banging.

Hizashi and Hiyume rushed to the door, but hesitated to answer. They talked amongst eachother in hushed voices, panic written on their faces. She and Neji crept out of bed to see what was going on, they hid behind the living room couch.

_"N-Neji-n-nii? Wh-what's g-going on?"_

_"Don't be scared Imouto-chan." He assured her calmly._

_"I-I'm n-n-not.." She weakly replied, voice wavery._

_'It still seems unbelievable.. that it happened..'_

They had tried shouting through the door, asking questions or willing the aggressor to leave.

_"Hiashi! Give me Hiashi!" Came the schreechy cry. It was a woman, the voice belonged to a woman. Hinata could feel her little heart pound wildly in her chest, her face flushed with fear. Her hands grew cold. _

_Why did the woman say her father's name?_

_"Hiashi isn't here!"_

_"Don't bullshit me! You're in there Hiashi!"_

_"I'm not, I'm not Hiashi!" Hizashi desperately cried, confusion and worry clouding his head, clutching at his heart like a time-bomb._

_"COWARD HIASHI!" The woman schreeched, as the pounding grew erratically louder, more violent. _

_The door began to creak a little._

_Hiashi and Hiyume were alarmed and panicky, they didn't want to cause anymore conflict with this stranger._

_But they should have called the police._

_They shouldn't have opened the door._

_They should have done anything else but open the door._

_Why didn't they think it through?_

_But fear.. it cuts off your every sense of reasoning._

_They shouldn't have opened the door._

_It was hard to see, like a horror movie covered in shadow, the most crucial part cut out during editing. It happened so fast, that's what they all say, but it was true._

_Blood stained the carpet, splattered the door, the walls.. Neji's hands. The woman had stabbed Hizashi several times in the chest. He fell to the floor. Hiyume saw Neji run towards them, tears falling from her eyes, she screamed for him to leave, to go back. Instead she just brought the attention to herself. The seemingly crazed woman grabbed for her long, burgundy hair and dragged her outside. The hallway lights of the apartment complex illuminated her hair, skin, her clothes and the fear in her eyes. It was too much to take. The woman kicked her, pulled at her and threw her down. _

_She slashed her throat, then spit on her._

_Hinata didn't understand why she had continued to stomp on her stomach as she did so.._

Ever since then Neji had come to resent Hinata. Because his father died, when it should have been her own, that he began to blame her for what happened. It wasn't until Neji turned thirteen, that Hiashi explained to him why that happened. The woman had been a former lover, jealous that he wouldn't leave his wife for her. It all came together for her as well. The crazed mistress must've known her mother Hinako was pregnant, but she had mistaken Hiyume as her mother, like she had mistaken Hizashi as her father.

She had done all that, out of bitter jealousy.

"Having trouble?" Neji called out, his voice pulling her out from the clouds.

Hinata blinked cluelessly. "Huh?"

"That last question. I can help you." Neji passively offered.

She wasn't sure what to think of him at times, he was hard to read. Hinata nearly smiled. _'Well.. it's all in the past.'_

"Neji, don't help her. She needs to figure it out on her own." Hiashi called out in his usual stern drawl.

"I'm just going to lead her through, I'm not going to give her the answers." He explained as he placed his book on the table and moved to sit next to her.

"Alright, see what you need to do is.." Neji started out, his voice fading behind the roar of her thoughts.

Neji had always been smart, a child prodigy. His parents knew it right away. He began to speak, read and write as early as 2 years. Over the years after his parents death, he surrounded himself in studying and found a rapt interest in everyday criminal cases. At one point she thought he wanted to be a prosecutor or work in law, to avenge his parents' wrongful death, prevent similar tragedies to happen to others, that type of thing. But he did not affirm that. If he had any aspirations, they were locked away somewhere in his brain, and she hoped that someday he'd share them with her.

Considering his age, seventeen, he would be a second year in highschool. But being the genius that he is, he had graduated 3 years earlier, just when she herself passed the highschool entrance exams.

"You got all that?" Neji asked, his voice monotonous as ever. She had this spaced out look in her eyes. Hinata looked down at her paper before looking back at eyes.

"Oh.. wait!" Hinata exclaimed in a hushed voice. She snatched the paper from his hands to take another look at it.

To answer him: Did she get it? Yes, she did. But had shen been listening to him? No, she hadn't.

Scrawling as fast she she could, the answers kept coming to her and she hoped that she wasn't guessing.

"Like this? Is this right?" Hinata asked, presenting the paper to him. Neji scanned the answers slowly before nodding his head in approval.

He said nothing else, a bare minimum of a smile on his lips. He got up and ruffled her hair affectionately, before returning to his place across from her and picked up his book.

It took Hinata few seconds to relax, a silent sigh escaping her. She wasn't sure why she got so tense around him sometimes, but she knew he wasn't going to strike her. _'Relax.'_ She told herself. _'What do you have to be afraid of anymore?'_

Hinata smiled weakly, and diverted her eyes from her cousin to her worksheets. They had worked out their problems long ago, they were on better terms now, even if Neji still seemed cold, she knew he cared about her to some degree. Things had gotten better since. At least she was certain they did.

"I wonder where Hanabi-chan is.." Hinata mumbled to herself absentmindedly. She hadn't seen her sister all sunday since she returned and it was getting late. Hinata knew she'd have to make dinner soon.

"Shibuya." Neji whispered under his breath, catching her attention immediately as she glanced up at him.

"Huh?" Hinata mumbled, rather dumbly. Neji pulled his eyes away from his book, his face stiff and almost guarded, but his eyes tried to speak to her.

"Shibuya-ku." He repeated once more, in a stiff and quiet voice, practically mouthing the words to her. His eyes darted briefly to the side to look over her shoulder. Hiashi was engrossed in his business, he hadn't heard what was said, nor gave them much attention. It was for Hanabi's sake that it was kept that way.

Hinata finally understood and returned to her own work, the house becoming deathly silent in an instant.

She knew that Hanabi would return home soon, the risks weren't worth taking when Hiashi was in town.

A slight sadness washed through her, enveloped her like an old and worn quilt, sentimental and somber.

A few hours ago she had been at Harajuku with her friends. Now she wouldn't be able to see them for a whole week. She didn't think she could wait that long, but she always did.

She wondered if Hanabi ever felt that way when it came to her friends.

"Hinata-chan. The salmon." Hiashi said, never taking his eyes off his work. Hinata understood him immediately.

"Hai, papa." She replied, calmly and politely. She put aside her papers, and closed her textbooks. She stood up straight and gracefully held herself up high as she walked into the kitchen.

It had taken her a year to master the mask she wore around the house, until it became a part of her. And she was proud of it.

No more stuttering or slumping, no more crying or hiding her face. She was a proper lady now, the perfect picture of grace. Just like a victorian princess, just like a lolita. And it seemed to please Hiashi, he didn't put her down as often anymore.

What else could she possibly ask for?

* * *

"I'm going now!" Hinata called from the genkan.

"Wait, Onee-san!" A younger voice cried, as a small girl with brown hair rushed out. She slipped on her shoes and exited out with Hinata.

They both called out to their house.

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

The sun greeted the morning from above the treeline and horizon of houses. Cars and school children roamed the suburbs of Shinagawa, as they headed their way to work. The businessmen waved goodbye to their wives and trudged tiredly, wearily or eagerly to the train stations, ready to haul in the long hours and unpaid overtime of work, knowing they wouldn't return home for another three days or whole week at a time.

Hinata glanced off to the side, as thoughtfulness clouded her mind again.

Hanabi was so short and tiny.

Though they were sisters, Hinata always felt Hanabi resembled Neji most, what with her long brown hair and warm skin color. They got their looks from their fathers. Sometimes she felt like she was different than her family, unrelated because she looked nothing like them. But maybe that was alright...

"You were so worried, but your weren't going to be late. It's nice to be in Junior High, you don't have to worry about what shoes or clothes to wear." Hinata stated with a slight smile, but somehow she wondered if she was lying, because there's always more to worry about than clothes or what to wear or how to look.

To have called Junior High "nice" left a funny aftertaste in her mouth. But then again, perhaps fro Hanabi Junior High might be nice. She was going to a better middle school than she ever had.

o have called Junior High "nice" left a funny aftertaste in her mouth. But then again, perhaps fro Hanabi Junior High might be nice. She was going to a better middle school than she ever had.

Hanabi glanced down her shoes, then looked at Hinata's.

"I kinna miss it though.." She replied in her small voice. "Wish I had cute shoes to wear at school. I bet yours are cute." Hanabi complained, sounding much like the child she still was.

"They're pretty standard to me, Imouto-chan." Hinata replied back, as she thought about the indoor shoes she had to wear at her high school. They were just simple black leather mary-janes.

"Well whatever.. I'm going to try to be a smartass like Neji-itoko, so I can skip the baby grades and graduate early!" Hanabi spoke mischeviously with a grin, as she peered her round eyes up at her sister. It wasn't until then that Hinata noticed the light make-up and lip-gloss. And she finally realized the overdone barrage of cute hairclips that adorned her head.

Hinata slowly reached out to touch, before deliberately ruffling her sister's hair.

"Hey! Hey, stop, no! I just worked hard on my hair! Oneeee-chaaan!" She whined, and smacked her sister's hand away with a huff.

"Why?" Hinata asked curiously, aghast and surprised. She wondered.. Hanabi had never tried anything with her looks before, far as she knew. So what motivated her now? She hoped that she wouldn't start dyeing her hair, that would just kill her.

"No.. reason.." Hanabi trailed off weakly, digging her toes in a bit as she walked. Hinata knew better. She saw the stubborn blush painted across her face before she let her brown hair hide it.

"Alright, you don't have to tell me. I'll figure it out someday." Hinata started out, with a hint of suspense in her voice.

"No you won't." Hanabi firmly replied.

"Yes, I will. I'll even enlist Neji-nii's help. There's no way he'll stick up for you." She smirked when she knew she had pushed the right button.

"No! Not unless I get to him first!"

"The secret's too great! He'll probably double cross you!" Hinata laughed.

"No! No, I won't let that happen!" Hanabi shouted, hands fisted under her chin. Hinata smiled. They were already at the middle school's entrance and Hanabi had't noticed.

"We're here.." Hinata announced in soft sing-song, their time for teasing over.

"Huh?" Hanabi looked over and saw the opened gate. Most of her classmates were congregated outside, in the courtyard. "Okay, later Onee-san!" Hanabi called over her shoulder and she moved to head inside. Hinata reached out for her shoulder and pulled her back, stopping her. Hanabi gave her a confused look, curious and wondering what Hinata was doing digging through her school bag.

"Just a second, Hanabi-chan.." Hinata said as she pulled out a fancy looking hairbrush. She removed the several stylishly cute hair clips, ignoring Hanabi's whining, as she began to brush softly. She parted her hair, and held each side with one strawberry clip, as she put the rest in her school bag.

"There, much better." She smiled sweetly.

"Thanks a lot, mums." Hanabi said sarcastically, clapping her palm half-heartedly against Hinata's cheek in a joking manner.

"I'll get you for that." Hinata pinched Hanabi's nose until she began to turn a little red. "But I won't tell you when." She winked.

"Bye Onee-san." Hanabi said annoyedly in a nasally tone, her nose still held hostage by Hinata's slender fingers.

"Bye Hana-bunni." Hinata waved as she took off for her own school.

Five years apart. Hanabi was always the more clever and reliable one. The favorite daughter. Hinata figured Hanabi must've gotten her tiny-ness from being born a month early. The pregnancy had made her mother very sick, and the complications were too much for her to handle. After 32 hours of labor, Hanabi had been born through their mother's death, like a phoenix or something.

She remember how dry her father's face had been, how rather than mourn, he seemed to glow with pride at the sight of his new daughter. Over the years, that glow died, much like it did with her.

Hinata wasn't sure if Hiashi was a complicated man or a fickle one. But he never seemed to stay happy with something for too long. He never seemed happy actually.

She stopped by a streelight, the way to Matsushita Normal High School was a long one, and so the reason why she would leave very early in the morning. Dressed in a dark-grey blazer, classic red plaid skirt, black knee-highs and white dress shirt, with her red school tie neatly done, Hinata stood amongst the fray of bodies.

Tokyo was an ocean.

And society was an inescapable school, where everyone looked alike, moved with the crowd from one place to another, the same routine everyday, as the sharks of the darwinistic hierarchy ate the tuna alive.

But she liked to think herself above the rest, because she refused to follow the crowd.

The light turned, and the current began to flow. She had no choice but to live on routine, to move with the crowd. Perhaps she was a hyprocrite, or perhaps she lied to herself. But they were lies that made her happy. She hated to think that she was born without meaning, that she was meant to serve and maintain her country's economy, or some boring bullshit like that. She hated to think that she was doomed for nothing more than the ordinary.

It was her destiny-much like anyone else's- to follow the basic path planned out for her, to settle for the mundanity of the civilized life.

But she hated it.

She wished she could go to Harajuku right now, she wasn't sure if she could take it, if she could take another day at school.

But she knew no one would be there today.

In a sense, only youth could Lolita, the hipsters at Harajuku were all school kids. Once you graduate, that lifestyle is over, and there's hardly a thing you can do about it. Try, and others will brand you as immature, and overly-sentimental.

_'Or perhaps a whack-job..'_

A wistful sigh blew past her lips, the cold fall wind carressing the back of her neck, through her bluish-black hair. She was starting to think that Neji's fatalism had finally gotten to her. He had always called life a curse.

If only there was a way to break it.

* * *

"Class, open your textbooks to page 60."

It was Geography/History studies. Maybe she was close-minded, but the only history she was interested in was European. Yet they were learning about the geography of their country. Let's see.. the best place to grow tea, where is the majority of Japan's tea farms? Yeah, like that was important!

"Shizuoka."

"Correct, Amano-san. Can anyone tell me where we get our-" The teacher trailed off at the sound of a faded voice coming closer; and he was causing all sorts of hell on the way. The class could hear girls screaming, books knocked over, and the scoldings of other teachers. A loud clack of high-heels mixed into the ruckus like firecrackers, as the voice seemed to close in on their classroom door.

"THIS SUCKS!"

The room jumped with alarm.

The entire class stopped what they were doing, all their attention focused on the door, watching it intently, waiting for an explosion like in the shounen anime. Maybe there was a monster behind the door, who knows?

Just as their geography/histories teacher, Sakio-sensei, was about to open the door, one ragged hand on the knob, it flew open, startling him half to death.

He looked like he might have stroke. He was old enough to.

"Sakio-sensei. G-gomen nasai for interrupting your class." The female teacher, Imahada-sensei, said clearly out of breath. She continued. "I caught this delinquent, but I'm afraid he's your responsibility now. He says this is his homeroom." She explained, shaking the boy by the collar in a scolding manner. He looked like a fox held by the skin of its neck.

"You're not serious, Imahada-sensei.." The old man groaned, as he gave the kid a belittling once-over. He made his judgement then and there, already dubbing him as 'another hopeless case'.

"Gomen nasai, everybody." He said with a broad, goofy grin, hands clasped together in apology, his head slightly bowed in apology.

"Take him away. Leave him in someone else's care, maybe the principal." Sakio-sensei said coldly, brushing the new student aside like yesterday's trash. He couldn't believe how quickly he was recieving the shit-treatment.

"What? Hey, look! I just apologi-!"

"Never talk back! Have you no respect to your elders, hm? Are you so unruly?" The old man yelled, quickly growing agitated. He'd be damned if he had to put up with some brat. But he knew, as a teacher, it was his job to teach brats their place. "You are a new student then?"

"Yeah! My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" The boy exclaimed energetically with a proud and invincible smile. Just the sight of him, just hearing his name made the old man cringe with dread. _'A whirpool. A maelstrom. Just my luck.'_ He thought grudgingly.

Old man Sakio, as the insolent ones called him, approached Naruto almost menacingly.

"If I must endure you for the years to come, then you will show some respect. What ever happened to have you transfer so late in the first year?" He asked, his voice low, as if he thought he was doing the boy a favor, but they were all listening and they could all hear them clearly. Was the old man deliberately trying to ruin his chances here?

"Uh.. um.. Th-that's not me anymore, if it helps to say, sir." Naruto spoke softly, trying to be humble. Though, however smart his choice of words, they were ambiguous enough to be turned against him.

"So you were expelled then?" He assumed, speaking a little more loudly. Naruto could feel all the eyes on him, none probing, just staring.

"Think what you want, I'm not saying anything." Naruto replied evenly. He straightened his back under Sakio's bitter gaze, Naruto's body language said it all: 'I won't be taken down easily.'

"It doesn't matter what you say or don't say. I believe the class has already created an opinion of your character." Sakio-sensei stepped away from Naruto, who stood alone in the doorway, as the teacher returned to teaching.

Naruto glanced around the room, quickly meeting eyes halfway, trying to read them. Yet he could already see under their guarded and hidden expressions, what he was going to have to deal with, even as they stared at their textbooks.

What a wonderful way to start the new year.

"Come on, you" Imahada-sensei called out, pulling him by the shoulder and muttering. Before he allowed himself to be led away by the angry women, his eyes finally settled on a lone figure sitting by the window.

During that whole bout with the sensei, one person had not given it any attention. This one girl hadn't seen him, hadn't seen the foolish entrance he made, perhaps didn't even hear him.

"Hyuuga-san! Stop looking out the window and pay attention!" Sakio-sensei yelled.

_'Hyuuga?'_ Was the last thought he had before having to pull his gaze away from her altogether. Just before he got pulled away completely, he glanced back and got a good look at her eyes. There was something interesting and peculiar about them: lavender? _'They must be contacts...'_

A hopeful grin passed on his lips, as he was being lead away, a ray of hope shining brightly in his chest.

_'I might still have a chance!'_

* * *

"In here." She said curtly, a veiny hand extended towards some chairs. "This is the principals' office. You will wait here until your next class. And be glad too. If Sakio-sensei doesn't want to deal with you now, he doesn't want any crap the rest of the day."

Naruto sighed, as he plopped down on a chair, and leaned forward in a lazy manner, his elbows propped on his legs. The room was so bland and white. There were metal cabinets to one side, chairs alongside the walls on the other, and small wooden table in the middle with single tray of hard candy. The door to the prinicipal's actual office was closed and stood just behind his shoulder. To the left of him, the teacher sat, leaning against the counselor's desk, with several folders and papers laid out ontop. He looked up at the wiry teacher, dressed in a grey, tweed dress suit, her skirt knee-length. She wore half-rim glasses. Her face was long, thin and angular, her sandy-brown was wavy and held in a ponytail. It was a bit frizzy.

"..." Naruto wasn't sure what else to say, wondering if there was any point in responding. So far the aversion most adults and teachers met him with was old news and there was nothing much else to do about it.

"Why so quiet all of sudden?" The older woman asked, curious and seemingly sincere. Naruto merely shrugged. "You come in late to school, and late in the year.."

"Are you calling me out or something?" Naruto interjected rather waspishly, incredulity and boredom written on his face. "Coz if you're just gonna give me a verbal spanking, don't." His tone was casual, but his words were harsh. Imahada-sensei blinked with surprise, as she absentmindedly crossed her arms.

"And why shouldn't I?" She asked curiously with a thin brow quirked up.

Naruto leaned back into the seat and slouched into the old cushions. They smelled like they had been from the nineties. Old and musty.

"Don't friggin' need it. I've heard it all before." He replied in a passive-aggressive manner. He was taken aback when she started to laugh. "What?" He asked in an impatient voice.

"Well, well. Aren't we quick to judge?" She smirked. Naruto blushed with embarrassment, realizing he did just what teachers have always done to him. "I was just curious as to why you've arrived four months before the year's end."

"No special reason." Naruto shrugged aloof in his seat.

"Will you be able to make it into your second year?" She asked inquistively, coming off as nosy and a little too interested for an adult.

"I passed the entrance exams, what more do you need?" He commented assertively. He wondered how soon third period would pass, staying here like this was an awkward waste of time. Then again, going back to that class could be just as awkward. The atmosphere in there was less than welcoming, he doubted he'd make any friends soon. _'But maybe that one girl.. hope she's nice.'_

"Your transcripts?" The woman said, her voice piercing through his thoughts.

"Are you a counselor or something?"

"Actually no, I'm the english language teacher."

"So what do you care?" He asked pointedly.

"Just curious." She shrugged with a coy smile.

"Whatever." Naruto shrugged back, slumping more into the musty cushions.

"You ought to lose that attitude of yours, by the way." She commented absentmindedly.

"What attitude?"

"Sakio-san is a very authoritarian man." Imahada-sensei added, connecting her statements with a single point.

"Yeah, I saw that." Naruto sighed tiredly. He wished he hadn't slept in today. He picked himself up after getting tired of slouching.

"I'm just saying you ought to be careful, you'll be walking on eggshells with rest of the years with him as your History studies and Sciences teacher."

"Great..." Naruto craned his head back to lean against the seat, the hard wooden back of it dug into his neck. Minutes passed slowly as Imahada-sense busied herself at the counselor's desk, before the silence was broken again.

"Who did you talk with about your schedule?"

* * *

It felt like an eternity passed before the bell finally rang. The moment Naruto had re-entered his homeroom, all eyes but one were on him. And the girl was still looking out the window. He wondered what was so interesting out there. The only seat left in the room was the one right behind hers, even then she didn't know he was there. He glanced out the window curiously, only to find a view of the street beyond the school fence. Every now and then pedestrians or a car would pass, but that was it.

It seemed like she was seeing something entirely different than he was. Because it was hardly a view.

He pulled his eyes away to bore a hole into hers. But then she turned away before he could get a good look at her face.

The day passed that way. Eventually he stopped staring at her, but he could still feel the looks. Then again perhaps he was just imagining them, because once he turned around no one was looking at him. Half of the time he would peek out of the corner of his eye, and he'd catch the glances. But they weren't glaring, just seemed wary of him.

He sighed apathetically through his nose.

If only he hadn't come so late in the year. Everyone already formed their friendships and cliques, so there was no room for him.

_'Maybe next year..'_ He hoped.

Naruto turned his eyes forward again.

Hyuuga was plugged in, her earbuds in her ears as she listened to her music on her mobile. It wasn't until then, that he realized it was lunch time. He looked around the classroom. Everyone was in their groups, half of the class missing.

They were probably hanging out in other homerooms or eating outside.

There was a group of boys nearest the door, all huddled together in front of a laptop. Who knows what they were looking at, but they looked awfully excited. In the far right corner, the back of the room, one boy lay sleeping, slumped against his desk. Next to him, another boy with dark hair and dark skin, sat intently reading a magazine or mook of some sort.

At the front of the classroom, a group of three girls chatted, one sitting with her legs crossed on the sensei's desk. To the back was another group of girls chatting excitedly with one another. A couple of boys walked over to talk with them, bringing up a conversation about the teachers. From there they went from school gossip, to bad-talking their parents and older people in general.

"That's like my mom too! She pisses me off so much! I just want to slap her!" Complained one girl.

He searched around the room a bit more, he could have sworn he saw a pretty girl, but she wasn't around. She was really short too, when she stood up to answer a question to the teacher, she looked like she would be no higher than his naval.

_'Oh well. She's probably got a boyfriend.'_

Around the room, some students were scattered, sitting alone and studying, listening to music or sharing headphones with friends.

He wondered why Hyuuga-san wasn't with any of her friends. Or why no one was going over to talk to her.

Then he got nervous.

_'Should I?'_

Naruto shifted his eyes from left to right to left again.

After a few minutes of silent deliberations, he stood up and leaned forward into his desk. He could smell something sweet coming from her direction, it wasn't a perfume though, it was something edible. He reached his hand out for her, his palms growing wet and cold.

He wasn't sure what would happen. He didn't want to get tossed, that would suck. And would she like him? She seemed pretty lonesome, he couldn't imagine why she was sitting so isolated from her classmates.

Where were her friends?

He was almost there, his fingers millimeters away..

_Pin-paaan, Pin-pan!_

Until the bell rang.

The students filed in and got to their seats. Before he knew it, Hyuuga had already taken out her headphones and put her cellphone away. He looked up to find the teacher staring expectantly at him, a coy smile on her lips. Everyone was looking at him with the same sort of eyes.

"It's time for class, will you sit down?" Imahada-sensei spoke smoothly over her half-rimmed glasses. Her words didn't process, however Naruto knew his situation. "Sit down, please?" Imahada-sensei repeated in a tone that made the classroom smirk and giggle.

Naruto sat down, but not without feeling like a fool.

_'Assholes.'_

* * *

"Bunch a pricks.." Naruto grumbled as he slipped his on his worn tennis shoes, placing his indoor shoes inside his locker. He shut his locker with an agitated slam, ignoring the looks he was getting. _'At least I'm not invisbile, I guess...'_ He thought ironically as he turned to the right, the sight of a bluish-black head catching his attention and startling him halfway.

He didn't even see her there! He nearly bumped into her, and he didn't even know she was there!

And still she didn't notice him. It didn't take him until she was halfway across the courtyard to realize that she had just walked away from him without the slightly glance.

_'Maybe I am invisible...' _He mused absentmindedly, as she grew smaller in the distance. Alarm shot through him like an injection when she turned the corner, her bluish-black hair sweeping behind her in the wintry, fall wind. He was losing his chance for a first friend. It was his moment now to make a good first impression, rather than have the class make a monster or fool out of him tomorrow.

He ran after her.

He had to make she liked him.

He needed approval, even the slightest.

He needed to say 'hi' to her.

_'But once I do.. what if she's just like the rest of them?'_ He thought despondantly, the hope draining away from him like blood from a gash, the more he ran, his sprints slowing down to mere jogging. However despite recent doubts, he continued to follow her, and eventually sped back up. He tried to get an idea, to paint a picture about her, even though all he ever saw of her was the back of her head. But he couldn't come up with anything.

He never was good at reading a person from afar.

She was getting farther away now, he had to catch up.

_'Gaaah, dammit! ..Okay, here goes nothing!'_

He cupped his hands around his mouth and pushed himself to run faster.

"HYUUGA-SAN!"

Naruto saw her come to a stop, a jittery jump to her steps. It was clear that he startled her.

She could hear rushed footsteps close-in on her, a stampede in her ears. She was too frightened to turn around, too shocked to move.

Naruto saw the stiffness in her shoulders, her entire body tense with apprehension. Yet he ignored it all and smiled, happy to have his prey in his grasp. He reached his hand out for her again.

Hinata felt that hand. It held her shoulder and turned her around, but her eyes were closed tightly shut, fear and adrenaline beating wildy in her bloodstream. She felt like her heart would burst from her ribcage.

And then she screamed.

Naruto quickly retracted his hand, bringing them to cover his ears. A hot flash created a cold sweat on his hands, a freaked out jolt running down his spine. He hadn't expected that sort of reaction at all!

"What the hell was that-?" He cursed pissily, stopping short upon realization. She was running away! "Oi! OI! HYUUGA-SAN! WAIT, HOLD UP!" He yelled out, hoping she'd listen, but she wasn't. "Stop! Hold up!"

Hinata pushed herself with all her might to go faster, faster, faster, while all she could hear was: "Chotto, chotto, chotto!" But she would not wait up for him, whoever he was.

"Hyuuga-san, come back please?" He called out.

"No way!" She cried back.

"I just want to talk!"

"I don't care!"

"You don't know that for sure! Maybe deep, deep down you do care!" Naruto couldn' t help but laugh as he said that. Part of him wondered if he joking with her or making fun of himself. He was disappointed however at her next reply.

"Go away! Just leave me alone!" Hinata cried as she pushed herself harder. Whatever he just said didn't make much sense to her and it kinda creeped her out.

Naruto growled with frustration.

"I can't do that, I have to talk to you!" He fought back firmly, determination fueling his momentum. He never backed down, too bad she didn't know that.

"Why, God, why me?" Hinata wailed miserably, as if the greatest of tragedies had just befallen her.

"Wha-what? Why you? ..Why me! Am I that freakin' awful?" Naruto yelled corrosively, his sensitive temper getting the best of him. If anyone on earth had a right to complain to god, it was him. _'Why does every girl I run into hate me? What the hell does she have to run away from?'_

"I don't even know you!"

"Exactly! Y-you didn't even look at me! Y-you were l-looking out the.. (huff).. o-out the window all day!" He shouted, his voice struggling to keep up, while they dodged and darted through the crowds of Kitashinagawa District. He had taken the time to look around, he would have found themselves in the market sector of town, where throng of housewives and young children roamed.

Hinata slowed to a stop however, confusion setting in. The stampede that had been stubbornly pursuing her through town came to a halt at her feet as well, and she turned around.

"Wh-what?" She asked, taking in his spiky blonde hair. He hung his head as he bent over, hands on his knees, to catch his breath.

"I.. (huff).. s-said y-you were.. (huff).. lookin' out the wi-window all d-day..(whew)." He finally replied, sounding exhausted. He was grateful she finally stopped. He wasn't sure what he was going to do if he had to chase her tomorrow just for a conversation. That's just pathetic.

"Who.. are you again?" She asked hesitantly.

Her voice had been so soft and so sweet, that it startled him pleasantly before warming him with its charm. He was still out of breath, and felt a bit sweaty, which was embarrassing. He hoped she didn't notice. Slowly, he brought himself up, a cheeky grin on his face.

"Uzumaki Naruto." He said. "I'm your new classmate."

The brilliance of his smile held her place, his eyes a startling and striking blue. Yet it wasn't his eyes or his hair that caught her attention at all, not like a new dress in a window display, no...

It was the unusual whisker marks on his cheeks.

Three lines on either side, like _Doraemon_ or "Hello Kitty".

No.. more like... a Kitsune.

* * *

Momo- MWAHAHAHAHA! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Success! Finally! First chapter redone! I have no idea if this it what it was always meant to be, but I think it turned out pretty well. Please review, ja ne! XD

Liner Notes:

Jui: Vocalist of Visual-kei rockband "Vidoll".

Vidoll: Visual-kei rockband. Their name is a play on words, and depending the on kanji used, can mean: "Beautiful Doll" or "Insignificant Puppet", which are the themes often reflected in their lyrics, releases and tour names. Also they are apparently known for their perverse lyrics. If only **I** knew them! (lol).

Kana: Lolita J-Rocker. She first started out as a model in _Gothic & Lolita Bible_, and still appears regularly. She is also a toy designer, illustrator and fashion designer. Her music is widely recieved, but her voice is often criticized for its harsh and screechy tone. (I actually don't particularly like it, but if she tried mixing in some low notes, it could work for some great Metal/J-Rock or _Riot Grrrl _music!) X3

Gothic & Lolita Bible: It's a culture, fashion, lifestyle, magazine/book hybrid. That's why it's called a "mook".

Mook: Magazine/Book hybrid. Usually meaning it's a serialized art book with tips and news and talk about events and interviews, wheeee! XD

Doraemon: 1970's popular anime character, a talking blue cat known for his interdimensional pouch on his stomach. Wheee! XDDD

November, four months before end of the school year: It's pretty much the end of November, and so there are four months left of school. School in Japan ends March, and starts in April. At first I was having the end of school be during the summer, much like us, but I figured I could change the story around enough to keep it accurate. Hopefully it works out, since I AM revising. :P

REVIEW! MOO! XDDD


	2. Horror Story

Star- Hey everybody:D I just want to thank those who reviewed, those who put this on their alert list and those who actually favorited this story. I love you guys! Thank you so much!

**To those who alerted this:** Thank you so much JSai, you rock, you're the best! XD Thank you Lord Sake, Simply Chaste, XFullxMoonX, and seraph tomato-san! I love you guys!

**To those who actually favorited this:** Yay! I'm so excited! Thank you so much XFullxMoonX, and iamsarcasm for favoriting my story. Hope you continue to like it:3

**Finally... response to reviewers:**

_Simply Chaste_ - Unpredictable you say? Heh, I'm glad you think so! Thanks for great review, but I'd have to say... by this next chapter, there will be OOC with Hinata. With good reason, but I fear ppl won't get it. I just hope you do. CUZ YOU ROCK! XDDD

_XFullxMoonX_ - Thank you, I hope that it does reach whatever expectations you may have. Keep reviewing, I'll love ya for it:3

_Lunarangel's Dark Flame_ - Thanks for the review, but perhaps I may prove you wrong! Muhahahahaha! XD

* * *

Star - Okay okay, in advance I'm sorry for the slight OOC that's going to kind be around with Hinata (but when you think about it, with the setting and how she grew up, she is perfectly in character. :D) Plus, love never did run smooth, and this is going to be bit of long and slow love development story.

So enjoy!

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch.2 - Horror Story

_Captivating blue eyes, bright blonde hair, and an even brighter smile to match. Who would've thought my modest little life would be changed so spontaneously. So abruptly. So... obnoxiously._

_I didn't want anything else, I valued my lifestyle. How did I, the little wall flower who only opened up to the sun, catch the attention of such a boy? _

_A boy with whisker marks._

"So, you know I saw an empty desk behind yours, and I figure we should get to know eachother, yeah?"

_'What is he talking about? ..Empty desk behind me? Oh no! If he sits there, he'll just pester me! I'll have to switch seats or something!'_

"Gomen, Uzumaki-san. You seem very nice but I have to go pick up my sister. Excuse me." Hinata bowed and left, Naruto not noticing her rush to escape him.

"Huh? Hey, wait!" Naruto tried to catch up to her. "Heh, you said you have a sister?"

"Yes." She answered curtly, eyes focused on the horizon. _'Why is he following me?'_

"I don't. Ain't got a brother either. Is she older or younger?"

"I'm picking her up, what does that tell you?"

"Younger."

"Very good. And do you know your way home?" Hinata didn't mean for it to sound so sarcastic, but fortunately or unfortunately it just went over his head, as he smiled that invincible grin of his.

"Yeah, over there." He pointed extending his arm a bit over his head.

_'Over there?? ...No.'_

"Over there?" She squeaked, pointing the same direction.

"Yeah, I just moved in. It's right next to this really old Washitsu styled house. I saw this guy sitting out front reading this really big book. I said hi, but he ignored me."

"...That's my cousin." Hinata said breathlessly, not quite believing her situation, as she just stared wide eyed and unconcentrated.

"Yeah, so that's when I asked him what time it was and he told me ten-hundred hours. I think he was making fun of me."

"..." Hinata was speechless. What would happen to her now that she had this kid for a neighbour? Shaking her head irritatedly she trudged onwards to Matsushita Central Middle School.

"So what is ten-hundred hours?"

"10:00 am."

"You knew that?" Naruto asked, sounding impressed.

"Yes, it's military time."

"Huh, well it's wierd. He could have just told me."

"..."

"You don't talk much, do ya?"

"Why should I?"

"Hey, hey. It's cool, talk when you want to, I understand."

_'For your sake, I hope so.' _She glanced at him from beneath her bangs. With a sigh and the momentary upward lift of her fringe, she proceeded into the grounds of the Middle School.

"Hanabi-chan? Where--?" Hinata called out, looking over to find her little sister hiding inside the school doorway. Rushing to her, she had forgotten that Naruto was still following her.

"Hana-chan, what happened?" She hugged her sister, looking her over for any injuries.

"I-it was his birthday..." She muttered through a throat thickly laden with tears.

"What? Who's?"

"Kanasato-kun's birthday..." She answered whispery, a dimmed hollow look casting over Hanabi's eyes. The name clicked in Hinata's mind, but what she didn't understand was what did this have to do with him? She thought they were good friends, he seemed like a nice enough kid, a little too playful for his age though.

"What happened?"

"M-my friends.. (sniff), they told me he wanted a girl for his birthday...(sniff)" Hanabi stopped, bringing a hand to wipe at her face. Hinata though, stared eyes wide as the news registered. _'He wanted a girl?'_

"What do you mean? Hanabi, tell me what happened?" She urged more firmly.

"I liked him.. I really liked him Onee-san..." Hanabi said in a sad whispery tone, her throat was dry from sobbing.

"He... didn't do _anything_ did he?"

"..." Hanabi shook her head, but Hinata wanted her to say it.

"You can tell me. You're strong. You can tell me." Hinata comforted her in her motherly tone, as she embraced her once more.

"There's a boy here.." She whispered like a child with a secret, in her ear.

"Huh?" Hinata looked up to see a concerned looking Naruto.

"Uzumaki-san, I really need to take my sister home now." She said evenly, taking her leave.

"Oh, yeah I totally understand." He smiled slightly. Hinata nodded, leading Hanabi out by the hand.

* * *

As they continued in silence on the suburban path, Hanabi leaned in closer to Hinata, both hands clutching at her forearm.

"He's following us..." She whispered.

"I know. Just whatever you do, don't make eye contact." She whispered back conspiratorily, she knew he could hear them, so she winked back letting him know it was a joke. He grinned in return, eyes schrunched closed, she got the disturbing impression of a fox. Especially with those whiskers.

_'Mou..how can he smile like that?'_ She wondered, her scowl almost coming back. She never knew someone so... happy, if you could call it that. Maybe clueless, but she didn't know him enough to really stick with that.

As Hinata and Hanabi approached the steps of the engawa, Neji saw Hanabi's puffy red eyes, and got up from his seat. At first glance you could not tell the expression of concern that lay almost non-existantly in his face, but it was clear to the relatives that knew him best; through his rushed and immediate response to Hanabi's distress, and urgency in his voice was more than what a frown could do.

"What happened?"

"It's alright Neji-san, I'll tell you later."

"N-no, Onee-san, I can tell him."

"Now?" She looked down at her child sister, surprised at her willingness but not comfortable with it. She didn't want her to do something if she didn't want to, not under pressure. (good song :3)

"No, later." She replied softly. Hinata nodded in understanding.

"I'll take her to my room." She turned to take her leave but was stopped by the suspicious and cool voice of her cousin.

"Alright. But, Hinata-chan..." Neji trailed off. Turning around to see what he was implying, She remembered Naruto still being there and Neji pointing at him in question.

"Who's he?" He said curt as ever. It was slight, but Hinata could see the irritation in Naruto's eyes.

"Who am I?! I'm Uzumaki Na---!"

"I was asking her, dobe." Neji turned his back on him completely, still waiting for Hinata's answer.

"He's our new neighbour, cousin. Uzumaki Naruto." Hinata announced, recieving a passive nod by Neji.

"Yeah, so remember it!" Naruto shouted, pointing a finger at Neji, whom wasn't paying the least bit of attention. Hinata just sighed, his rambunctiousness being something she wasn't yet accustomed to.

"We'll be getting inside now, Uzumaki-san. Be seeing you." Hinata bowed, taking her leave with Hanabi in hand.

"Okay! ..See you tomorrow Hinata!" The door shut, leaving Naruto to stand alone, his smiled dropped. He wasn't blind, and he wasn't that stupid; she didn't seem to like him very much. He didn't care whether that cousin of hers liked him or not, but he had hoped that she would have given him a chance. With a sigh, he walked over to his house, just 5 feet from their's. He decided he would just have to try harder to get her to like him.

It was empty and small, the tenants moved out long ago and the company had gone out of business, making this a very cheap house to buy; a lucky find. He didn't need a big place, because he had no family he had no reason to stay for long. Just a place to eat and sleep. He couldn't stand it for much longer, the silence would often suffocate him. He had no choice, he would have to go out to eat.

"Okay... Shibuya or Shinjuku district?" Shibuya was probably closer, so he just went with that. As he walked down the grey and organized streets, the sun began to set slowly behind him. He turned his head to see if any of his neighbours were out. Not head or tail of a Hyuuga. Or anybody else for that matter. He had a feeling he wouldn't see much of them at all. So much for 'Welcome to the Gokinjo'.

* * *

They sat in a lavish victorian setting, smells of roses and arabian musk filling the room. Hanabi loved Hinata's room, she was the only one allowed in it and the only one who knew of her Lolita lifestyle. As Hinata poured the Earle Grey tea from her silver kettle, Hanabi adjusted herself on the very plush satin seats, holding onto her favorite pink monkey.

Looking up from beneath her bangs, Hinata wondered if sometimes she babyied her sister too much. That monkey had been the last thing Hanabi knew of their mother, and held it to her heart everytime she was sad. But Hanabi was thirteen, was she too family-relient? She sighed to herself. If there was anything she knew, it was that dealing with 'others' was beneath her and her little Hana-bunni was too good for 'friends' like those. She regretted not asking to meet them. Hiashi said such things as friends were trivial, and she agreed; Family and love for yourself was the only thing important. There was nothing wrong with setting high standards. Life was fleeting, you couldn't afford to have someone bring you down or hold you back. These were the things she believed in, but she wasn't about to push her ideals onto her littlest kin. She wanted her to live for herself, like she was.

"Was that the reason why you were so impeccable about your looks, sister?"

"Hai. I wanted to give him a present. My friends said he wanted a girl for his birthday." Her voice came out soft and melancholic.

"You believed them?"

"..." Hanabi nodded, clutching her monkey closer til it made a loud squeak. It was a baby toy, something her mother bought before she was born, so it had a squeaker.

"A girl. That could have meant so many things, not all of them good." Hinata whispered to herself, appalled by the whole situation.

"I know that. That's why.. I..."

"Hanabi? You what? What did you do?" Hinata smothered the urge to raise her voice, the suspense killing her. Thoughts kept floating around her head, and it made her sick.

"I... I t-told him.. he could have me. They said I was... the girl he wanted." Hanabi's knuckles turned white as she said that, feeling so ashamed of herself. Hinata didn't need to ask her again, Hanabi continued.

"But it was prank, he used me, while they took pictures."

"Hanabi, be clearer. Explain to me exactly what happened." She felt the blood drain from her face at the phrase 'while they took pictures'. With her urgings, she hoped she wasn't pressuring her too much. She feared another fainting spell.

"I grabbed onto him, b-by the shoulders. I thought he really liked me too, the way he looked at me... " She trailed out whispery.

"Th-then he... pushed me onto a desk..." She gestured with her hands, eyes downcast.

"That's when they started taking pictures from the doorway. Th-then they said.. 'Wait til the whole school hears about this. Hanabi the Hussy.' Th-they're going to show the whole school tomorrow, Onee-san."

A sigh could be heard, and she was afraid that her older sister was going to hate her too. But instead she found herself enveloped in another sad warm embrace.

"You're not... ashamed of me?" Barely audible, her voice came out soft yet thick, eyes glistening.

"I'm just glad it wasn't something worse." Hinata whispered back, almost wanting to cry herself. The world and its 'reality'... it was a face she found disgusting. A face she no longered wished to see. It made her cry each time she even had to hear of it, of the things people do. It was deplorable.

* * *

"Hey, old man!"

"Don't 'old man' me, boy!" A middle aged man called out with mock irritation and a smile. He was going to get a good amount of money from his new customer.

"Can I have two more miso ramen?"

"You still have an appetite?" He turned around to take a glance at the insistent boy, clearly surprised to hear the word 'more'.

"You want my money or what?" Naruto replied, grinning toothily.

"Alright, alright. Hey Ayame-chan, two more miso bowls for the boy."

"Are you serious?! I can't cook anymore! Hire him or something, he can make his own damn ramen from now on!"

"Come on, daughter! He's going to make us rich if he becomes a regular." He called back. Turning to Naruto, he had this mock worried expression.

"You are going to be our regular, right?"

"You bet, this is the best ramen I've ever had!" Naruto beamed.

"That's not good enough to get me cooking again!" Ayame called out, causing her father Teuchi to heave a sigh. Excusing himself, he walked over to the wok and picked up a knife and tofu block.

"Alright daughter, I'll cook the rest. You can take your break."

"Alright, then I'll have a Spicy Crab Ramen, please." She said matter-a-factly, taking her apron off. Teuchi just sweatdropped in his mild aggravation. Ayame walked out of the booth and came to sit by Naruto.

"Come on, dad! Hurry it up!"

"Yeah old man! We're starving here!" Naruto called out.

"You call this a ramen stand? Where's all your employees?" Ayame continued to tease with a smile, winking at Naruto as the joke began to catch on.

"May I speak to your manager?"

"SHUT UP YOU TWO! I'M COOKING AS FAST AS I CAN!" He shouted, as he began to prepare the crab, the two laughed at his reaction.

"So Naruto-san... Where do you come from?"

"I just moved in from the countryside."

"Really? Hm, no wonder. You do have a bit of a tan. Where from?"

"South. Uhm, Matsue."

"...Matsue is west." She explained, deadpanned.

"Really? Hm, whoops." He flashed his goofy clueless grin, making Ayame sweatdrop.

"So you travelled with your parents?"

"No." Naruto answered quietly. Ayame became a bit concerned.

"What happened? You runaway or something?" She asked in a hushed voice, letting it be a conversation between them.

"Sorta. There wasn't anything left for me there." There was a sad inflection in his voice, she wanted to press further, but Teuchi had returned with the food. And just before her eyes, the clueless happy Naruto returned. Either food made him really happy or he was wearing a mask.

"Yeah! Spicy crab heaven! Thank you daddy!" Ayama grinned, acting like a little kid. Teuchi chuckled heartily.

"That's right, eat up dearest daughter." Teuchi pulled a prank of his own.

"Kyaaaa! You put wasabi in this! I need juice!" Ayama clutched at her throat, sticking her tongue out to cool down. "Bleh."

"So Naruto-san. Would you like a job here at Ichiraku?" Teuchi offered.

"That'd be great! Oh.. but I can't cook."

"Then I'll teach you." Ayame offered, as she downed the melon juice her father gave her.

"Delinquent like you needs to learn a thing or two. ...especially if you're living alone. You just can't eat Ramen the rest of your life, y'know?" Ayame whispered the last part in his ear, making Teuchi cock an eyebrow, wondering what the secret was.

* * *

Star- Yay! Second chapter done! **Boo-yah! How ya like my brand of drama, huh?! **XD :3 I hoped you guys liked it, I'll come out with another chapter as soon as possible! In fact I'm starting it right now! So review! I want 20 or I'm not posting the next chapter! XP nyah nyah!

**Star's Afterthought**- Oh, and before you're done... um... I really actually truly love and enjoy writing this, and there's nothing wrong with that. Except... it's Naruto, a shonen about ninjas (and it's good!), but my story is like... total flip side. Just that, after a certaint review that I knew I would recieve sooner or later in some shape or form, I'm feeling just a little awkward about this story as well. It's totally Shoujo style, as if say, these characters were written by Ai Yazawa or whoever with a whole new script. Okay yeah, duh, it's an AU, so what's the problem right? Well I guess there isn't one, but it does seem a little odd writing a total shonen into a total emotion-driven shoujo story. Hope you guys like emotions, cuz I'm putting all of mine into this.

Thank you. :3

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Liner Notes:

-Gokinjo - Neighborhood

-Washitsu - It's a traditional style Japanese room/house. (go on wikipedia, you'll figure it out.)

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REVIEW!!! 20 reviews or else!!! X3

-Ja ne, loves!


	3. Bloody and Ephemeral

Star- Oh My GoodGollyGosh! XD I've just been added to a C2! I totally don't know what the hell that is, but I feel like I've just been nominated! Heehee! XDD Thank you _LadyKnightOfHollyrose_!! XD

**

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Reviewer Response:**

_Simply Chaste: _Not much to say here actually, cuz I sent you a PM reply! But thanks so much, your review was very encouraging and strengthened my resolve to finish this to the bitter end! XD (speaking of which, I seriously need to get back to my other NaruHina as well...)

_XFullxMoonX:_ Yeah I know, I did a bad thing to poor Hanabi. And yay, Naruto gets to cook! Yay for big-sis Ayame! XD

_A-bomber: _Thanks for saying 'preety good.' :3 Hope you continue to read this story.

_Lovelyanime-san:_ Yay! You read it! Yay! You like it! XD Sorry too happy. ;P Hope you enjoy this chapter and the rest to come! X3

_pyro-chan:_ I hope you found the chapter special to be informative enough, otherwise all I can say is research for yourself. That's what I do. Sometimes it's fun, rewarding, and quite exciting. Other times, yeah, it's a real pain in the ass, but that shouldn't discourage you. :D

_Lunarangel's Dark Flame:_ Thanks for the review, hope you got the PM reply I sent, otherwise... I don't have much to say except thanks! You rock! XD

_iamsarcasm:_ Thank you for the encouraging words, iamsarcasm-san.:D I'm glad you like my story and I hope you continue to read it, as well as review! XD heh heh. ;P

_be with you:_ Hi Neko-sama! XD (aka Austin-chan) Yay, I'm so glad you like my story! Here's the next chapter! (duh) Hope you like it better than the rest! XD

_egecentric-theorem:_ Thank you so much for the wonderful review:3 I hope this chapter meets your standards, and Thank you SO MUCH for supportin' my shoujo-writing style. :P (ps- Lolita had nothing to do with the movie/book. Cuz that's 'Lolita Complex', not 'Lolita Fashion'.)

_darkewaken: _Yay! I think you just may be my most favorite reviewer yet! XD Thanks for the wonderfully splendiferous review! I am enthused and excited and euphoric, knowing that I have successfully envoke emotions from you. It's the best thing to hear, and I'm especially estatic that you're going to give Shoujo a try! YOSH! XD (ps- for the best shoujo out there: try **Ai Yazawa **and **ShojoBeat**! wink wink)

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Here it is!

-Enjoy! X3

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Scratch the Surface

Ch.3 - A Dream Not So Endless

_A country meadow, flowers outstretched for miles around her. The sweet smell of turkish delights and chamomile wafting on the breeze like it was the most pleasant thing ever. A dreamy smile appeared onto her lips. Dropping her parasol to lay at her side, she continued a lilting stride back to the Palace. Tea would be served soon. _

_The soothing sound of nature and Johaan Strauss drifted on the wind, there was no place better than here. She never wanted to leave._

"Hey Hinata!"

The meadow began to recede into nothing, the smells of sweets and tea swept under the sudden attack of salty ramen broth on her nostrils.

_'He's like an alarm clock. If only I could throw him against a wall.' _Hinata mused from her engawa, seeing him wave esthatically before her. A bitter wry grin beset on her face, she cursed her luck.

_Was every morning going to be like this?_

_Who's running my life here?! Me or God?! _

_If I must complain, should I say it hands clasped? _

_O cruel fate, strip me of bone and flesh for this life of mine is now worthless. _

_I said I didn't want anything else._

_...So why him?_

* * *

He kept grinning at her, and for the life of her she couldn't understand why or how one could be so 'happy'.

_'Or maybe he just remembered a funny joke, and he can't stop smiling because of it.' _She figured, taking a risky glance at him. She didn't want any more attention than she was already having. Deciding to make her walk to school a little more pleasant, she took out her cell phone and put ear phones on. _Mozart 'Lacrimosa' _began to play, the haunting opera filling her mind. Eyes closed, she began to fall into a dark and dreary London street. Dark as night, snow fell around her, as she entered a tall and gothic cemetary. Coming upon a grave stone, a large marble cross with two mourning angels, their sephiroth wings wrapping almost desperately around the crucifix. Upon climax of the song, she came closer to the stone.

The stone read 'Emily'. At that moment...

"Watch ya listening to?" Naruto asked as he took the right ear phone and put it on. Hinata jumped at the loss of her music, the last thing she saw in her dream world was Naruto's face popping out of her grave. How the hell he got there she was afraid to ask.

"It's Mozart." She answered passively, as _'Ave Maria'_ began to play. Naruto's face schrunched up at the sound of a woman singing operatic in a language he couldn't understand. Even if it was in japanese the way she sung it he wouldn't be able to understand. (neither can I, but it's still pretty good music.) He gave her back her ear phone, unable to deal with what he figured to be monsterously hideous music.

"So you like..." He trailed off, trying to remember the genre name. "..Old music?" He guessed, missing the angry twitch in Hinata's brow.

"It's called classical." _'You ignorant boy.'_ She finished in her head. As a lady, insults and show of anger were appalling and against her Rococo spirit.

"Right, sorry. That's what I meant, classical." Naruto rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly. Hinata just nodded, taking the apology. Not everbody these days were into classical music anyways, half of the other Lolitas she knew were entirely into Nana Kitade; Japan's new Fashion Icon. And no wonder, her Lolita style was original and perfect, with a bit of a antique western touch. She didn't idolize her like some girls she knew though.

And in this day and age, especially in Japan, the only time you heard classical was in SquareSoft games like Final Fantasy, some of the stuff created by Joe Hisaishi, and some historical anime or the ones that were like Gunslinger Girl or Trinity Blood. At least in those, some semblance of European culture was eagerly mentioned. Speaking of which, something she never thought she'd do, was even watch television. And yet there was this new anime that took place in the days of the Court of Versaille and King Louis XV. (can you guess what it is? It's on Anime Network on Demand, if any y'all have it. ;P)

Now he knew that she listened or liked classical crap. He wondered what else she was into, and he hoped to hell that there was at least one thing he could relate to.

"So... Hinata-chan."

"Call me by my surname please. You don't know me well enough yet." She said cooly, not seeing what her inflection of tone did to dampen his spirit.

"Oh right, gomen. So, Hyuuga-san watch any movies?"

"Some."

"What kind?"

"Black and white films, not so many new ones."

"Oh... " Naruto continued walking, unnerved and resolve weakened at the lack of enthusiasm on her part.

"Any you like? The 'new ones' I mean."

"Phantom of the Opera." She replied cooly again, eyes barely on him. He sighed to himself, feeling anxious he began to get an idea of who she was, part of it bored him to death so far, the other part? Just talking to her was kind of draining, and in a way made him uneasy. He wanted to ask more, but he was afraid to; knowing that it would just come back in that soft and dainty drawl, that she wouldn't even look at him, that he knew that towards the end of the conversation they would have nothing in common.

Did he still want to be friends with her? He wanted to give it shot, but it wouldn't be any fun. Maybe he should just make friends with other classrooms. Then again school was school, he could make friends outside of school. At least he hoped. Sundays were too far away. Damn 5 1/2 school week.

"Wanna know what I like?" He grinned, leaning into her close. Eyes looking up at him from the road, it was the first time she looked at him all morning. And her eyes were a soft brown.

_'So they were contacts. I should have known, her cousin and little sister didn't have white eyes. ...white eyes, yeah that'd be wierd.'_ Naruto mused, still staring at her with rapt curiousity.

"No." She continued on passed him, as he just stood there in the middle of the street. He hadn't expected such a sure and quick rejection. And yet her eyes appeared so soft and innocent.

Whoever said eyes are the window to the soul, did not count on a girl like her.

* * *

Homeroom was about to begin, as Naruto settled behind Hinata. She was looking out the window again, a dreamy look in her eyes. She looked so relaxed and wistful, content even. It was actually kind of nice to see her like this, about every other time he saw her space out it kind of bothered him, annoyed him. He wondered what she was thinking, why she should retreat so as she did.

Her posture was relaxed and shoulders slumped. Chin in her hand, her overall expression was softened and eyes spaced out unconcentrated-like. She looked nice for once, like someone that would talk to him. Well supposedly but in truth not really. This was when her daydreaming ticked him off a bit. She couldn't get her head out of her ass, was his conclusion. She valued some fake place over the real world. And him. He just wanted to get to know her, she was his neighbour and classmate afterall.

He wondered what she was thinking with her eyes unseen. He didn't like girls who weren't expressive or sincere about what they meant. He remembered his friend from his old school back in Matsue, Haruno Sakura. She would tell him up straight up what was going on, call him an idiot becuase he was and she meant it, even hit him when she was angry. Surprisingly enough girls like that were easier for him to deal with.

This girl though, this Hyuuga snob with the blank stare, was someone he knew he couldn't deal with. A dainty girl like her who talked in near monosyllabics like her cousin, eyes that would tell him one thing, when it may have meant the other. To top it off, he was already an idiot who couldn't read girls like he couldn't read english. How was he supposed to act around her?

Then again he was never one to back down on a challenge. Maybe if not the rest of the class, he would try to get her to really see him.

"Uzumaki Naruto-san?" Harada-sensei called. Naruto stood up from his seat.

"Hai?"

"Come on up, introduce yourself formally." She beckoned with a smooth hand. She was a conservative woman, not too flashy, not too expressive. But there was a underlying warmth underneath, she seemed nice.

He hesitated for a moment, looking at Hinata who remained somewhere over the rainbow. Was she just going to stay there again? Somewhere that didn't exist, was she just going to ignore him again? Sighing to himself, he got up in front of the class. This was the part he hated about being new.

"Uh.. Ohayou Minna-san. I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" He grinned, feeling a light flush coming over him. He may have looked invincible with that usual grin of his, but he didn't quite feel it, just their apathy.

"You may sit down, Uzumaki-san." Harada-sensei ordered lightly, a bit of motherly sympathy in her voice, eyes softened towards him. She couldn't help it if the class didn't like him, she had heard about his entrance yesterday, that certaintly didn't help matters. And he did transfer 4 months late, everybody already made friends leaving him out. Although she had hoped for their star student Hyuuga-san to take notice of him, but she knew that was too much to ask. Hyuuga was a recluse in her own rights.

"Hai." Naruto said monotously, taking his seat behind Hinata. He glared at her somewhat, strangely feeling betrayed. She could have just taken her eyes away from the damned window for the 2 seconds he was up there.

* * *

Even though his opinion and feelings towards her changed, he decided to try again. This time as a gentleman.

Returning from the lunch mob, he sat informally in the seat in front of her this time, anpan, mochi rolls and chimaki cakes in hand, and placed the feast on her desk. This startled her back to reality, her ear phones falling onto her lap. He just grinned at her annoyed expression, feeling triumphant, even if what he did wasn't exactly 'gentlemanly'.

"So what kind of food you like?" He asked, opening the plastic cover the anpan bun, and taking a bite. Acting as cool as ever, she pulled out a bento full of fancy treats he never saw before. The only western world food he knew was McDonalds and Cold Stone Creamery ice cream, and even those he didn't eat. Well just the french fries, those were surprisingly addicting.

"I only eat sweets." She replied, taking an aggravatingly slow bite out of her rasberry tart. As Naruto just stared at her, the defeat not yet making it to his face, three students entered the classroom emptyhanded from the lunch mob.

"Oh sweet, chimaki cake." The girl with short black hair said happily, as she took one from his stash, ignoring his indignant protests.

"I'll just take these." The taller looking boy with short stylish blonde hair took three anpans.

"Yeah, mochi rolls." The other chubbier boy with brown hair and a scary face said, as he took the rest of the food on the desk.

"Hey! Come on assholes, I just spent 4500 yen on those!" Naruto shouted, standing up from his desk and glaring.

"So?"

"...Are you going to pay for them?" Naruto spoke low and threatening, but it didn't seem to faze the two boys. The girl just had this bitchy-snob look on her face, it made the picture he had of Hinata look like a total sweetheart.

"Che, what are you going to do about it, dobe?" The taller boy challenged arrogantly; he was nothing but a pretty boy and he could tell the way the shorter girl with black hair was either his girlfriend or just a flaky kogal, the way she looked at him, a blush was evident, and her eyes were just as arrogant. The scary looking boy glared back down at him, and it made Naruto scoff. He was trying to look like a Yakuza, what a joke.

A flash of a picture flitted across his eyes, a repressed memory. A voice he knew all too well, repeating 'dobe' in his head. If it wasn't that, it was the boys challenging him, disrespecting him that got his blood boiling.

He suddenly lunged from the desk, startling Hinata half to death as she whirled her head around to witness the fight unfurl before her.

Naruto's fist came into contact with the pretty boy's face, a loud crack echoed for a split-second. Everyone knew he had broken the boy's nose, as blood began to flow from the bent bridge of his nose. The girl with black hair began to scream, unsure what to do, the only thing coming to mind was to defend her man. She cat scratched at Naruto's face, shallow marks running from his nose to below his ear. He took her by the arm and shoved her aside, disturbing a few desks along the way, a chair collasping beside her. The yakuza-wannabe came to swing a hard left at his face, but Naruto stepped the side in time to grab the boy's arm flip him on his back. But the pretty boy came back with a vengeance.

Blood soaked on his uniform and hands, his rage was evident but it barely matched the look in Naruto's eyes, as he kneed the pretty boy in the stomach several times. The other boy picked himself up from the floor and came to grab Naruto from behind, hooking his arms around his neck and under his shoulder in a standing variation of the _Jigoku-Jime_. This pissed Naruto off further, as he struggled to free himself, his face turning red and seething.

"Arrghh, LET GO OF ME FAT ASS!" Naruto screamed, kicking the fallen pretty boy hard in the mouth and pushing his feet against the wall in front of him, trying to back-flip over the chubbier boy.

"Moron! Do that and you'll snap your neck!" The yakuza-wannabe shouted, not remotely concerned for Naruto, but just pointing out his stupidity.

"What the hell is going on here?!" A teacher came in with two other girls, frightened tears in their eyes.

Naruto's neck was starting to feel raw and sore, as he continued to struggle against the boy's grasp. All sorts of ungodly swears sputtered forth from Naruto's mouth, the students continued to watch, Harada-sensei frozen in place unsure what to do to.

Naruto swung his leg backwards, his heel meeting the thicker boy's jewels roughly. With a shout, Naruto was released allowing him to continue his assault on his newest victim, executing sharp consecutive blows to face, til it was a bloody mess, giving the the boy an even scarier face.

"NARUTO!!" Harada-sensei screamed in a rarely heard voice full of authority. She ran towards the one-sided altercation, seeing as how the chubbier boy had given up or was unconscious. She grabbed at Naruto's shoulder trying to pull him away while he still tried to kick the boy in the face, his unwillingness making her shout for him to stop until he was completely out of the classroom.

Everyone stared, there lay a beaten and bloody classmate.

* * *

"I can't believe you beat that boy!"

"This is your first day here! What were you thinking!"

"Is this the new boy, Harada-sensei?"

"Nothing but a troublemaker."

"He should be expelled. Immediately."

"Did you get back from the Nurse's Office, Ishida-sensei?"

"Hai. Ishioka-san and Yoshida-san will be alright, but it's hard to tell for Okudachi-san. Damage is severe to the face."

Teachers and Staff members bustled excitedly, exiting in and out of the various rooms as he just sat there in the lobby chair, eyes downcast and dimmed, almost lifeless. They all exited into the Principal's office for discussion, eyes glancing a cold glare.

He could hear the voices behind the door of the Principal's quarters, talking about him, about the fight. Everything.

He jumped when Imahada-sensei came out, a manila folder and papers in hand. It had his name on it. His eyes widened apprehensively, darting from the files to Imahada-sensei's disappointed expression.

"Do you know what these are Uzumaki-san?" She asked, her voice low.

"N-no..." His reply came out slow, maybe he lied because he did have an idea.

"..They're your files." As vague as that little sentence was, he knew what she meant.

"Shimatta..." He groaned, sinking further into the seat, head in his hands between his blood covered slacks.

"They're discussing what to do with you." She explained in a quiet voice.

"I know that..." His voice came just as quiet yet hoarse.

Silence reigned thick between the two, tense and lugubrious. Small breathing, the ticking of a clock, the voices and arguments behind the door quieted it down some, but Naruto could still feel their scorn radiating through every crevice of the room.

A click of the door, and all the teachers of the 1st years filed out of the office, the principal entering lastly. He looked up at all the eyes, feeling very unconfortable. He thought by now he was used to this kind of thing, eyes looking at him like he were different; he was used to it. So why did it feel so hard to deal with it now?

"Uzumaki-san..."

Here it goes.

* * *

The silence was unsettling and desolate, the girl beside him radiated a sadness that nearly choked him from speaking; it hurt more that the fat ass's _Jigoku-Jime_. Rubbing at his neck in habit, he retracted it immediately, the simple contact making his skin buzz in pain. It was red, with swollen bruises wrapping all around like rings; as if strangled by rope. He winced at the thought. But he could care less about his looks or well being.

Hinata was walking in extra small steps, withdrawn and quietly distressed. He couldn't stand it, but he wasn't willing to do anything about it. If she didn't want to have anything to do with him, he would understand.

"Do you know what everyone's been saying about you?" Hinata asked, hinting at something he already knew but didn't want to hear. Her voice was so soft and vulnerable sounding.

"Yeah, I think I know.." He continued his withered path, any form of naive optimism gone from him. He had been in the principal's office the rest of the day, just like yesterday. If this continued, what would it matter if he attended school anymore, he would most likely end up flunking the way they were making him miss classes.

"That you looked liked you had the eyes of a demon, some said they turned red." Came her soft voice. He just shook his head, a bitter and crooked smile on his lips.

"Heh, the rumor follows I guess..." His voice quiet, almost an utter under his breath, but she heard.

"...What do you mean?"

"That's not the first time I've heard someone tell me that. ...But it isn't true." Naruto explained, his voice returning somewhat. It was awhile before she said anything further, she was so quiet he hadn't expected her to be as close as she was now. He stared into her soft brown eyes, feeling apprehensive and unsure. Her hand came to rest at the nape of his neck, tracing the edge of red raw skin.

"I wondered why they didn't bandage this..?" She whispered under her breath, touching it softly. Naruto nearly shuddered at the contact, feeling a little light headed at her closeness. She smelled sweet like magnolias and lavender.

"It hurts, doesn't it..?" She looked up at him, her voice sounding as sweet as she smelled. He could still see, under whatever mask she was wearing, she was really shaking by the sight of him.

"J-just a little bit.." He bit out. She just nodded, turning around to continue the way home. Naruto followed with.

Arriving at her home she was thankful that Neji wasn't outside at the moment. Walking onto her engawa, she called out to Naruto before he entered his lonely house.

"U-Uzum-maki-san... I'll b-be back.. w-wait here o-onegai." She stuttered quietly, feeling very uncomfortable as she recieved a nod from him and disappeared into her house. It was painful for him to hear her stutter, she was afraid of him now. Hell, he pushed that one girl on the floor, maybe she thought he was capable of hurting her too.

"Shit... how did this get so fucked up?" He muttered to himself, kicking his toe in the dirt. He was getting anxious, tempted to just go hide in his house all day; his uniform was covered in blood, not exactly coolest thing right now.

He jumped when she reappeared. She had a medical kit with her.

"Uh..." He just looked up at her questioningly.

"U-Uzumaki-s-san... p-please sit here..." She stuttered again, pressing a hand to her mouth, and she beckoned him with her other. A little unnerved and just as surprised, he cautiously walked the steps to sit beside her.

She pulled out gauze, ointment, medical tape, some cotton balls, hydrogen perpxide pads. He watched mutely as she continued her work in small elegant strides. Inching closer to him, she opened up the hydrogen peroxide pads and brushed it softly against his skin. His jaw clenched, but he made no noise. White bubbles appeared like rope around his neck, dots of blood appearing in it's wake. She wiped away at it, hurriedly applying the menthol ointment. As she did so, he shuddered, his neck feeling like it was enveloped in ice. Shivering slightly as he sat there, she unwrapped the gauze. The cottony bandage began to warm him up again, yet he shivered under her soft touches. He couldn't help but enjoy the whole thing. He always thought there had to be an upside to a bad situation; he figured this was to be the highlight of his day.

But what about her? Still enjoying her tending to him, He wondered if he ruined her day.

"There. A-all d-done." Her voice came out so whispery, it pained him. He almost whined when she took away her hand from his neck, it felt so nice. Even if it wasn't _that way_.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Hyuuga-san." He whispered, trying but unable to meet her eyes, she wouldn't look at him. Somehow he liked it better when she was a stuck-up.

"Mm." She just nodded, getting up to enter her house, back turned to him.

"I-is there any way I can make it up to you, Hinata-san!?" He asked desperately, forgetting to be formal. She didn't scold him that time, letting it slip. Pausing there in the middle of the doorway, she opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. With a saddened glance, she left him there without a word.

Her answer hung in the air. It wasn't that she didn't want him to make it up to her.

It's that he couldn't.

* * *

Star- Okay that's the end of chapter 3! Hope ya liked it peeps! Bye loves! ;3

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Liner Notes-

-In awesome Japan, they have a 5 1/1 school week, the half day being on Saturday. (I'm not being sarcastic, even if it a half day longer than what we are used to or lazily not used to, Japan is still awesome, and I must commend the hardworking students over there who are stressing their asses off, like my friend Kim Kyuri of Korea! **"Hi Kimchi!"** XD (I'm an idiot, I do not know which one she is in, I just know it's the non-communist one. )

-Anpan buns, Chimaki cakes and Mochi rolls you can look up yourself.

- I usually find 'disclaimers' to be dumb, cuz it's obvious that I nor anybody else (but those who should know), that: I do not own: Naruto, Gunslinger Girl, Trinity Blood, or that french titled anime that I described but did not reveal the name. Nor do I own Mozart, or Mozart's "Lacrimosa" and "Ave Maria". There, ya happy now?! X0 ( just kidding, not really pissed. ;P) So yeah, that's my totally-indirect/somewhat-concealed-within-the story disclaimer. live with it. ;3

-Normally, considering it's a medical procedure or whatever.. rather than the menthol ointment, one would use or even have to use Triple Antibiotic Ointment. But I decided Hinata's signature healing power would be a menthol ointment, much like what she was known for during the Chuunin Exams. Not to say if that is partly soothing menthol or not, buy yeah, you know.. whatever. Hey! You know what?! HONEY IS AMAZING! IT KILLS BACTERIA AND QUICKENS THE HEALING PROCESS! IT'S TRUE! TRY IT NEXT TIME YOU GET A PAPER CUT! (Just dab a good drop of honey, and wrap it up with a band-aid. By the next day, it should be much smaller and pinkish-fleshy. (meaning it's clean because it has not scabbed.) and since it's still not fully healed, I'd recommend another honey treatment straight away for the rest of the day if you can help it. :D)

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REVIEW!!!! (OhMyGish, sorry for the random blah-blah-blahs. I just love to ramble, no actually I don't, because it makes me look like an idiot. Welll... yeah anyways, hope you liked the chapter. :P)

REVIEW!!!!! XD


	4. Unusual Temperaments

Star- Yay! 24 Reviews! Aisiteru Minna-san!! Okay Okay here is the fourth chapter! Enjoyeth! ----Alright alright, I'm totally giving up on asking for a set amount of reviews, I'm just going to update weekly as I said I would. ;P Review when you want to, ppls. (ps- maybe you can tell... THIS IS ONE HELLA LONG-ASS CHAPTER! OH HAPPY DAY! YAY! XD)

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allicat:_ Yeah, I agree. The side of life and human nature can be quite cruel. But that's actually just peer pressure, twisted personalities, bored personalities, and ignorant immature idiots. Otherwise I manage to still have faith that there's plenty good in the world. :3 I still like the young and rough teenage generation of ours. eheh. :P Hope you like this chapter, glad you enjoy my story! XD loves ya! 

_be with you:_ Hola chica! XD Hey, Neko-sama glad you like my story! Yay _Le Chevalier D'Eon_ RUULZ!!! XD

_Simply Chaste: _I enjoy your long-ass reviews! (XD Lol, me so silly.) No but seriously, I glad that you leave your thoughts like you do. I helps me know that someone really is thinking and reflecting upon this, even if just a little bit. THANK YOU SO MUCH! XD I'm glad that I answered the question about: What is Lolita. cuz I was getting worried I wouldn't do well with that. It seems that someone still doesn't get it (ahem). Anyways that part isn't important. (sweatdrop - sheepish grin). You probably shouldn't have sped through the fight scene yeah. Cuz I mentioned something there a little bit that you should look for perhaps. It's a bit of foreshadowing and will be delved into deeper later into the story. Plus, the only reason why I never mentioned Hinata anymore after Naruto lunged for the assholes, was because it had nothing to do with her anymore. Mentioning that she was 'startled half to death and whirled around to watch the fight unfurl' was enough to say that she and everybody else were witnesses. Point is, later, it shook her up. Because she hates violence. Was that okay? Alright, I'll move on. :3 (sorry for the long-ass reply in return, I prolly should have PMed this instead... (sweatdrop). )

_Ruki44:_ Thanks for alerting, you're great! YOSH! I shall keep going because you said so! X3

_darkewaken:_ Yatta yatta! XD Thanks for liking my story, hope you continue to enjoy it:D But try to think about it: It's a different setting, and Hinata grew up in a rather different way. So okay, you could call it OOC, but I'm not so sure it is. But you'll see in this chapter. Some semblance of the ole original Hinata will show through underneath the mask that she wears. Thing about my writing style, I guess, is that it's really subtle. So I hope you catch it towards the end, cuz You Rock! Yay! XD

_Lunarangel's Dark Flame:_ So nice to hear from you as always. :D Thanks for liking my story, and thanks for the faithful reviews. :3 Yeah, there's a chock full of drama and complications, 'specially this chapter. Hope ya like it anyways! Enjoy:D

_Pryo-chan: _I have nothing to say to you. Sorry. ...well, yeah maybe... LOLITA IS NOT like satanist-GOTH! AND IT CERTAINTLY AS HELL ISN'T EMO! Keyword: GOOGLE! Get your facts and opinions straight before you review and tell me constantly you don't understand! And if it's just the little stuff you don't get, ask me specific questions, otherwise I'm tired trying to explain when one could just easily spend their sweet time researching on the damn wikipedia. I dunno, maybe I really failed as a writer because I can't get the point across, but then again I'm not talking existantialism here! Just a fashion style! That simple and that concrete! 9.9 (SIGH!)

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Scratch the Surface

Ch. 4 - Unusual Temperaments

_On a dark and moonlit night, I should not be here. Horrid news said to be true, a woman such as myself should not be wandering the cold and heartless eve. Haste, grabbing the ends of my full and heavy skirt, I take my leave. A noise, fear starts to grip a cold hand at the base of my neck, hairs standing on ends. _

_A breathless scream yet I heard. That woman hath been slain! A hand aghast to my mouth, I turn mine quivering eyes away from the bloodied corspe, ropes of dripping red around her slashed face and neck. _

_'No.' I utter before trying to flee. Stopped in the dead of silence, all I can hear are the sounds of my own fear, beat-beat more erratically in my chest. Upon the old lampost, another body; hung and strung by the neck, her face slashed, dress removed and regions once of chastity soiled by blood; these mutilated bodies screamed at me. "LEAVE!"_

_A shadow came upon me, oh I could see him, yet I dared not. _

_Slow motion, I turned like a ghost to the monster. Were an artist of talented hand to capture the fear in my heart, perhaps all you could hear was my scream. _

Flashes of a more modern and recent scene began to mix into the blurring nightmare, faded like an underpainting she could almost still see the jack approach her, demon smile and blade in hand, her victorian styled self backed up against a wall. Just before the fearful figure came any closer to her throat, a face of a boy consumed her entire nightmare like a salvation.

_'I cannot stand the sight of blood.'_

Memories of the fight began to float across her sleeping eyes, she had almost became too sick to continue her rasberry tarts, the sweet red of the berries losing all of its sweetness, replaced by the trick of fear; making her think nothing but blood. And the feeling of salvation from the previous monster replaced by a bitter emotion. She was not saved by a nightmare, just pulled into another one. One that was real, and had actually happened.

B-bmp.

B-bmp.

B-bmp.

Her eyes shot opened, hand clutched suddenly at her chest. The soft sound of the wind outside sounding like random swooshing against the swish-swashing of blood in her ears, her heart beat relentlessly against her ribcage. A faded voice became clearer, as she stayed stiff in her bed.

"I'm alright!" She called responding to the voice, eyes still glued wide to the ceiling.

"Are you sure?" Neji called, hand on the door, but he knew not to enter.

"Hai." She called back.

"You wanna talk about it?" He offered.

"No, I am fine brother. Just a nightmare was all."

"Mm." She heard him say in understanding.

"You slept in." Neji replied.

"...WHAT?!" She shot up from her bed, eyes wide, and raced towards the door hoping to see some sort of quiet mirth in his eyes that told her he was joking.

"Mou, don't worry. You still have about 30 minutes or less." Neji said, with the quiet mirth she had expected yet he wasn't joking. Rather amused with her wild-eyed expression abruptly turned to irritation, as she shut her door, rushing for her gakuran and randoseru.

"That's still not enough time! I'm going to be late!" She shouted from behind the door.

"I tried to wake you, that nightmare must've had a strong hold." He commented cooly. Appearing gakuran on and bag in hand, she stopped with a question.

"Ne, what about Hanabi-chan?" Her voice came out a little quiet, saddened eyes at her sisters' door.

"Not today."

"...I see." Hinata nodded, walking a brisk pace to the door.

"Ja ne!"

* * *

Seating herself at her desk, she noticed that Naruto wasn't seated behind her. Taking another look around, mostly everyone seemed back to normal, but words of 'demon' and 'fox' floated back in forth from the classmates' gossiping mouths. The black haired girl from yesterday sat irritatedly at her seat, a grudge set in her heart, revenge in her thoughts, and bitterness in her eyes, a faded dark bruise on her wrist. It wouldn't infect though. The taller boy with the blonde Gackt haircut from yesterday as well had a bitter angry expression across his bandaged face. Faded blood stains remained on the lapels of his white gakuran dress shirt, he would have to get a new one soon. He sat angrily in his seat, twitching almost at the news that...

"Harada-sensei, where is the yanki boy?"

_'Yanki?'_ Hinata thought to herself surprised, glancing at the small girl who uttered the accusation, then glancing questioningly at the desk behind hers.

"Suspended for the next week." Harada-sensei replied evenly, yet a glum disappointment could be heard in every word of the sentence. Hinata turned her head back to the front, and actually not to the window for once.

A thud sounded, from the slap of the angry boy's palm onto the desk.

"Kuso." He muttered, itching to take his revenge. Hinata shook her head, people could be so simple-minded. She took note that the shorter chubby boy wasn't in class either. Turning back to the blackboard, Harada-sensei began her lecture with a passage from The Tale of Genji.

_"Alas, that great pine whose broad shade inspired such trust seems to_ _live no more,_  
_for the year's last days are here, and the lower needles fall.''_

Hinata pulled out a second notebook she usually kept for doodling. Inside, along the margins were designs of roses and peonies that spread out like bursts of water. Designs of dresses, gothic and sweet were drawn with professional grace, all kinds of imaginary women with vague faces smiled like princesses on her lined paper canvas. Flipping several pages, she appeared onto a clean unsullied page. And began to write Naruto's notes.

* * *

The day ended unceremoniously. She walked a quiet path towards home, looking forward to making lunch for herself. Yet, the silence felt... different.

"Oh..." She realized it was because this time she did not smell imaginary sweets on the wind, that a meadow did not surround her in a feathery embrace of petals, that she was walking home and not towards an ancient palace of fancy. Grey and organized sidewalks, concrete roads, suburban homes seperated by head level walls and shrubs. A very ordinary setting that bored the hell out of her. And yet, she could not even in the very slightest drift back to her dreamworld.

She came across the bend, taking the subtle turn down the road approaching the more natural part of the burbs. The houses were a little more spread out here, and no concrete walls to separate the neighbors like fences. Coming upon seeing the sight of her old fashion house, she sighed to herself, wondering why she was putting it upon herself to do this.

His windows were blank, she wondered why he hadn't any blind or curtains. Yet as she looked on, she couldn't see past them, and no lights seemed on. Walking across the short walkway and up the two steps, she found herself knocking a gentle hand on the door. She realized she had expected him to be there, but the lights weren't on at all, so what if he had stepped out?

If he isn't here then she could just go home and try again tomorrow. She began to hope so. Or right now she could just slip the notes under the door. Glancing at the medium thick pile in her hand, she knew that wouldn't quite work out. Deciding to try knocking again, she rapped her knuckles a little more loudly.

Impatience began to fill her, not hearing any immediate response. She reached and turned the handle, eliciting a barren creak to a barren home. Peeking her head in a little, she took two tentative steps inside and stood in the genkan. It was dark, she couldn't make an outline of person nor furniture. She looked down at her feet, contemplating to just leave the notes on the elevated floor or not. Beside her were two shoes; a pair of really worn tennis shoes and his standard gakuen shoes.

_'Ohh, there's got ot be a light switch somewhere...'_ She ran her hands blindly across the wall, hoping for protruding plastic, yet only feeling dry wall.

She decided to take her shoes off, the enveloped notes still in hand, clutched it to her chest out of trepidation.

"U- (ahem) Uzumaki-s-san?" She stuttered, bringing her hand to her mouth to try to stop it. She hated how falter she had become with her speech lately.

No reply.

"Naruto-san?!" She shouted, too caught up in the darkness not to realize the door opening up behind her, evening light pouring onto the floor slightly, highlighting the laces of his tennis shoes.

"Hinata-san?"

"KYAAAAAAAH!" Hinata spun around to meet the voice, the notes spilling out in a flurry, as she tripped from twisting around so fast and landed on her back.

The lights came on, and Hinata was completely surprised to see Naruto standing, staring bemusedly at her.

B-bmp.

B-bmp.

The swish-swashing sound of blood began to sound in her ears again, smothering every other sound so all she could hear was segments of sentences.

_"Are you alright? What are you doing in my house?" _were the words he had spoken, now that her heart beat began to quiet down some.

"I-I'm f-fine, Uzum-maki-san." Came her stammered and stumbled speech.

"Well... what are you doing in my house?" He repeated, still looking her in the eyes. Hinata forgot she was still on the floor, in a vulnerable position. And Naruto forgot that she wasn't standing. Both hadn't noticed that through the fall and abrupt landing, her skirt was flown up exposing her cloth-covered chastity regions and legs spread. Yet her face at this point was stark red and heavily flushed with embarrassement.

She tore her eyes away from his, feeling herself shrink beneath his gaze. The notes were everywhere, disappointment setting in. Picking up a few that lay on her stomach, she brought herself to sitting position, her frilly white panties hiding behind the teasing and mysterious veil of her skirt.

"Your notes, Uzumaki-san." She handed him the few as she stood. Her stammer had gone, and her calm face returned. She was glad for it, though she was thoroughly irritated underneath her mask.

"Oh, thanks Hina---" He stared at the mess of notes, gratification a little bit gone from him, remembering that he had seen just a bare glimpse of what lay underneath her skirt.

"Hyuuga-san, Uzumaki-san." She corrected cooly.

"Right, gomen. Hyuuga-san." He smiled sheepishly, trying to make light of the moment. They stood in unsure silence, normally Hinata would have just left then, but something kinda held her back. As if there was more to be said, something important even though nothing was important to her except what she did love.

She took a glance around, realizing that the light was on, illuminating the barely two room house. There was a mini-fridge by the wall next to the sink, a portable television sat on top of it. There was the standard built in sink and counter, and on the floor in the center of the living room/kitchen/bedroom was a lone futon. There was nothing else. If it weren't for scattered mess of papers, she would have called the place clean for it had absolutely nothing in it. So with the lack of knacks, he could be a neat freak without even trying.

"Sorry for the mess, Uzumaki-san." She whispered out slowly, only seeing his back. His posture relaxed somewhat, shoulders slumped tiredly.

"Heh, normally I would be the one saying that..." He answered ironically with a smile, an underlying tone of dejection.

"Mm." Was all she said, feeling nothing to hold her there much longer.

* * *

She sat quietly on her futon, rose and vanilla incense burning into intoxicating swirls of iridescent-less smoke. Softly the sounds of poetry spoken and sung in the language of orchestra drifted surroundly in her room, the comfort of the violin leaving her lost in her thoughts, not in her dream world she often apted to.

"I wonder what he must think of me, standing in his doorway like that. But then where was he? Goofing off perhaps. I noticed there weren't any dishes in the sink. He probably doesn't cook, or know how to. Does he not have any parents? What does he eat then?"

_"Hey! Come on assholes, I just spent 4500 yen on those!"_

"So where does he come up with the money? He just moved here, how is he getting by? The house was so empty, not even a collective bag of garbage for disposal. So then he eats out, but where is he getting the money? A moocher maybe? Maybe he gets easy older women to buy and cook him food. ..N-no! That's nonsense! ..He doesn't seem like that kind of boy. How did he get accepted into Matsushita High? The tuition is expensive as it is, does he even have a job? Or maybe some sort of inherited account... maybe whoever his family is, wherever he's from are actually paying for him. How did he get here without parents?"

She hadn't noticed that she had been overthinking for the past hour until Neji call.

"Hinata-chan, it's 5:00 pm. You still have to cook dinner before your father arrives."

"Nani?!" She shot up from her futon, rushing for the second time that day, and cursing the blond fox. He had consumed her into another form of withdrawal and not the one she preferred. She hadn't seen her Versailles all day, and it was making her anxious, cranky even.

"Is it sunday yet?!"

Cold, a wet draft blew in waking her gently to a somber morning. Nearly 8 read her analog clock, and tic-tic-tic she was up and awake, feeling refreshed and happier than anything knowing that it was sunday. And no matter what it would be a good day, the sounds of rain not in the least dampening her high mood.

"Yes! It's finally sunday!" Hinata twirled around her room, waltzing with her life-size mannequin, Isabella, that she often used to design her outfits per weekend. Lavender and Blue roses emroidered in a diagonal design receding to a large soft blue ribbon, upon her lower back. Pure white chiffon puffed her skirt, full and charming. Placing on her bonnet over her head, permed pigtalis came out either side.

Winter was nothing to a Lolita, in their world it was always warm and pleasant. A sunday stroll was what she would be taking as she grabbed her parasol. She didn't need to tell anyone where she was going or if she was gone; this was the only day she got to be herself and on her own.

The houses, streets and trees were soaked, like a bright yet dreary painting and the colors running together, it gave her a feeling of walking into a dream. Something she felt like she hadn't done in forever, when it'd only been a day or so since.

She glanced to the sound of a door shut quietly and tentative footsteps approach her direction, the patter of raindrops falling in time with the hastened steps. She shrunk inward, shoulders raised almost in a defensive gesture, as she pulled her parasol further forward to shield her face. Naruto just ran past her, not even noticing her, not even her frilly stand-out appearance.

"Where's he going?" Her voice came out soft and clear, a rhetoric to the wind, as his sloshing footsteps echoed more and more faded.

* * *

"This is fun."

"Was that sarcasm?"

"No, I was being serious." Hinata smiled liltingly, facing sweet lavender eyes toward her taller companion.

"Hn... couple of cosplayers on a bridge in the middle of a wintery rain on sunday."

"Sounds like poetry." Hinata commented, smiling into the drenched horizon. Something about this made her feel so calm and free, even though she was shaking cold, she could not feel it.

"It's stupid is what it is. Middle of winter in the rain?"

"It shows our devotion."

"To what?" LaBelle asked incredulously, questioning pale blue eyes layed a half-hearted gaze upon the shorter girl.

"To the Rococo Spirit of a Lolita." Her voice came out bright and dreamy, cheerful eyes staring happily at nothing, as she stood in on the edge of reality with LaBelle and her most favorite of fantasies.

"You're so into this aren't you?" She asked with an amused grin.

"And you're not?" Hinata asked, looking as if her bubble had been bursted, her fantasy fading away like melting paint.

"I'm just serious about modeling. I only like the clothes, I'm not obesessed." The brand-heavy beauty stated matter-of-factly, her voice turning wistful in the end.

* * *

It was too cold by now, and roughly 2 in the afternoon. Her chiffon clung uselessly against her legs, as she walked home in the rain. She had fun as always, but it was cut short. Too short.

She knew that with all this wistful thinking of hers, all this complaining that she didn't have enough, that she finally realized she truly lacked something. Perhaps something greater than her modest and material world of hers, and it annoyed her to no end that what she loved the most wasn't keeping her the least bit happy. Or at least not in the long run. And how could it, when Harajuku could only last as long 2 more years. Then she would graduate, and move to attend some really big university, first getting her bachelors degree then finally her masters.

She didn't even know what she was going to do with her life, she never even thought about the future. Just the here and now, with her head stuck in the clouds. She figured her Otousan would give her an idea, tell her to be a doctor or a business woman. And then she would do just that. Or at least she figured. But didn't she want to live for herself? She was already angry at God for sending a boy her way, so wouldn't that make her a hyporcrite to allow her father to take the wheel of her life? An annoyance it what it was, and it put a big hitch in what she felt she wanted. But exactly what did she want?

She shook her head, all these new feelings making her feel so muddled inside. Her life seemed so clear to her before, but now she wasn't so sure about anything. The only kind of thinking she was used to was rational, as in just her homework, never about herself. She realized... when was the last time I ever thought for myself? She thought she always had been, but looking back at it now... she felt like she was looking at a blurring childhood, the once high-def clarity smearing all together in the rain. And feeling just as dreary.

It began to chill her, and she ran for home.

* * *

Neji sat by the kotatsu, the thick futon covering his legs as he continued to read his book. Hinata had come in awhile ago. Not through the front door, but he did hear her enter through her bedroom shoji. Except that was already 2 hours ago. He hadn't seen her at all since. About 3 hours ago, roughly noonish, was the only time he'd seen Hanabi as she was coming out for lunch. Only to disappear back into her room with just a pork cutlet on wheat.

So now both girls were locking themselves up in their room, hiding from the world, and at first he remained passive about it, feeling that they would eventually come back around. But for both of his cousins to be ailing as they were was by far ridiculous and distressing at the same time; he knew Hanabi to get into her quiet emotional moods, and for her it was usual and understanding. For Hinata, well... just what the hell was her problem lately?

Putting down his big book, dark red in color, he forced himself to get into the mood of cooking dinner. Hinata was always the one to cook, Hiashi not at all adept in the skill, he had wanted her to be an able houewife someday. His way of training her, he assumed. Put all the chores and work on her back, while he just moved from city to city every month or so, maybe even sleep around on the side.

Neji in truth still managed to despise Hiashi-san. His accusation of sleeping around stemming from the mistress that murdered his parents. But that was just him, if anything he despised Hiashi for what he was doing to the girls.

Neji, being so close to his parents when they were alive, was born into the idea of what a parent should be, and that all the good things his parents were.. Hiashi was not. Of course he was just a mundane business man, he moved and operated like a robot, everything was routine in this houshold. When he was little, Hizashi and his mother Hiyomu had spent so much time with him, every minute a cherished memory because they were there. Not Hiashi, that's why Hanabi was so close to Hinata as she was, only a daddy's girl when the 'daddy' was actually around; otherwise she'd spent her time clinging onto her Onee-san like a child.

Placing the chopped tofu inside the boiling broth, he pulled out the wrapped fresh seaweed and rinsed the bundle slightly, not too much less destroying the salty taste.

Hanabi was the baby of the family, not nessesarily by just age, she really was just babyied too much. He knew it wasn't so much Hinata's mothering, that was just part of her role in the house, so much to say her calm and loving behavior was just in her blood. But rather it Hanabi herself; he knew she couldn't participate in school activities, and the things she were interested in were actually a mystery. He wondered if Hinata even knew, yet he figured he should ask assuming that she had to know, unless Hanabi was actually hiding something out of defense and need for privacy. That he could understand, but the poor girl was naive and so frail. As it was she was an easy target, the other day at school being proof of that.

Their household ---though simple, antiquated and dull--- was imperfect in its entirety. And the only thing he could do right now was take over Hinata's chores for the day. Consolation, not even his priority, for it was something he really sucked at; the effects of his childhood and hanging around the house, mostly with Hiashi and silence, making him a rather callous and cold person: inept in the ways of human emotion and social dilemmas. At least he had his brotherly understanding working for him, he could be an ear and a shoulder, but not a mouth or a heart.

The miso soup was done, and the oil was ready for the shrimp tempura. Cutting off the tails, and splitting the sides open butterfly style, he covered them in the batter, dropping them in the hot oil therafter.

"Neji-niisan?" A quiet voice said, a soft tone of disbelief hinted towards a sort of motherly guilt; warm and endearing. Turning around he saw a groggy looking Hinata dressed in a simple attire of a white shirt from the high school, and a pair of thick pants, tabi socks on, and her hair still damp from the rain. Her eyes radiated a sort of warm sadness, lilting yet hollow. This was most unlike her, to look so lost.

"Maa maa, take a break, I have it under control."

"Oh but Neji-niisan..." She started slowly, her reflexes as foggy as her mind.

"It's okay. I've got it." He replied back firmly, seeing her almost sway in place as she walked over to the nearby kitchen table; watching, but anxious tears coming forth to dampen her lashes.

"Neji-niisan, this won't do. I cannot allow you to cook, I was supposed to." Her voice came quiet and firm, edged with subtle anger.

"And I told you to relax." He replied cooly, missing the tone of her voice, as he took out the tempura and stir the soup. She came up beside him, taking the soup handle from his grasp.

"Hinata-chan..?!"

"I was supposed to cook! Father will know that I slacked off my duties!" She spoke in a angry bitter tone, pushing him aside from the hot food.

"The food is already done, Hinata-chan. How is he supposed to know the difference?" He looked at her incredulously, his usual cool temperament turning hot. This wasn't the reaction from her he was expecting. A little gratitude would've been nice for a change. He wondered what it was that had her so wound up all of a sudden.

"He just will. Neji, He'll know there's something different about it." Her voice came out even yet anxious, as she looked dejectedly at the food. He was right, it was ready to be eaten. What woud she do now?

"You're just being paranoid. Look, if he knows you didn't cook it, what should it matter? At least dinner is done on time." Came his simple reasoning, as he leaned against he kitchen counter, waiting for her response.

"Exactly how long have you lived here Neji?! You should know by now!" Hinata turned wild and furious eyes at him accusingly.

_'What the hell is going on with her?'_ He looked incredulous eyes towards her, disbelief and feeling insulted at her new attitude. She turned back to the food, mumbling and muttering to herself worriedly about what to do, slowly and deliberately taking the delicious looking food and heading for the wastebin.

"Hey! Stop it!" Neji tore for the bin, taking it away before she could throw out all his hard work. After all he never had to cook before, and he was quite proud of it.

"You know how strict he is Neji! If not by me, he'll just do the same, and throw it out! Then order me to make dinner all over again!" She shouted, furious and apprehensive, her anger just a mask to cover the cowardice she was now.

"You're not serious... Hinata, where the hell kind of notions did you these from?!" He looked at her strangely, unnerved by her paranoia.

The house fell silent, a sad quietness appearing onto Hinata's face; that same sad look, the one that made her look so small and weak, frail even. The last time he saw her like this was when they were little and he had hated her. Her face was flushed, eyes downcast, he could barely hear the plea that had uttered from her mouth.

"Please.. just do this for me..."

It was ironic to hear such a thing, when already he had done something for her. And she couldn't appreciate it. Because of that so-called father.

* * *

Monday morning, time for school again.

Last night, she hadn't spoken to Neji anymore after that. She could just feel the displeasure and disappointment radiated off him, feeling insulted. The food had been thrown away, every trace of Neji's good intentions down the dumpster like a drop of hot oil in cold water. And she cooked the food allover again, making sure it was perfect. Even going as far as to the local markets to restock on food so the next time he checked the fridge, it wouldn't look suspiciously emptier.

In that whole time Neji had grown to despise Hiashi further, but his anger also aimed reasonably towards his cousin; She had a mind of her own. So why didn't she use it?

She could tell, he disliked her now. Perhaps just like when they were little. But she felt she couldn't worry about that now, she had school.

She waited by the doorway, Hanabi trailing behind cheerlessly as she began to tie her shoes with shaky hands. It'd been five days since the incident, Hanabi missing the two days of school (Friday and Saturday). It was best she not miss anymore, yet she was worried for her, almost nauseatingly so. But like she said, her Hanabi was strong even though she was weak. Having enough courage to still go to school, even after that. Even though, perhaps part of her trying again was induced by the lecture and angry tongue-lashing she got from Hiashi last night, when she had been found out about missing the past two days.

Hiashi was very displease and seething last night, telling her things about those friends of hers. In a way Hinata had the same opinion, thinking she would have told her the same thing, yet Hiashi was harsh, and the lecture the things he told her to do, were not at all suited in her nature or personality. Hinata knew that Hanabi should not be friends with those girls anymore, but Hiashi had told her that she didn't --shouldn't-- have friends period. Even though Hinata's friendship with the lolita girls at the bridge was capricious and somewhat impersonal, considering they only knew eachother by alias, she still couldn't get over the idea of not having friends at all.

If anything, Hanabi derserved to live for herself, even if her choice of friends had to suck.

"Ready?" Hinata called out softly, without stutter or sadness; just an even voice, devoid of inflection.

"Ready." Came her young voice softly, the recent melancholyness becoming usual on her expressionless face; only sad eyes to reveal how she truly felt.

* * *

She hadn't dreamt in a long time. She couldn't even grasp the sweetness of flowers she was so used to, she feared she was stuck in the reality forever. Even looking out the window now, nothing pleasant and comforting came to her. Wondering to herself, desolately, _how did things become so wrong?_

The day felt long and short at the same time, nothing much different about her classmates today. They still gossiped and talked about Uzumaki Naruto, calling him a demon, talking about his impudent blonde hair, brainwashed perhaps they all thought him a troublemaker. And maybe he was, but it was so stupid to obssess over something that happened days ago. Okudachi Masabo, the boy whose face Naruto had mangled that day, the chubby boy with the scary face. His face was even scarier now, stitches and dark bruising covered his eyes and cheeks like blue blotches, sallow yellow tinting the surface of the bruising; Naruto had truly done a number on him. Well he was back at school, killing intent radiated off his thick form, his words of revenge sounding very ambigous in her head; nothing to be taken seriously, just a fat ass trying to be bad ass.

A similar manila envelope lay held in her light grasp, filled with notes, as she headed for Naruto's door for the second time in her life. She would have to do this five more consecutive times this week.

_TON TON TON!_ (sounds of knocking)

No answer, but memories of her first and last encounter left her hesitant, fixed on only entering as a last resort, otherwise she was just going to stay outside.

_TON TON TON!_

"This is getting annoying." She muttered standing. Suddenly the sounds running came reached her ears and echoed the streets.

"Anou, Hey! Hinata-san! Hold on, I'l lbe right there!" Naruto called out, waving an arm in an enthusiastic greeting. Turning around, a smile nearly crept onto her face, nearly. Part of her pleased state was that he was here finally, she couldn't stand waiting much longer. Especially if she didn't deem it as important.

"Hey, how are ya?" He asked, walking up the two steps and grinning beside her. She was taken aback somewhat at the greeting, but pleased nonetheless. '_For an idiot and a yanki, or allegedly, at least he's got basic manners.' _She smiled in return.

"I'm fine, thank you. Ano, here's your notes." She handed them over, like a transaction or a business papers; a cool and impersonal facade on just like the other times she was around him.

"Awesome, you're a life saver Hinata-chan! A good person!" He grinned again, blinding her somewhat with his bright smile. It began to unnerve her, yet a strange feeling of relief seemed to enter her as well. But it was fleeting.

"Mm. Thank you." She began to walk off the steps, heading for her house that was only 5 feet away, when something struck her mind during the sounds of Naruto's key jangling. She turned around to face him, a question on her lips.

"This is the second time you arrive shortly after I do. Where were you?"

"Hm?" He looked at her curiously, his hand on the partially open door.

"It's a secret for now. But maybe I'll take you there someday!" He grinned foolishly, happily.

"What makes you think I'd want to go?" She didn't mean to be so brash with such a cold question, or rather the way she worded it. But she easily spoke her mind, and first impressions aside, she honestly didn't think she'd want to go anywhere with him.

"Think of it as a way to make it up to you. You have no choice either. If I don't do something about what happened Friday, then what am I good for, right?" He grinned still, eyes open this time and piercing her with the intensity of the blue. In all that moment, a thought came as brief to her as a heart beat. She had never met someone with such honest eyes.

"Nn." Was all she could say, her thoughts halted by the clarity and sincerity of his eyes. And with that he was gone inside, in that empty apartment. Leaving her with nothing else to do but go home herself and finish her newly assigned essay.

Moments later...

"AW SHIT! I HAVE TO DO AN ESSAY?!"

* * *

Star- Ohh snap, it's over! I'm sure you know who the last words belong to right? Just making sure, I kinna feel like I need to improve and be more clear about what I'm saying. But I didn't want to add anything after that last piece of dialogue, because I felt it would have ruined the humor of it. Yay, Naruto is totally the light of her sunshine or something like that.

* * *

Liner Notes- 

-At the beginning of the story, the nightmare villain in whom I called 'the jack', was actually 'Jack the Ripper': Serial Killer of Women, London 1888. (also Jack the Ripper is a pseudonym given to an unidentifed killer and or killers (plural). Basically a name taken from a letter, a person claiming to be the murderer.) Well, origins and whatnot aren't important, just letting you know that's who I was using as her nightmare murderer.

-Also, towards the end of the dream where she says 'were an artist of talented hand to capture the fear in my heart, perhaps all you could hear was my scream.' That was alluding to the Edvard Munch painting "The Scream", which by the way was painted in 1893. So that was still sometime after where her dream is taking place, Victorian London, and yeah. So it works. (besides, the painting was originally depicting the horror 1883 Krakatoa eruption.) ;P

- Yanki - a Yanki is a Delinquent or Young Gangster. Because of Naruto's 'crazed behavior' or rather his supposed 'demon eyes', they figured for him to have been some sort of gangster. (Concept slightly inspired by _The Gentlemens Alliance_ a shoujo by Arina Tanemura. :3 Of course I'm not so uncreative that if I hadn't read that manga preview, I wouldn't have still come up with that scene, dattebayo! X0)

-Genkan: Is the entryway of Japanese homes, that are the same level as outside. There's usually a little space where to put the shoes, like a shelf, called the "Getabako". Naruto's home is very small and cheaply made, so there isn't one. But Hinata's traditional styled house had a getabako. :3

-Okay, the song she is listening to in her room (when she is talking to herself, asking questions.), the song is called: Hilary Hahn's "The Lark Ascending", which Hilary Hahn herself said is a song she composed herself based after a poem of the same title. So that's why I wrote 'poetry sung in the tongue of orchestra' etc. Because it is a poem in song form. Pretty cool right:P It's really good too if you like orchestra music, and considering it's not old at all, you can't really call it classical. It doesn't sound entirely classical anyways, just a string orchestra basically. But it is a pretty good song. Actually she says it's of English heritage sound or whatever, but I dunno, the violin and the piece entirely makes me think of that movie 'Tibet' or something you know:P

* * *

Well I hoped you guys liked this chapter! Review if you want a sooner update! XD

-ByeByeBuu! X3


	5. Nonsense

Star- Arrrgh! I know I know, I promised June 12th I'd get this updated and everything! T.T I'm so so so sorry for the delay, I've been having ... writers block a bit. But I think I might be coming around finally! X0 Anyways, I owe 3 chapters by now, and I decided.. 'okay, you know what? when I finish a chapter, instead of waiting to post it within a week's time or whatever like before, I'm just going to post immediately.' That way I get enough done right away, I want to strive for 20-ish chapters this whole summer kay? ;D But yeah, whatever Let's just get on with the story!

But also, I just want to say I appreciate all the reviews. (but not the hits, lol, I got a lot of hits on the first chapter, so that doesn't mean anything. ;;) And I appreciate those who pm-ed me, those who stayed with this thus far, and those who alerted this story even if you didn't review. (though of course, I wish I knew what you were thinking, but that's okay.)

Anyways... Onwards! XD

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch.5 - Nonsense

_"... If I don't do something about what happened Friday, then what am I good for, right?" _

_Those words continue run through my mind, listlessly as I sit here, dumbly. This strange feeling... I cannot shake it. I see his smile, I hear his voice... and it's unnerving. I can't help but feel like he's here right now... _

Sitting naked on the bathroom stool, suds filming her petite frame, she hugged at herself tightly. Feeling so wierd and vunerable internally at that last thought; She could feel his warmth, imagine his prescence. And she couldn't stand it. It was abnormal, out of her comfort zone, and wherever she was now... she hated it.

_'Leave me alone. Just leave me alone. Go away feelings, go away...' _Bringing her hands away, she saw four half-moons indented in her skin, somewhat red in color. She sighed to herself dejectedly and picked up the water basin, rinsing the soap off. She stepped into the warm bath til the water reached up to her chin, and closed her eyes, trying to ignore his voice. His words, smile, the erratic feelings that burned warm against the skin of her heart.

It made her feel cold all over.

* * *

She came out refreshed, the paranoid thoughts gone from her, yet still feeling the cold. She hadn't noticed as she opened the door that Neji was right there waiting in his yukata. She bumped into him lightly, surprised, then taking a sharp and startled step backwards. She looked at him with calm and innocent eyes, taking note of how he barely acknowledged her at that moment, and shrugged it off, as he entered the Furo. 

How could she ignore, how she could easily forget; it was almost like when he hated her, the way his eyes were now hard and cold. Yet she just walked away to her room, taking no concern in the subtle matter of his eyes' emotions.

* * *

"You're shaking." 

"What?"

"It's like I said. You're shaking."

"It's because it's so damn cold out!"

Hinata took a short sidelong glance at the shivering boy beside her. It wasn't the first snow of winter, central of Tokyo usually getting fairly minimal; But a forseen and slow-moving storm had drifted overnight, bringing a little bit more snow than predicted. About roughly 2 inches; all sidewalks, houses and trees were kissed white and the sky was a bland and smooth grey.

She walked through the mostly cleared sidewalks, seemingly unaffected by the snow, she was more prepared for winter than fox beside her. She was surprised he didn't have a coat at all, first thing she wondered was if he even owned one. Then mulled over if he expected the storm, did his old house even have a heating system? Shaking her head, she halted her questions, fearing they would build up again. Wasting her time asking useless and random questions wasn't her thing, nor was waiting for answers. She just didn't want to care anymore.

But his wobbly movements and constant snifflings were starting to annoy her.

"Why don't you have a coat, or even gloves?"

"C-cause I c-c-can't afford them right now."

"But didn't you ever own any previously?"

"(sniff) Y-yeah, but ...well.. anou, they're at home. (sniff)" Hinata deadpanned at Naruto's plain confession, and shot him an incredulous glare.

"So then why...?"

"They have holes in them, they're really old---!"

"And I'm sure that would have been better than freezing right now." She shot back derisively.

"But then people will probably think I'm some poor kid, can't even afford decent digs." Naruto ended with another sniff, leaving Hinata to look at him a bit oddly. _'Digs?' _

"... But all you have is a fridge and a TV, not even a real bed." She recalled matter-of-factly, causing Naruto to nearly lose his footing.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me." He just grumbled under his breath, rubbing at his runny nose.

She gave him another sidelong glance, almost in another calculating fashion; like a parrot tilting its head to one side so it could have a better view of you. He kept rubbing at his hands, and his cheeks were ruddy. The constant sniffling, the entire image was the most ridiculous thing she had ever seen. No matter what the reason, she couldn't imagine someone even as dumb as him to try and endure the cold without a coat. And it irritated her past the former amusement she once had.

In comparison to him, she wore a bluish-grey quilted snow coat that reached to above her knees. It was rather big on her, hiding her petite frame completely. It looked warm, but did nothing to flatter her. A most abnormal looking scarf was wrapped loosely around her neck. Most of it was white and looked well made. Hanging nearly to her left knee and swaying, the white ended to a mangled mess of random colors, dark reds and purples clashing with limey-yellow and hot pink. There was a small embroidered heart embedded onto the amputated scarf end, and it made Naruto rather curious.

"Here." Was all she said, offering the cluttered end of her scarf to his face. Slower than she would have liked, he took it cautiously. Her seemingly random acts of kindness when she had such a poker face often caught him off guard, and he wasn't sure if she was serious or not.

"Mou, you're taking too long." She huffed a bit, taking a generous length of the scarf and wrapped it around his face, missing the grateful goofy smile on his mischevious whiskered face. It was amazing, the scarf was long enough to keep both of them warm. And even now, they walked a bit closer than usual. Probably the only time she'd ever walk beside him, he mused.

He stole a glance at her, half of her face gone underneath the scarf so all he could see were her eyes. She was wearing those lavender contacts again. They were unique he noted, finding that they suited her quite well. They made her appear softer, yet at the same time were similar to her real eyes; in the way that they don't express emotions. Both soft eyes, color warm and neutral at the same time, and both utterly calm. Like her contacts, an unchanging perfect color, plain white; lavender tinted. Her eyes (contacts or not) were rather large, and it made her appear innocent. And maybe she was. She didn't seem like the type to hate or scheme, lie or blame others. And as proof of her underlying kindness, she did help him several times from the get-go. He never even asked; she did it all on her own accord.

Hinata began to realize they were nearing the gates, and the dots of students began to grow bigger as they turned into the school yard. And much to her reluctance, embarrassment and annoyance came swiftly once again. Every time this constance stemmed from him, and she had to scramble out of the scarf wound three times around her neck.

"Hyuuga-san..?" Naruto stopped confused, watching her run away from him, without words and into the school. He still had her scarf warmly around his neck, the abandoned end in his hand. Without even realizing it, he brought the other end to his nose; it smelled like magnolias and bitter wisteria. He blushed catching himself in the act and dropped it, wondering why she ditched him.

* * *

He managed to ignore the hushing sounds, the conspiratory whispers, and the glares that were pointed at his back. She was seated in her usual spot, her face was calm, but her shoulder posture showed her unease. 

"Oi, Hyuuga-san?" Naruto took his seat behind her, as she took a minor glance at him. She was hurriedly putting away a thick magazine in her randoseru.

"Hai?" She didn't turn around, feeling no need to.

"You forgot your scarf." He grinned slightly handing it out to her, as she took it with a cool hand.

"So what was that about?" He leaned into his desk, prompting her with his curious stare. He took notice of the way her eyes switched nervously between the scarf in her hands and his wide blue eyes.

"Don't you know what it would have looked like if we entered school like th-that?" At the end of her stutter she brought her fingertips to meet her lips, out of embarrassment. She hated her stuttering, how it just seemed to come out of know where sometimes, she never stuttered before. Never felt embarrassed this frequently. She continued, speaking low through over her hand.

"D-don't you get it? Walking so close.. they would've thought us a couple, w-wearing the s-scarf like th-that..." She folded it up, placing it inside her school bag, and turning her face towards the blackboard.

"Oh." He sulked back in his chair, staring at nothing. The world seemed to return back to his attention, even though his senses felt dulled and unfocused. He could finally hear the sounds of students filing in, talking, gossiping, chairs pulled aside and their homeroom teacher entering the classroom. He could hear the close by conversation from a group of three girls. They didn't use his name, but he knew through the dull feeling of heat on his back like pin pricks, that they were talking about him. How did that cliche go? If someone is talking badly about you, you sneeze?

"HAKUSHON!" Naruto practically screamed the fake sneeze, making the whole room jump. Then everyone looked at him, and he saw Hinata's bewildered eyes glaring at him incredulously. And the talking stopped.

"Gomen nasai, minna-san!" Naruto just laughed loudly to himself, a sheepish hand behind his head. Harada-sensei just shook her head with a weary sweatdrop. And somewhere in the suddenly quiet room full of annoyance and disdain, one could hear a low mutter. "Troublesome..."

* * *

"Oi! Hyuuga-san!" 

Hinata barely turned around to see Naruto waving energetically at her, and nodded in acknowledgement. She turned her attention back to the familiar face at the end of the gate. _'What's Hanabi-chan doing here?'_ Hinata rushed towards the gates' end where her sister was standing, her face solemn still.

"Hana---" Hinata was cut off, as Hanabi nearly threw herself at her, clinging and burying her face in her grey quilted jacket.

"I campht stand it! I hate th-that school!" Hinata sighed, placing an exasperated but loving hand on her sister's head.

"Hana-bunni, I was supposed to pick you up... what if anything happened to you?"

"Campht be any mmorse than at s-school..." Came her muffled retort.

"Hana, I can't hear you well if you keep burying your face like that." She chucked a bit to herself, bending down so she could be eye level with her little sister. At least she was showing some emotion other than just remorse, this she was glad for. Her face cheeks were ruddy now too and moist, but there was that stubborn quality in here eyes that showed she was close to an amount of recovery. Hinata tilted her head to the side, as if coming to heavy decision.

"Would you be more comfortable if you started coming here after school instead?"

"I dunno..." She replied back with light exasperation, stubbornly rubbing at her cheeks.

"Oh your sister's here."

"Kyaa!" Hinata squeeked suprised and jumped a bit. How long had he been there? _'What's he doing anyways, waiting for us?!' _She turned her head shakily, almost twitching with irritation.

"Hi Mr. Uzumaki-san!" Hanabi chirped.

"Hi chibi-Hyuuga-chan!" Naruto grinned goofily back. Hinata just sighed.

"Her name is Hanabi you know?" She replied in her cool even voice, standing but barely facing him again.

"Yeah.. but you don't like me to use your names informally." Naruto replied back matter-of-factly, putting his hands behind his head.

"Then it's good you remember." She replied back evenly, as she took Hanabi's hand and began towards home.

"...what's that supposed to even mean, exactly?" He said under his breath, somewhat pointedly at her, turning to walk in the opposite direction of them. "Damn, it's cold." He muttered, bringing his uncovered hands to his lips and shivering slightly.

It's been several minutes before Hinata even realized how unusually quiet it'd been since they left the school grounds.

"Uzumaki-sa---" She started, turning around when Hanabi's voice spoke up.

"--He's all the way down there Onee-san." Hinata stood, staring thoughtfully confused down the snowy sidewalk. She could distinctly see his bright yellow hair, as he walked further and further away.

"Do you think he forgot the way home?" Hanabi asked, with a silly little smile, yet the smile was hidden underneath the scarf they shared.

"I don't know.." Her reply came soft, she could almost hear him complaining about the weather. _'Baka.'_

Hinata took Hanabi's hand again, and continued walking for home.

_"... If I don't do something about what happened Friday, then what am I good for, right?" _

_'Where is he going anyways?'_

"Nee-san, why does this end smell like ramen?"

**

* * *

AppleSyrup: **Zomg! You're online! XD 

**Hari Hina: **um.. yeah.

**AppleSyrup: **Ha, you're like never on:3 So what's new????? Are you coming over to the bridge sunday? What're you going to wear?! zomg, Igottashow youthis newphotograper!he's young and I justmet himonline, and he wants to take ourpicturestogether!lurve myspace,he's soooo cho-kakkoii! we gottameethim together kay! Let's be twinsy tomorrow!!

Hinata had to pause, before face-faulting at the surprisingly long and messy message.

**Hari Hina: **anou... tomorrow is Tuesday, Moe-chan.

**AppleSyrup:** Dammit, well I can't wait til then! He's sooo cool! XDDD

**ExcuseMyBrokenSenseOfChivalry: **Heyy, can I join this party?

**ExcuseMyBrokenSenseOfChivalry:**Omg, You're never on!!

**Hari Hina:** I know.

**AppleSyrup: **lol, I was just telling her that!! ;D

**ExcuseMyBrokenSenseOfChivalry: **Hold on, Atsuko-chan is entering...

**Hari Hina: **Atsuko-chan? O.o

**YouBrokeMyCervix!: **I'M NOT VIRGIN ANYMORE! WOOT! RabuRabuRabu... X3

**AppleSyrup: **Zomg, you're my fun-loving sex toy! XD

**YouBrokeMyCervix!:** Moe-chan, my sweet little sister! (not really) XDDD

**Hari Hina:** ... ...uhhh... how did I ever meet you people? O////o

**AppleSyrup: **Aww, don't be like that Emiri-chan! X3 Don't you remember that one time at the bridge, all the way back in early october:3 And we met this visual-kei kid, dressed up as Mana?

**Hari Hina: **wait, his name was Atsushi? ne?

**YouBrokeMyCervix!:** Hullo, Emiri-chan. I'm so glad you remember me! ;)

**Hari Hina:** ...you changed you're name to Atsuko??

**AppleSyrup:** So who broke your cervix, Atsuko-chan:3 (eager eager)

**Hari Hina: **Guys don't have cervixes!!

Hinata was restlessly sitting on her futon, with her laptop, and staring incredulously at the screen. Her face, she could feel it, was burning. People were so strange.

**YouBrokeMyCervix!:** I know, right:D Hm... maybe that means guys are born unvirgin.

**YouBrokeMyCervix!:** (DokiDoki) His name is Yuki. (DokiDoki) He's my little seme-kun! XD

**ExcuseMyBrokenSenseOfChivalry:** Seme? I thought you were seme!

**YouBrokeMyCervix!:** what made you think that? O.o

**ExcuseMyBrokenSenseOfChivalry:** Anou.. that night! Atsuko-chan, you remember that one night!

**ExcuseMyBrokenSenseOfChivalry: **Uh oh..

**AppleSyrup:** WHOA, you two spent a night together!?!?!?! XDDD kyaaah! (RabuRabu)

"Hinata!" Neji called, a bit louder than nessessary. She saw Hanabi nervously peek her head out of her room door.

"Hanabi-chan?"

"I th-thought Otousan was here for a moment."

There was a pause from her.

"What do you think is wrong with Neji-nii?"

"I don't know, I'll go check." Hinata sighed, looking hesitantly at the computer screen as the carefree conversation continued on.

**AppleSyrup:** I'm sooo sad now! T0T

**ExcuseMyBrokenSenseOfChivalry: **because we didn't invite you? Moe, you psycho yaoi fangirl! X0

_**-blip!-**_

Hinata logged off, and closed her laptop, placing it neatly beside her futon.

"Hai, Neji-nii?"

* * *

It was phys.ed class, as the students filed out into the gym; with red bloomers and everything. 

"Alright kids, today we're playing table tennis." Announced the boys gym teacher, Asuma-sensei. No words of complaint came from the boys, who simply took up their paddles and started playing. Some of the girls began to whine though, even Hinata looked at the paddles and tables with disdain. _'What a simple and useless game..'_ She immediately went to her spot by the wall, and just took to watching the class go by. She noticed Naruto at the far end take a sweeping glance at her direction. Beside his table was another boy she never noticed before. She couldn't see his face, just that he had shaggy brown hair. He took a cocky stance against his opponent.

"Hyuuga-san." Came a low almost sensual voice of a woman. She looked up to address her gym teacher with an equally calm stare.

"Hai, Kurenai-sensei?" she sighed lightly in response.

"You know, this is an easy game, no effort involved."

"Alright." Hinata replied back, not understanding the point she was trying to make. Kurenai got down on her haunches so she could be eye level with her.

"So why do you always sit here?" Hinata avoided her teacher's gaze and began lightly playing with her fingers, seemingly more as a bored habit than a nervous one.

"..." Hinata decided not to answer, her reason was obvious to her teacher. It was like routine, she would find a place by the wall, far enough from the rest so there wouldn't be any friendly fire as they played, and then her solitude would be invaded by the company of her teacher. She didn't dislike the woman, but didn't want to be babysat like this.

Kurenai moved to stand beside her, respecting her space like always and took to watching the class with her.

"Sensei, Mitsubachi-san doesn't have a partner. Make Hyuuga play." Came Yoshino's energetic voice, in a rather bossy-self righteous tone. As she said that, she pointed a finger at Hinata. She flinched slightly, not liking the girl's behavior whatsoever.

"Yeah, sensei. It's not fair to Mitsu-chan, she never has a partner because of her." was Yoshino's partner, Kisaru.

"It's okay guys.." Mitsubachi said behind them, with a soft voice. But they just kinna glared back her for being so easy-going, and she sweatdropped.

"Maa maa, leave Hyuuga-san alone. She told me she has a stomach ache." Kurenai replied back, with a small smile that appeared like a womanly smirk.

"That's BS." Yoshino replied, bouncing the ping-pong on her paddle.

"I'll be Kudoh-san's partner then kay?" She assured, taking a paddle and walking over to the table.

"Oiy! Let's have a doubles match!" Yoshino suddenly shouted, always the energetic-competative one.

"Koko-chan, we can't win against Kurenai-sensei!"

"We can't, but I can!"

"...wait.." Kisaru paused for moment dumbly.

"I just said you suck! Ohoho!" Yoshino skipped away, laughing behind her hand and smirking.

"I'll get you for that one!" Kisaru ran after her, chasing her all over the gym's perimeter. Hinata sighed looking on at the chaos; She kept chasing after Yoshino, leaving Kurenai-sensei and Mitsubachi to watch. Yoshino nearly tripped on a paddle, pushing a short dark-blonde haired boy into the table and ran off laughing still.

"Gomen ne, Asano-kun!"

Kisaru _did_ trip on the paddle and fell into the same short boy.

"Get back here, Yoshi-chan!" Kisaru shouted pulling herself together, leaving Asano on the ground.

"Itai..."

"Yoshino-san, Miyamoto-san! Cut it out already!" Kurenai-sensei called out.

"Get a hold of yourselves, you're acting like children!" Asuma-sensei added.

"Haha, you old farts! You're just wishing you were having as much fun as us!" Yoshino called back, grinning widely with Kisaru huffing behind her.

Yoshino ran past, making a beeline away from the teachers who looked on tiredly. She shoved into one pair's table, shifting it crookedly.

"Hey!" The boy with the shaggy brown hair shouted, looking pissed.

"Troublesome..."

"Shut up, you two weren't even playing! Hahaha!"

"Yoshi-chan, th-that... (huff).. wasn't very nice!" Kisaru stopped to catch her breath, hand to her chest, and one on her knee. The brown haired boy turned around, raising a ping-pong ball up like a tennis ball and hit it.

"I'll stop her!" Shouted a girl with sweeping dark hair, and suddenly tackled Yoshino. The room fell silent, and Kurenai-sensei let out a tired sigh.

_donk!_

The ping-pong hit the dark haired girl on the back of the head.

"Anou.. my bad."

* * *

Giggles and eager chatter continued between friends, as the class filed out of the locker rooms and headed back to their homeroom. 

"Hinata-san!"

Hinata turned around at voice. Naruto was right there, talking with her, but she was looking past him. The boy with the shaggy brown hair was getting grilled by the girl with the long black hair, for hitting her with the ball.

"Oi, oi.. Hinata-san?" Naruto waved a hand in her face. As soon as she returned to earth, she swatted it away.

"Nani, nani, nani?" She replied back rushedly.

"I was asking where you were, I mean.. I didn't see you in gym."

"I was sitting by the wall."

"Why?"

"I don't play sports..."

* * *

He overlooked the skyline and trees from where he stood on the school roof top. He took a bite out of his loaf of sweet bread with red bean paste filling. Though it was cold, Naruto had decided to eat alone on the roof. Last time he ate in the classroom, he didn't eat. He got beat up. Well not as bad as the other two though... but he just felt he needed a break from everyone else. 

The view was pretty; the snow was slowly melting already. He thought back about his hometown in Matsue.

_'Wonder what everyone else is doing right now...'_

He took another bite.

The snow reminded him of former snowball fights he onced had in his childhood, in front of the elementary school yard.

_"Take this!" _

_The snowball whizzed through the air, landing squarely in the face of a boy, with bowl cut hair._

_"Who did that?!"_

_"It's a snowball fight Lee!" Naruto threw another one, hitting his shoulder. _

_"Ne, Baka! Stop hurting Lee-kun!" a smaller girl shouted loudly, stomping onto the playing field and scooping up her own snowball._

_"Or what? Don't ruin our game, Sakura-chan!"_

_Whack!_

_"Itai.. Dammit, that one stung!"_

_"Then you better watch yourself, I'll get you again!" She smirked, giggling lightly. Naruto moved to pick up another snowball, one already hitting him in the head by Lee._

_"Ahh, I'm under attack!" Naruto ran away laughing, while Sakura and Lee teamed up chucking snowball after snowball in his direction. He took to hiding behind the jungle gym, by the bushes. The cold was nipping his lips and ears, he had left all his stuff inside the school, only wearing a medium-thick flannel, but he didn't care. He moved his hand around, to gather more snow, not keeping his wide eyes off his opponents, when he bumped ito something else and turned around._

_"Oh, hey Sasuke! Team up with me."_

_"What for?" He replied back dully._

_"Cuz it's a snowball fight, I can't win against both of them." _

_"Dobe, then maybe you should just forfeit."_

_"No way! C'mon, you never have any fun! It's not like you're doing anything now! ...what are you doing here anyways?"_

_"It's none of your business. ...alright, I'll help."_

_"Yosh!" Naruto pumped a fist in the air, and got up with a snowball._

_"Yeah, hear that you two! Sasuke's on my team!" _

_"What?!" Sakura shouted, red-faced. Her expression changed soon, though._

_"Ahhh! Cold! Cold Cold Cold!" Naruto ran around yelling, trying to shake the ice that had slid down his shirt from the impact. _

_"Sasuke, you traitor!"_

_Sasuke smirked, leaving Sakura to giggle, and Lee started laughing too._

Naruto sighed, a small fog of breath stilled in the winter air and evanesced in an instant, as he headed for the roof's door to the school. He began to consider Hinata's common sense; he really should wear the winter clothes he has, or buy new ones somehow.

"I'm gonna need to restock my fridge too... wonder if the old man will give me a raise, heheh." He grinned to himself, rubbing a finger across his nose. His hand reached the the knob.

"Oh man.. I don't even know where the markets are yet..." He sighed again, and opened the door, but stopped midway. There were two boys standing right htere, seemingly just as taken aback as he was.

"Aa, It's you guys." Naruto said dumbly.

"GET HIM!" The tall boy and the shorter fat boy from before, shouted, racing up the steps malevolently.

"Ahh, Shit!" Naruto took a step backwards. The taller boy was about to come at him with a right hook, when Naruto slammed the door. He could clearly hear a sharp painful shout fromt he otherside. Naruto opened the door again. The blond boy got up instantly, and just ran straight for him, when Naruto closed the door on him again, slamming it in his face thise time (or so he assumed), because he could hear repeative sounds of a body rolling down the stairs, ending with a clear THUD!

"Ne, Ishi! You alright?"

Naruto opened the door again again. The tall boy was at the end of the stairs, right up against the wall and clutching his head. He decided this was his moment. He ran down the stairs, pass the fat boy as he had been distracted by his friends injury, and jumped over the stair railings.

"Masa, you fat ass! Get him already!"

"Hai." the fat boy nodded affirmatively, and ran determinedly down the stairs after him.

Naruto was already half way down to the bottom.

"Get back here, you Burakumin! Kono imo!!" Masabo screamed down the halls, until he got at the end of the stairs, and ran into Naruto's fists.

"Do you have something to say?! Geso, you pig-boy!" Naruto shouted menacingly at the fat boy on the floor. His face contorted in anger, he pushed himself off the floor staring Naruto down.

"Horaaaaaaa!" the fat boy screamed angrily, tackling Naruto to the ground and started wailing on him. Naruto got some hits back, but he wasn't on the advantage this time.

"Te-o dokete yo!!" Naruto shouted, kicking and flailing.

"Damare-yo, Baka ka!" Masabo landed a hard hit to Naruto's mouth. He tried to push the fat boy offa him, he tried to fight back better, but suddenly another set of feet were kicking him.

"Don't fuck with me! Don't fuck with me! Dumbass hick boy!"

"Fuck off! Get the fuck away from me!"

"You'll get what you deserve, yanki-bitch!"

"Go to HELL!"

He was losing this time, he couldn't get a way from them, they were wailing on him hard. It was beginning to hurt to breathe, Naruto rolled over and clutched his ribs, but they still kept kicking him.

"Ya..Yamero-yo!"

* * *

Lunch was close to over. Hinata realized she hadn't seen Naruto in the classroom at all. She walked out of the girls bathroom, taking her sleepy little time in getting to class. _'Hee, that chamomile tea hit the spot.'_ But her content musings were ended abuptly by loud obscenities and constant yelling. 

"..." Hinata walked hesitantly, taking baby steps forwards and lingering towards the walls, when it all suddenly stopped.

_Potsun -------_

It got quiet very quickly, and for once it was starting to scare her. She was feeling apprehensive, and decided to duck behind a water fountain when sounds of shoes against marble and hushed angry mutterings were getting closer. The boys from her class, Ishioka Yamato and Okudachi Masabo walked menacingly through the halls, but with an air of triumph and self-satsifaction, that Hinata couldn't place why. They kept eye contact til each disappeared from one another's sight. Once they were gone, Hinata ran quietly down they way they came.

"I don't like those two at all..." Hinata said to herself in a breathless tone as she jogged to the end of the hall. She turn past the hall's end, where the staircase to the roof began, and her breath caught momentarily.

There was a male student on the floor, barely moaning. She couldn't see his face, but she recognized the spiky blonde hair for sure.

"N-Naruto..." She walked til she was by his side, and knelt down.

"N-Naruto-san?" She spoke evenly, placing a soft coaxing hand on his shoulder and shook him lightly. He moved his head in response but barely, just enough so he could have glancing eye contact with her.

"..." He smiled instead, though it was only half-hearted, as he was still wincing the whole time. She hadn't noticed it, the whole time they just kept eye contact, was that she had been sfotly rubbing his back, and hadn't noticed the footsteps that came closer with every second.

An audible feminine gasp snapped their heads to attention.

"Uzumaki-san..." Imahada started, then turned to Hinata who looked at her curiously.

"Hyuuga-san, did you do this?"

* * *

Star- OMG!!! I finally, _FINALLY_, finished the chapter!!!!!!!!!!! XD Okay okay, so yeah sorry but it was intended that Naruto get into another fight. Don't worry I'll put in translation notes for the terms used between the 3 boys. I couldn't help myself, I found a japanese bad language website on google:super big heart: Anou, sorry for the f-bombs and whatnot. :sweatdrop: I watched Gokusen, and the delinquents in that J-Drama inspired the fight scenes and vulgar language usage out of me. :sweatdrop, sheepish smile: _ALSO_, I am sooooooo very sorry it took me so long to update this, but if you read at the top, I've been having problems trying to get this to be written well. I hope you still liked it, even though the fight scene may have seemed hard to read/watch, whatever. :sweatdrop: Hehe..

* * *

Translation Notes:

Furo - Is the bathroom without the toilet. Their furo looks just about the same as Naota's furo in FLCL, episode...3. I think, the one about the 'PussNBoots' play, and Ninamori-san (the mayor's daughter) is taking a bath there. Anou.. except, the Hyuuga Furo has paler carribean blue tiles and pearly white tiles, instead of the greenish-blue and white tiles in Naota's furo. Teehee. ;P

Burakumin - Outcast

Kono Imo - Hick; country boy

Geso - Ugly (M)

Hora - Let's Fight (sorta like a battle cry, the way I've heard it in Gokusen)

Te-o dokete yo - Get your hands off me

Damare-yo - Shut up

Baka ka - dumbass

* * *

Anou... don't hurt me for what I did to Naruto-kun. ;; I love him very much too, but this is the way of life and you know it.

-Thanks for reading, please leave a review if you can or want, Baibai:super biggy heart:


	6. Reckless

Star- ... ...OMG! OTAKON ROCKED AND KICKED ASS AND EVERYTHING!!!! XDDDDD I got so much great crap, and a Naruto Plushy (which I'm sure other ppl have too. eheh ;P) ::snuggle snuggle:: Anyhoos.. Yah, I cosplayed as little Hinata, and I played duck-duck-goose with Sasuke, and Mario and FMA Edward and some other cosplayers, I think at one point there was the clown-faced villainy guy that my friend likes a lot... um.. from Star Ocean? I don't really know. ;; And yeah, I waz also in a FREE HUGS line!! XD Yay!! I brought my sign, but unfortunately there's a dumb 'No-Sign Policy' rawrness. T.T But that's okay, cuz I was still able to give out hugs anyways. Yay for love!

(And and, I got hugged by a cute asian guy and a shy cute asian guy. ;P I'm not sure, I'm just guessing but... I think he likes Hinata because he was like "Hinata" then the hug, then he kinna looked the other way!! yay! XD)

And.. And..! OMG!!!! Have you seen the new Shippuuden Ending??!!! Kyaaaaaaaaaa! Hahaha, omg omg, it's sooo cute and dramatic-esque and stuff! ToT And it's High School setting, YATTA! XDDD Omg, Naruto is TOTALLY Yanki in it! I knew he would be a yanki, I could just tell!!! XDDD Sorry I'm just happy about it, for kinna no reason... except... the LOVE LETTER!!!!! XDDDDD Kyatta:big heart: The first actual ever (unfortunately story-wise it never happened ToT) Anyhoo, the first ever NaruHina moment! XD It's so much better than the waterfall poopy filler, hahaha! Sorry for my spontaneous randomness.

_

* * *

__Chronostorm: _Heh, I didn't know you were reading my story. Sorry for the skippyness, but I had lost my touch me thinks. Tell me if I got it back! lol :P 

_Metizalism:_ Yay!! Thanks so much for the wonderful review! Dude, Loli-fashion and Harajuku just totally rock!! XD ::swoon:: Um, about your other questions... well I don't want to reveal anything too soon, this is all still the beginning of the story, we haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg or however that dumb phrase goes. XD Seriously! hahaha! XDDD

_Lovelyanime-chan:_ Hiya hiya hiiii! XD Thanks for reading, anou.. I miss your story though... ;; I mean, no rush if you're just busy, but I was kinna wondering what was going on with that at this point. O.o??? Hai hai, Mana is soooo kick-ass cool! XD But no fair!! Mana-san is a GUY, and He's sooooo pretty!!! X0 I mean, look how he wears his dresses, he's got such great legs, AMAZING!!! ToT

_Roland Desagare:_ Awesome name, lol random. Yay thanks for liking my story, hope you like this chapter too. :3

_Ruki44:_ Kay, I read your PM, yay! I know, it's kinna dumb of me to freak out like that. But I can't wait for you next response, glad you like my story so far. :3 woot! ;P

_Lilstrummrgirl527:_ Hi strummr-cakes! XD Ha, sorry for going 'sai' on your name, but thank thank thank yoou soo much for the wonderful review. ;P Though I still worry that I make Hinata OOC, but I suppose it's alright either way of this. Anyhoo, I don't want really reveal anything about my story or anything about Naruto immediately, it is in a way going to move slow, but that's what makes it more fun. XD talk to you laterz, keep reading pweasy!! X333

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Much LoVE peoples, Much Luv! XD 

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Now Onwards to the story! XD

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch.6 - Reckless, The Beginning of Our Differences

"Hyuuga-san, did you do this?"

She nearly face-faulted at her teacher's simple accusation, her cheeks reddened with indignance at the thought of such blame.

"N-no, anou.. it was--!"

"Maa maa, Hyuuga-san. I think I know who it was." Imahada paused with a sigh, barely looking at her other student as he slowly picked himself up.

"Ne, take him to the RN's office will you, Hyuuga-san?" Her voice came out in a quiet command, recieving a nod from the girl. Hinata brought her arm to Naruto's side as they stood, and walked past their teacher, Naruto leaning tiredly into Hinata's half-embrace.

* * *

Their passing by the classroom brought some alarm and attention from their classmates, but nothing else as they continued down the halls. Who knows what tomorrow was going to be like after this. The office was just a few feet away by now. With only a bit of difficulty, she turned the knob and brought them inside. 

"Oh no, what happened this time?" A young woman with mid-length black hair and expressive black eyes called out with concern shadowing annoyance, as she recognized the situation immediately. She stood away from the receptionist desk and approached the two.

"Anou.. it was another fight.." Hinata replied simply.

"Yes yes, I can see that. C'mon to the bed." She said rushedly, leading them into the other room. Hinata let him go, as the young woman pulled aside the drapery, Naruto already sitting on the bed.

"Excuse me please as I get the RN." She called over her shoulder, rushing hurried feet towards another office door, repetition of heels against marble sounding loudly. A sigh could be heard in the sudden silence, as Hinata's attention turned to the slumped form of Naruto. It suddenly became awkward, at least to her; she sub-consciously brought her fingers to play with the hem of her shirt.

"Anou..." came her voice, ever so whispery and nearly silent.

"Alright, who is it this time?!" A voice came booming, belonging to a furious young woman in white scrubs and a bluish-green happi.

Naruto recognized the voice, it wasn't until it had snapped his head to attention to look up, that surprised him more than knowing the voice alone. Wide blue eyes met with wide honey eyes.

"YOU!!"

"YOU!!"

* * *

Hinata jumped, then blinked. Even the assistant girl was taken aback. Naruto and the RN looked like mirrors or mimes pointed at the other, fingers poised in accusatory stances and mouths hanging open in shock. 

"Baa-chan what are you doing here?!"

"I should be asking you the same thing, gaki!!" The older woman sighed annoyedly, bringing a hand to her forehead as if having a headache, and maybe she was. _"Oh my god..."_ She could hear her whisper under her breath, sounding utterly stressed out. She played with her shirt a bit more.

"Shizune-san, get the gauzes and ointments, onegai." She ordered lightly, hand still to her head.

"Hai." The black haired woman left in a determined manner. All in all, Hinata was feeling a bit overwhelmed, she wasn't sure if she was excused to leave yet or not. She glanced over at the other woman's tag, reading 'RN Tsunade'. She was a bit surprised to believe her japanese; she had past shoulder-length blonde hair, pale but warm brown eyes like a honey color, and well... Hinata blushed a little to herself at the next thought. The best way she could put it politely at least, was that in comparison to Tsunade she looked 'under-developed'.

The assistant returned, giving the medical items to Tsunade. She sighed again, pulling a seat over to Naruto, beginning her examination. She held his left arm out, checking the tenderness and bruising, with Naruto wincing every now and then.

"What am I going to do with you, Naruto..."

Naruto just gave a sheepish smile in return.

Hinata stood silent, feeling like a spectator. She hadn't realized that she had been staring, until Shizune tapped her on the shoulder.

"Here, a pass to your next class."

"Domo." Hinata bowed slightly, taking the square of paper in hand. She looked between Naruto and the door hesitantly. He glanced up at her, noticing her slowly exiting prescence.

"Anou.. I'll take your notes for you again.. Uzumaki-s-san.."

He stared at her in a pause of silence, before replying. "... ..Thanks."

"Hai.." She bowed politely to Tsunade and him, before leaving rather awkwardly.

* * *

She entered the room, recieving a knowing look from Imahada-sensei. She noticed how the eyes were on her as well, as if expecting her to speak. But she could tell all too well they just wanted to pester her with questions. She wondered how this happened, for her to get the class's attention in a most insincere form of interest. 

She just let out a soft sigh, as class continued almost nonchalantly.

* * *

Naruto slouched against the cotton mattress, resigning himself to a long talk with Tsunade. He rolled his shoulders, wincing, before fully relaxing his body. 

"I knew you went to Tokyo, but I thought you got hired as a hospital director or something."

"I changed my mind last minute and turned the job over. I figured I'd see less blood at a school." Tsunade paused, seeing Naruto smirk lightly at her unusually unambitious comment before continuing with another tired sigh.

"But now that you're here I don't think that's going to be possible anymore." She glared pointedly at him. Easy enough as always, that got a rise out of him.

"Hey it wasn't my fault this time!"

"Naruto if you're in a fight, it's just as much your fault as the other guy!"

"Tch, I should be an exception! I can't help it, if this kind of shit follows me around!"

"You're the one who started the first fight to begin with, and you didn't even land in here! What are you talking about 'you should be an exception'?!"

"..." Naruto fumed silently, arms crossed. He took on an arrogant stance, used this kind of thing from her, yet not wanting any of it.

"I don't want to have to be your personal doctor again Naruto! All the shit you made me put up with in Matsue, what did you come here for, if you weren't going to change?!---"

"--I am different now! Maybe if you stayed a bit longer you could see that!"

"I should just cut your hands off right now... " Tsunade replied back angrily, holding a scalpel in one hand for emphasis.

_

* * *

_

The bell rung, stirring life out of the students of 1-B. The two boys from before were just talking and laughing carefree, as if 6th period never happened. The only teacher who knew so far was just Imahada-sensei. The 6th period mess might not even reach the principal til much later afterschool, meaning punishment wouldn't be given til tomorrow.

Hinata slowly began packing up her things, she was about to place her magazine inside her bag when she looked up at the sounds of footsteps stopping in front of her. Two girls, she recognized to sit in the back were just staring at her rather blankly.

"Um.. hi!" The girl to the right saluted energetically in english with a smile. She peered her eyes over to look at what Hinata was holding in her hand.

"What's that?"

"What's what?" HInata looked down, she was still holding her _Gothic&Lolita Bible_ magazine. With a surprised gasp, she dropped it on her chair and sat on it, hiding it from the prying girl.

"Nani nani nani?!" Hinata replied back rushedly with a sweatdrop. The girl that has greeted first was the one she saw in gym, the girl with the long black hair. They all kinna just stood there awkwardly, before the girl on the left nudged the black haired girl on.

"Sooo... earlier..." She started agonizingly slow, earning a tired and embarrassed sigh from her friend beside her.

"We're wondering about 6th period, Hyuuga-san." Hinata faced her attention to the strawberry blonde girl as she finished in a straight forward manner. The way she was spoke and the way her eyes were so dauntless surprised her; she held herself as if she was a member of authority. It was actually quite convincing, it almost compelled her to talk.

"Nande, what about it?" Hinata averted her eyes, not liking the pointless attention at all. And why bother her about it? All she did was walk him down to the Nurse's office, the miscreants they should've talked to instead just walked out the door.

"Hm, what questions do I ask?" The black haired girl mused to herself, bringing her right hand to her chin, her left resting on her hip in a thinking pose. Both Hinata and the blonde girl sweatdropped, glaring mildy at her exasperately.

"Touki-chan, you're the daughter of a police officer, you know how to interrogate witnesses ne?" She grinned, hands clasped together; a picture of complete... blissful ignorance.

"Baka, Tsukumi-chan! You act like this is the hardest thing to do!" Touki growled annoyedly, rubbing her knuckles in her friends head. Hinata just sighed, waiting as patiently as she could to get this over with.

"Itai! Touki-chaaaaan! You're the stupid one, you're not even interrogating her!" Tsukumi whined cutely, but depending on the person, it could very near lean on obnoxious. Right now Hinata wasn't one to gush. She gripped her magazine beneath her tautly.

"Alright missy! You're time is up!" Tsukumi suddenly pointed a finger at Hinata, speaking ever so dramatically and foolishly.

"So you got a question for her?" Touki sighed, glad her friend was back on track.

"Confess, look! You're making your mother cry!" Tsukumi shouted, still talking in a dramatic and foolish tone. Silence reigned for a still minute, both Hinata and Touki's eyebrows twitched in agitation at her antics.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Touki shouted, giving Tsukumi a noogie on either side of the face.

"But that's how the police do it in the yakuza movies!" She shouted back in her annoyingly cute whine.

"Stupid, she's not yakuza! You of all people should know too!"

"I'm not the stupid one, you are!"

"YOU'RE BOTH STUPID! Alright, and even if you had asked me a question about anything... I-I wouldn't have told you XXXX!" Having angrily stuffed her magazine in her randoseru, she ran past them out the door, not realizing what she had said and never seeing the shocked faces on the two girls.

* * *

She marched down the halls of the school huffily, her face tinted red. She began to wonder why the world was just full of superfluous nonsense. She flung her white and mangled scarf angrily over her shoulder, hoping she never would have to deal with another idiot ever again. 

"Hinata-chan!"

She whirled around at the call of her name, realizing she had been stampeding down a tunnel of disdain. Only to get slapped in the face by the hand of irony, or maybe in the case of the metaphor; crashed into a wall. She almost found herself saying _'Oh no...'_

Naruto somewhat ran towards her, still grinning energetically as he did. It was then her annoyance and anger seemed to dissipate slightly, as she became reminded by his bandages and bruises.

"U-Uzumaki-san... I know school is over, but should you really b-be...?"

"Naw, it's okay! I can stand right? I'll be fine!" He smiled flexing his outstretched arms as a gesture of half-hearted proof.

"By the way, I really want to thank you again for helping me and stuff." He mellowed out at this, a picture of sincerity. It nearly stirred up those feeling from before, the last time she saw his eyes. It made her a bit nervous, darting her gaze away from his.

"O-okay... you're welcome... ..again." She felt an embarrassed blush tint her cheeks slightly.

"So c'mon!" Naruto went back to grinning widely, giving her an impression of a fox.

"C'mon what?"

"I still need to repay you for ruining your Friday. Also as a thanks for today. So c'mon!" He started again, reaching for the sleeve covered wrist and pulling her outside of the school doors.

"..Oh damn, I left my uniform at home."

"Uniform?"

* * *

She stared bemusedly at her bowl of ramen, oil bubbles mixing around in the broth; gathering and growing bigger, and dissipating into smaller bubbles. She picked at the tofu, bringing a piece up to her eye level and studying it before putting it back down in her bowl. 

"So this is where you've been that week off?" Hinata looked up at the ever smiling Naruto, as he continued to wiped needlessly at the counter. Right now she was the only customer there, but Naruto had gotten use to just looking busy.

"Yep, as of the first day in Tokyo... I'm an official employee of Ichiraku Ramen!" He declared with excess pride, patting a fist on his chest.

"Cook up the ramen Naruto-kun, not your title. And where is you're uniform?" Ayame confronted him, getting use to the boss position she had over him. Naruto grinned sheepishly with a sweatdrop.

"I told you, I forgot to bring it with me to school." She sighed in a disapproving way.

"Then wear my hat, you're making it look like we're forcing our customers to cook our food." She replied, placing her hat on his head before turning back to the broth.

"Eheheh, gomen." Naruto laughed sheepishly.

Hinata went back to staring decisively and thoughtfully at her miso ramen, finally taking a noodle between her chopsticks and bringing it to her mouth. It wasn't bad, as she tasted the salty broth, but she still couldn't entirely stifle the slight scrunch of her lips. She could still taste her cupcakes from lunch and the sweet lychee gum she just chewed eariler on the train. So that mixed with ramen wasn't the best combination.

"Would you like a drink, Hyuuga-san?" Ayame called out pleasantly from her work.

"Anou... hai, Melon juice onegai."

"Right away." She called back, reaching from the old plastic fridge underneath the counter and placing it on the counter in front of her.

"Arigatou."

"You're welcome."

Hinata looked up for a moment to see what Naruto was doing. As he was helping put together another ramen dish, he held up piece of fish-paste cake displaying it to her and grinning childishly.

"Look, it's me!"

"Naruto, stop playing with the food!" Teuchi and Ayame both scolded at the same time, earning another childish giggle then he went back to cooking with a smile.

Hinata wasn't sure if it was because of the steam from the ramen making her face warm, but as she went back to finish her free soup, she could've been sure she was blushing.

* * *

The walk home was pleasant, the snow already melting enough to reveal the sidewalk and patches brown soggy grass. Across the street a neighbors' cat was perched on the concrete fence, staring intently at a little japanese robin. As it pounced and missed the robin flew away. Hinata looked up to notice five white doves float and flap across the sky. She began to stare almost dreamily at the sky, even as they moved away from her eye sight. 

The sky was like watercolor painting of sunset yellow, pastel pink clouds tipped bright orange. They were scattered and smeared across the sky like a miscolored sea turned upside down, she almost found herself lost in the simplistic beauty of it, an airplane crossing smoothly across the sky, leaving a trail of frozen moisture. The rope-like cloud became a part of the canvas, yellow and pink and tipped bright orange, getting ever darker as the sun began to dip lower. The painting became ephemeral as the contrast increased and the once beautiful colors she enjoyed wistfully turned bland blue. She pulled away back to the sidewalk, missing the softer colors the painting once looked better with.

Naruto smiled a bit, waiting til she caught up so they could continue.

They neared the part of their where they would make a turn, walking up the slanted sidewalk til they made it to the height of the hill. Hinata stared out to see the sun wink behind the trees, cars and houses. It had nearly caught up all her attention and briefly stunning her eyesight, when she noticed a shorter girl running past her. She turned around, a feeling of recognition and distress overcoming her as she saw wispy curls of dark pink hair trailing behind the petite girl. Naruto had seen her too.

"Sakura-chan??" He called out more to himself, mistakening the pink hair to be his childhood crush, but soon realizing the girl was too short to have been Sakura.

"That was Mei-chan...!" Hinata stared wide lavender eyes as her friend disappeared further and further away.

"Mei-chan?" Naruto questioned simply.

"Yeah.. anou, I hang out with her." Hinata stated slowly, returning her gaze -- along with Naruto -- back to the sun's direction. There was a taller, young man at the end of the sidewalk. The sun's glare made it hard to really see him definitively though he wore a brown newsboy hat, a seemingly beige scarf that hung loosely around his neck and chest, and a brown jacket that seemed to match the hat's material, and dark uniform pants. He held a pink gift box in his left hand, the red ribbon glinting dangerously in the wind. He was looking back at them straight, the intense seriousness on his face seeming unusual for him, as if he was the type to laugh and smile. They watched him drop the gift box where he stood, not caring that they were witnesses, and started walking away without a word.

Hinata ran for the gift box.

"Oi, Hinata-chan?" Naruto ran after her, wondering what was up. She knelt down holding the pink heart-shaped package in her lap, water stains and slick flecks of dirt blemished the wrapping's surface.

"Should you be touching it, I mean I think it was his..."

"He didn't want it, Naruto." Hinata whispered sharply in a melancholy tone, tracing wistful fingers across the dirtied red ribbon.

_'Oh, Mei-chan...'_

* * *

She was so glad sunday finally came and the weather decided to be in a sunny mood. The snow had practically melted in central Tokyo, making life on the bridge more enjoyable for all. 

Her thoughts flitted briefly over what happened the past Tuesday night, when she saw Mei. She had left the gift box in her room, untouched on her dresser. She wasn't sure what to do with it otherwise. She waited with LaBelle, Sabelle and Moe for the rest of the group to arrive.

"I thought you wanted to be twinsies with Emiri-chan?" LaBelle approached eyeing her scene-ish Decora style.

"I changed my mind, me an' Robin are copy-catting instead." Moe replied beneath black lashes, as she twirled a strand of red hair around her finger. Suddenly she glomped the pensive Hinata, eliciting from her a surprised squeek.

"Emi-chan, don't be mad at me. I'll Loli up with you next Sunday." Moe apologized dramatically in a pouty voice. Hinata just smiled sheepishly, used to her rambunctious behavior.

"So where is Robin-kun then?" Hinata prodded, twirling her lacy umbrella in the sun.

"Getting me sweet potatoes!" Moe shouted exuberantly, a fist poised victoriously in the air.

"We saw folks at the Meiji Shrine cooking up a whole lot! Hee hee hee!" The three friends just stared flatly at their overly excited friend, faintly hearing mumble to herself "..all for me, meheheh..." then sweatdropped.

"Alright Moe-chan, I got everyone _one_ roasted sweet potato, kay?"

"Arigato Gozaimasu!" Moe and the girls exuberantly said in sing-song unison, "yoink!" taking a sweet potato.

"Heh, you shoulda seen that young priestess girl.. she was so nice and cute, betcha she digs me." Robin grinned, eyes closed and a hand to his chin as if reliving the memory.

"I thought you were gay, Robin-chan." Moe replied pointedly.

"I'm bi. Remember, I kissed you, before me and Atsuko-chan had a thing." Robin answered plainly.

"I think you're memory is flawed. You wanted to kiss me because you needed a confidence boost in order to ask Atsuko-chan out."

"Yeah, but if I were gay I wouldn't have asked to practice with a girl."

"Oookay, but Atsuko was a Mana dress-up back then, basically that just makes him a very flat very pretty girl." Moe countered pointedly, causing Robin to sputter spaztically.

"Ye---bu.. y-eah but.. but... Argh, don't contradict me!" Robin shouted indignantly, grabbing huffily at his hair, causing the group -- save Hinata who wasn't quiet paying attention -- to laugh. The laughter dimmed into silent mirth and content, even though the rambunctious Moe and inconsistent Robin continued to bicker. LaBelle noticed the pensive expression on Hinata's face, noticing how out of it she'd been. She hadn't even taken more than a bite out of her potato.

"Ne, Emiri-chan..." She nudged her out of her thoughts, getting the attention of her lavender eyes.

"Hm...?" Hinata sounded rather sleepy, like in a daze or not completely back with reality.

"Genki desu ka?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just asking if you're alright, I mean I know you're the more reserved one of our group, but it feels like you're not even here."

"Atashi wa koko desu... anou.. Mei-chan..." Hinata spoke softly in fragmented sentences, LaBelle picking up where Hinata left off.

"Oh yeah, she's not here today. That's unusual for her. What do you think made her not come today?" As LaBelle asked that, it made Hinata withdraw further, burdening herself with more worried thoughts. Sadly she didn't know where she lived, didn't even know her real name, so she felt at a lost about what to do. _'I may know what made her not come...'_ Hinata thought solemnly, looking up to see a tall, young photographer taking pictures of a group of gore-girls.

Suddenly a very cute voice with a near heavy kansei-ben echoed closer towards their group, gushing happily with every word.

"Yuki! Daisuki!"

All ears in the group pricked their ears up at the voice, turning around to see a rather good looking couple. The way sun shone on them, the uke clinging lovingly into the seme's arm and smiling brightly made it look like an utterly surreal picture.

"We didn't look that good did we?" Robin muttered defeatedly, referring to his former relationship with Atsuko to Moe.

"Nope." Moe straight-forward replied, still in awe at the practically perfect looking couple.

"Suteki na Entry! Atsuko-chan has arrived!" The much shorter one saluted cutely with a wink.

"Kyaaaa, kawaii! You look like Bou-chan!!" Moe squeeled in delight glomping her delightful brother/sister type.

"Hai, that's my new thing now!" Atsuko grinned widely, pointing at his bleached hair. He had a long bang that covered the right side of his face, and all sorts of skulls and bows clipped in his hair, which was pulled into a high ponytail. He wore smoky eye shadow and had longer lashes than the real Bou-chan. Atsuko was adorned in the ways of _Sex Pot: ReVeNgE_ clothing brand; black and bright pink leg warms hanging loosely off his ankles, a plaid skirt with many shiny chains, one of the chains being connected to the taller boy's pants. And a loose and torn, black and white striped sweater that hung off his slender shoulders, a sketchy bleeding red heart over the left side of the shirt. He wore a spiked black choker and many colors beads, and on his left wrist was a spiked bracelet with a chain that was held like a leash by his boyfriend, it even had a leash handle at the end. Atsuko as they formerly knew him, had gone from _Gothic Lolita_ to _Sex Pot Punky_.

"You look great Atsuko-chaaan!" LaBelle cheered, a wide toothy grin beset her face. Hinata could almost see it was half hearted as she mumbled under her breath... "Dammit, why do some guys always look prettier than me?" Hinata sweatdropped with a sheepish smile.

The much taller boy beside Atsuko, as they knew now, was Yuki. He had a stoic good looking face; kinna scruffy, kinna intense, kinna clueless. He had a safety pin in his visible left eyebrow, and a safety pin in his bottom lip. He wore several chains around his neck, one with a padlock. His hair was a darker blonde with dark red and black streaks, the left side of his face being covered by a red and black bang. His shirt was black in color, with a cartoon rabbit at the bottom being tied up with rope by a cartoonish looking wolf. It had drool coming out, as the frightened rabbit said 'Help Me!' in hippy lettering. Yuki was wearing plaid pants, torn at the knees; it was the same color, style, and material used for Atsuko's skirt. How cute, they were matching. And unusually odd, Yuki was wearing brown loafers. Like the ones you see old british types wearing with a robe and a pipe.

"Oh wait, I have a camera, matteyo minna-san..." Moe dove for her bag she placed behind Sabelle with the rest of their stuff, fishing out her silver digital camera.

"Alright, now smile Newlyweds!" Moe grinned, as they blushed at the statement making the picture even better for Moe.

"Kawaii, alright now get closer... closer..." Moe made a fanning gesture for them til they got really close. She switched her camera to the video option, the red glowing button saying she was recording.

"Okay now kiss! Chuu!" They kissed, both blushing somewhat, Atsuko was blushing and smiling blissfully and Yuki's stoic features were tinged with a slight pink.

"Okay hug, yes Yuki hold him close to you, like you never want to let go! It's a J-Drama!" Moe continued to record it all, nearly dying of a giggle fit. "..Heeheehee, this is just like _Gravitation_, maybe even better!"

"Atsuko-chan, say your line!" Moe commanded heartily. Everyone was watching, even their directed displays of affection caught the attention of other cosplayers, photographers and foreigners to watch intently.

"Yuki! Daisuki!" This actually brought some whoops and happy fangirl squeels from the crowd. But the only people not entirely fooled by this were the ones watching warily of Moe, a funny feeling of foreboding falling over LaBelle, Sabelle, Hinata and Robin. Moe's expression turned into a zealous mischevious one that only she was known for, a devilish grin stretching from ear to ear.

_'Oh no...' _was the unison thought.

"Alright... ... now call him 'your sexy bitch'."

Silence fell over the crowd.

Yuki's stoic face lit up dark red from where he still stood holding Atsuko. Atsuko was also blushing, but not as heavily, being used to Moe by now.

The spectators looked expectantly between the camera girl and the two boyfriends, wondering if he was going to say it or not.

Instead Yuki started to shrink away, hiding his face in the crook of Atsuko's neck like an embarrassed shy child. This new turn of events seemed to please the crowd more than even if he had said it, happy murmurs of "Kawaii!" echoing around the still otherwise silent crowd.

Out of no where the true response others were expecting seemingly came out of the sky; LaBelle brought down her closed lolita parasol over Moe's head.

"OW!"

"MOE, YOU'RE SUCH A PERVERT!" LaBelle seethed embarrassingly, Moe glaring poutily at her, grabbing her head.

* * *

Star - Yeah, I didn't think I'd cut this chapter so short. ;; But this turned out to look like a good place to stop at the time. I hoped you liked it, and yeah I wanted to fully introduce Hinata's group. :3 I drew a group chibi picture of them, and I also drew a classroom roster/ character chart for Naruto and Hinata's classmates. So please, just tell me if you want to see those, so I can upload them onto DeviantArt. 

Alright time for the liner notes! fun fun fun! XD

Liners Notes:

- Nande - why? what for?

- Genki desu ka? - similar to "Daijobu desu ka", except it's more concrete. "Are you alright? (healthy?)"

- Atashi wa koko desu - I am here. (Atashi is more feminine)

- Hinata was readin her Lolita Magazine. I was trying to find another magazine lolita brand name, so I wouldn't be copying Lovelyanime-sama so much, cuz in her latest chapter of 'Lolita Girl' XDDD Hinata is reading same. Turns out Gothic&Lolita Bible is the only one Mana Affliated, therefore supeior. J/K, I'd read them all unbiased. :3

- Atsuko is a short petite boy who has the ability to pull off crossdressing beautifully, just in case you're wierded out by that. :3 which you shouldn't be that much, unless you're the kind who tease Haku-chan mercilessly! Gasp! Just because he's prettier than you, does not mean he can't wear a cute pink yukata, have curvy lady lips or kinna be in love with Zabuza, kay? Alright fine... you bunch of homophobes. XP ALLHAIL METROSEXUALITY, MUAHAHA! XD

- Sex Pot: ReVeNgE is a punky clothing brand that An Cafe wears, totally sweet! XD I want some, I want all! XD dammit, my soul was born in Harajuku. .

-Hm.. how to explain 'gore-girls'.. well that's not the official name for them, many street fashion types at Harajuku don't really fall into a clique. Anyway, I've seen pictures of course, on google, when you type in Harajuku, and you see a picture of girls in uniform and at least bleached hair, and they have fake blood spatter all over thier clothes and faces.. yeah I'mma gunna call them 'gore-girls' in this, as a general term, ehhkay. :3 (yay, harajuku: my anti-drug. XD omg, I need to make a shirt like that! gasp! ...DON'T STEAL MY IDEA! XD)

- Atsuko is a rock band cosplayer, he (like other people, especially those of the Visual Kei scene) cosplay as their favorite band. In this case, Atsuko is cosplaying Bou from An Cafe. ...I'm gunna cry. Bou just left the band this past April... he.. was.. my favorite!!! ToT dammit! sorry lol, got carried. T.T

- Yuki like to wear Sex Pot clothing, he's a punky kind of guy (which is kinna totally hot! XD) He's not cosplaying, but his hair is like reverse Kanno right now. :3 (Kanno is also from An Cafe. right now with the two add ons (sniffle sniffle) Kanno has dark red hair, with blond streaks. ;P)

-Robin is the guy known as **ExcuseMyBrokenSenseOfChivalry** screename. :3 Aww poor cutie, he's still got the old-boyfriend-syndrome-"I'm missing you baby"-I-think-I-still-Love-You blues over Atsuko. X3 Hee hee!

-Yaoi yaoi galore mwahahaa! XD I'm not an uber crazed yaoi fan, I'm a true-love believer kind of person. ;P So I likes both yaoi and yuri, long as it's not inter-gender from there, aka 'kill the orgies'!! it's like cheating on your beef with the chicken while eating pork when you should be eating your fish!! with soy sauce! XD uwaa... give me sushi.. and pocky...ToT (food zombie)

* * *

Alright guess that's enough nonsense, until the next update... Have a splendiferous summer! don't forget to water your cat! I mean... "Raito! Eat your ham!" XD 

Love you guyss!! XD


	7. Progression

Star- I'm an idiot. I totally didn't realize what I did... T.T. Okay I don't know if anybody knows or noticed, but the beginning of last chapter was a Tuesday. And I skipped ahead to Sunday from there. X0 Rawrness. So I'm just gunna fix it right now with this: forget that it was Tuesday, it's gunna be Friday. And the only reason why the two boys and Naruto weren't called down to the principals on Saturday, is because there was no time for meetings that day, being a half day. And there you go, this chapter is now Monday. (whew!)

_

* * *

Lunarangel's Dark Flame: _Hee, thanks for the nice review again. :3 Hope you take a look at my STS Original Art on my DeviantArt page, onegai. :P Awww it's too bad we don't know if we saw eachother! T.T I was the only Hinata in the entire line, and I had a Naruto-kun plushy in my sweater. XDDD (lol) It was sunday that I was in the line, I don't know if they did the line on Friday or Saturday either, hmm... did you cosplay as anybody? I wish I knew if it was you, well anyways I'm definately going to try to go again next year! XD We should try to meet again, if you go again. :3 (gasp!) XD Did you see the Masquerade on Saturday night? That was sooo funny and great. lol "Rikku why aren't you fighting back?" "It's not my turn yet!" XDDDD Yays! (sorry this was so long. X3) 

_Chronostorm:_ Glad you like my story, though you sure are focused on revenge huh? O.o Erm.. don't kill me when you get to reading this chappy. :nervous sweatdrop, sheepish grin: Actually maybe you won't... dunno. ;P

_Lilstrummrgrl527:_ Yay, I'm glad SOMEONE wanted to see my drawings. X0 Eheh lol, so did you like them? I mean if you looked at them yet.. well anyways.. heh yeah I had to fit Tsunade in here, the story line wouldn't quite be able to progress without her otherwise. Yeah she's basically still hemophobic, but you know she's a strong gal, she's not a weakling around it. heh loved your reaction to the XXXX part. XD Hinata is somewhat chesty, but constantly mentioning it or whatever would ruin the mood of the story. The only prominant pervert is Moe-chan. XD And yeah... the pink haired girl isn't Sakura, she is Mei. And the much taller, much older boy isn't Sasuke at all. Oh wait! Yay, Inspiration! XD I'll make a drawing of him and put it on my DeviantArt and then you can see!! Thanks for liking my story, sorry this was so long lol. Continue to R&R pweasy!! XD

_Sailor Alpha Tomboy:_ Hola newbie! XD Or maybe not newbie, but glad to have your review! Yay!! XD Thanks for your support, much love. :3

_Lovelyanime-sama: _:P Hee, yay you're updating!! I can't wait! XD Oh man, I have the worst time rewriting my sailor moon stories seriously. T.T But I can't wait for your story yaysies! X3 Mana is cool, you should check out An Cafe too, especially when they had Bou-chan... uwaaaa, I can't believe he left the band!!!! ToT He was soo damn cute and pretty!!!! T.T Oh wells. ;P

_Simply Chaste:_ I just wanna say... I miss you!! Come back, I crave your reviews! XD Hope your summer went well and everything, ja ne:3

Hey does anyone like Moe-chan, hm?? Just curious lol. X3 _PuffyAmiYumi "K2G"_

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch.7 - Progression and Change, Where do We Stand?

"C'mon we gotta hurry up!"

"Don't you think I know that already!" Hinata leapt from the engawa, yelling a rushed "I'm leaving now!" to the house, Hanabi trying to keep up in step. They were running late for school, both parties surprisingly had slept in.

"C'mon Hanabi-chan!" Hinata took Hanabi's hand, sprinting madly down the sidewalk, dodging past neighbors, their children and dogs.

"Hey, wait up!" Naruto shouted, falling behind from his classmate and neighbor.

_It's been three weeks since all this has happened... Uzumaki Naruto, a loud-mouthed boy with bright blonde hair moved into the abandoned house next to ours, the encounter we had a most abrupt and ordinary one. Since then my life has been changing around me, little by little. At first I wanted to fight it, but now as the winter months move on I feel I must concede. _

_Since that day, my string has been knotted into his..._

_Three weeks later, and the knots have grown too big for me to handle._

_I've decided to stop untying them._

They made it to the grounds of Hanabi's middle school, faces flushed from running.

"I'll see you after school at the Hikari Juku, okay?" Hinata relayed rushedly, receiving a quick nod from her little sister, and she was off again with Naruto, throwing a hurried "Ja ne!" over her shoulder. Hanabi watched them disappear, her sister being the faster one and giggling to herself as their neighbor Naruto struggled to keep up with her.

She sighed to herself, this was the part she hated most about school, dreaded it. She just wished she could stop going, spending more than 10 minutes with Akina and Yoko was disheartening and miserable. Spending 9 periods a day in the same room was worse, it sucked.

And she couldn't tell what was worse; that she never heard any gossip about the photos or that the two girls didn't use the photos at all yet. And she had long assumed that they had decided a different purpose for them. And since that assumption, she had been dreading school more so than ever, wondering when they'd finally use them or how they were going to use them.

She clutched her school bag tighter in her fists, trying to summon enough strength not to just run out of the gate and turned to face the school doors. She gasped slightly when she noticed Kanasato-kun's eyes on her. Something seemed different about him, he averted his eyes to the bottom right and turned around, walking away into the school.

_'How long had he been there?'_

* * *

A firm loud knock came to the door of room 1-B. Harada-sensei turned her head from the roster to see Sakio-sensei's cold gaze staring expectantly and impatiently at her. She sighed, excusing herself from the rest of the class. 

"Where's the Uzumaki boy?" was his immediate words, coming out in a harsh demand.

"He's not here today." Harada-sensei replied simply, trying to keep a leveled gaze with his cold one.

"You can't keep protecting him, bring him out here now."

"I'm not protecting him, just look for yourself." Harada-sensei pulled the door slightly open, letting Sakio-sensei take a look inside. He wasn't there, niether was Hyuuga-san. All the students looked up to see him glance inside then disappear, all getting really curious by the secrecy of their teachers' talk and staring outside the door window.

"The fight he started Friday--" Sakio started in his usual cold voice, only to be interrupted by Harada-sensei's softer one.

"From what I was told, Naruto-san was the victim of that fight."

"Doesn't mean anything, he was still a part of it. From what I'm concerned he had it coming since day one--"

"Only because you told my class he was a yanki!" Harada-sensei could feel her rarely existant temper on the rise, her loathing towards the old man destroying her rosy optimistic nature into something black and hollow. Harada-sensei continued her irate accusations, almost winning the glare stare contest.

"And you know very well that information is strictly confidential, yet you just go about it like gossip! You had no right to--!!"

"I had every right, and your students _had_ every right to know what kind of trash he is--!"

"He isn't TRASH!" Her voice came out in a hushed yell, trying to keep her temper and her voice in check, she didn't want to rekindle any sort of gossip from her students if they knew they were talking about Naruto.

Her hands were balled up into taut fists at her sides, trying to stand her ground against the senior teacher as his glare grew more dispassionate and his stance more threatening.

"You better drop that compassionate act of yours... E-mi-ko-chan..." He drew out every word of her first name emphatically, dangerously.

"...because it won't get you anywhere in this job. Japan wants their youth pure and hard-working. Above all, Japan wants that youth to respect their elders and the laws. Do you think you're capable of reforming that boy Uzumaki into something Japan will find useful?" with every step and every word, Sakio-sensei was nearly towering over her with those hardened dispassionate eyes.

"The world is changing Sakio-san... Japan's values are changing... sooner or later you'll be the one Japan will have no use for." Harada-sensei brought her eyes from her shoes to lock with his in another leveled glare, but she was soon surprised to see his cold eyes turn fiery at her words, and his hand raised menacingly above his head.

* * *

Hinata sped past Naruto at the last light, and crossed swiftly through the bustling crowd as the light finished green, making it to the other side. 

"Hinata-chaaaaan!" Naruto saw her waste no time in waiting for him, and he began to pump his arms faster in order catch up.

"Hayaku! I don't want to be late!" Hinata called over her shoulder.

"I don't want to be late either!"

They made it through the gate before it got to close, Hinata was already taking her outside shoes off and changing into her indoor shoes. Naruto had to sit down to change his shoes, with Hinata already leaving without him.

"Matte matte!!" Naruto yelled, running after her.

* * *

Harada-sensei gasped, seeing his hand come swiftly down close to her face, but the sting never came. 

"Matte matte!!" Came the yell from the far end of the hall, footsteps echoing closer. Hinata was the first to be seen, then came Naruto. Upon seeing his late arrival, Sakio-sensei dropped his hand away from Harada's crouched form and faced Naruto.

Hinata stood apprehensive for a moment, noticing how she never saw Sakio-sensei this mad before. She knew that whatever was going on she had no business with, and didn't want to become a part of it, so with that in mind she bowed quickly to her teachers and ran inside the classroom immediately taking her seat by the window.

"You. Boy." Sakio commanded harshly, glaring coldly at Naruto's unsure stance.

"Stop right there." Sakio commanded Naruto, turning around back to the classroom door, not before giving Harada a final cold glare, and opened the door harshly.

"Okudachi! Ishioka! Out now!"

The boys got up immediately, not wasting any time to get out the door.

"To the principals! Hayakusiro!!"

They ran ahead of them down the hall; the way Sakio commanded them and the way they ran without complaint or worry etched on their face was like army soldiers. Sakio turned his spiteful attention towards Naruto.

"And you. You're coming with me." Sakio ordered, grabbing Naruto harshly by the arm and dragging him the same direction as the boys, like he was scolding a child. Naruto winced, but seeing how angered Sakio-sensei was, Naruto knew not to complain and yell like he normally would. Sakio took one last threatening glance at Harada-sensei, saying over his shoulder...

"Be sure _this_.." He emphasized dangerously, shaking Naruto's arm a bit as he referred to him and the fight. "...never happens again. It's your first year, so I won't express my _worries_ to the super intendent about your abilities to work here. yet." And with that Sakio-sensei marched down the hallway, dragging Naruto with him.

Silence filled the hallways, the encounter she had with Sakio-sensei finally catching up with her as she let out a shaky held breath. She turned her body towards the wall, and leaned her forehead against the cool dry-wall. She felt like her whole body was shaking or maybe it was just her nerves. He opposed her teaching style, but she wouldn't let him get to her. She curled her fingers inward into a fist, readying herself to finish the day. But then she slumped against the wall.

_'Five more minutes, then I'll be ready...'_

"Harada-san?"

"Eep!" Harada-sensei swiftly turned around, awkwardly meeting the Art teacher.

"Okamoto-s-san!" Harada-sensei held a flattened palm to her chest, and she could feel her cheeks were warm from embarrassment. He looked at her rather blankly.

"Daijobu?"

"Hai hai! I'm fine, great in fact!" She couldn't help how high and loud her voice was when spoke, nervous sweatdrops running down her head as he continued to look at her blankly. Suddenly his eyes lit up with a bright smile.

"That's great!"

He walked away, waving a small cheery goodbye and disappeared into his homeroom.

For the second time that morning, Harada-sensei released a shaky held breath and entered her homeroom not catching the comment between two girls in the back.

"Do you think she has a crush on the art teacher?"

* * *

The room was tense and still; a mixture of apprehension, nervousness and an aloof prejudiced filled the atmosphere as worried thoughts and bigoted opinions barely clashed with eachother. Naruto stood stiffly before the principal, the math teacher Ishida (also his right-hand man) stood by him at the desk. Sakio-sensei stood to the right wall, with the two boys Okudachi-san and Ishioka-san. Imahada-sensei, Tsunade and Shizune stood at the left wall, opposite of Sakio-sensei. 

"So you were on the roof, eating your lunch?" The principal began, elbows on the desk and hands raised at eye level in a very business-like gesture.

"Hai, sir." Naruto answered in a calm voice.

"You were about to return to your classroom, but Ishioka-san and Okudachi-san ambushed you instead?" He stated back.

"Hai." Naruto affirmed simply. The principal sighed and his eyebrows furrowed like he was having trouble with his thoughts. Naruto was feeling a bit apprehensive at that observation.

"And you lost this time?" The principal asked with a slight hint of incredulity, as he brought his eyes to glance pointedly at Naruto.

Naruto stuffed his hands in his pocket, dug his toe in the carpet in a stubborn matter, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Hai..."

The principal sighed through his nose again. Ishida-sensei whispered something to him, making the principal's brows furrow more and his frown set further in, though Naruto doubted he was really doing all that much thinking. All the while the principal began nodding, listening to whatever sort of advice Ishida-sensei was telling him.

"So I gotta be done here right? I mean I can't be the one to get in trouble, right?" Naruto asked, interrupting the principal's one-sided discussion with Ishida-sensei.

"Naruto..!" Tsunade hissed under breath, glaring at him.

The principal nodded.

"Regrettably I will let you off this time." The principal stated.

"Regrettably..?" Naruto looked at him dubiously, not liking the principal's words.

"But Ishioka-san and Okudachi-san are free to go as well." He finished, bringing his hand down to rest on the desk.

"What?! Why?!" Naruto glared furiously at the man with the higher authority, yet he was no taller than Naruto.

"This isn't an alternative school for drop outs, where fights such as these are common." Ishida-sensei stated from the sidelines. He continued.

"We have a reputation to uphold as one Tokyo's top 5 public schools, in which the fight you started nearly stripped all of that away. Normally the grandeur of Okudachi's injuries would have brought the attention of the press, even his and Ishioka-san's and Yoshida-san's parents threatened to make the event public after knowing your..." Ishida-sensei paused, as if looking for a more appropiate word. "..past deeds." Naruto's expression wilted at the words, as Ishida-sensei continued his explanation.

"Under the circumstances, it was hard enough to convince them to keep quiet. You see, no parent wants a yanki nor former yanki attending the same school as their child..."

Naruto had one thought running through his head _'...such bullshit..'_

"...Their parents promised that another scene like this, and they would request your expulsion from this school." Ishida finished in a rather cold tone.

"So look at it this way, Uzumaki-san. We did you a favor; under the pretense that you will never throw another fist again, you won't be expelled from Matsushita High. And no one else will know of your past mistakes." The principal smiled naively, giving himself a figurative pat on the back.

"_'Favor' _MY ASS!!" Naruto shouted, making the whole room jump.

"I GOT SUSPENDED! WHERE'S THE FREAKING GOOD IN THAT?!"

"But we prevented you from getting expelled." The principal reasoned.

"ONLY TO SAVE YOUR SORRY ASSES FROM A BAD REP!! Selfish bastards!"

"Naruto, that's enough!" Tsunade shouted from the sidelines, but Naruto could only focus on venting.

"I didn't even start the second the fight! How the hell does this count as my fault too??!"

"I'm sorry Uzumaki-san, but my hands are tied. If I give Okudachi-san and Ishioka-san a weeks suspension like you, their parents will know that another fight occured. They will ignore the facts of who is at fault and who is the victim because they will be far more focused on getting rid of you."

"But that's not fair!"

"It's called parents, Uzumaki-san." Sakio interjected coldly, a ghost of a smirk hover over his lips. Naruto turned a glaring eye towards the crotchety old man.

"They'll do anything for their child, even at the expense of trash like yourself. But seeing as how you've turned out, you wouldn't know what that's like would you now?" Sakio-sensei raised a seemingly devious eyebrow, hoping to provoke Naruto's temper again, the smirk still ghosting over his face. His words caught the attention of Tsunade, if not provoking Naruto's anger, it worked to bring contempt into her heart as she glared at the man that would quickly become an enemy.

_"Shut your fucking mouth, you shitty old man."_ Naruto whispered threateningly under his breath, his eyes completely darkened with contempt and rage. Sakio's expression changed, his smirk dropped and his indifferent eyes turned black and aggressive. He grabbed Naruto's arm again, raising his hand above his head like with Harada-sensei.

"I'll teach you to talk to me like that...!!" Sakio bellowed, poising his hand back.

"Sakio-san!!" The principal shouted.

"Just try it, I dare ya!!" Naruto shouted back, glaring at the wretched old man before him. Naruto reached into his right pocket almost instinctively, feeling something cold and metal and getting in a loose battle stance. Sakio seemed unmoved, but the room seemed to still. Mixture of suprised and fearful faces filled the room, the principal and the two boys seemingly scared of Naruto all of a sudden. Tsunade looked at Naruto apprehensively, thinking angrily and disappointedly in her head _'Dammit Naruto, you told me you changed...!'_

The principal cleared his throat, finding it hard to form words past his lips, unable to fully muster all of the confidence he had as a man of authority.

"U-Uzum-maki-san.. wha-what is it you have there?" He approached, looking a little blue. Sakio-sensei let go him, taking a step back but still his hardened expression hadn't changed. Naruto simply sighed and pulled it out.

"It's just a pen."

* * *

The rest of the day had just been hell, he couldn't even concentrate once during any of his classes. The two boys, Masabo and Yamato seemed to have backed off since morning in the office. Which he certaintly didn't mind, but what's worse is that he couldn't believe everyone thought he had a knife in his pocket. Then again he couldn't believe he acted like he had a knife in his pocket. He sighed, groaned, while everyone else got up and left for the day's end. 

_'At least I didn't get another suspension for the fight... or for fighting with that shitty old man...' _He sighed again, forgetting about the world around him or that Hinata was right there tapping on his shoulder.

"Hm?" He rolled his face to lay to the side and looked up from underneath blonde hair. Hinata was right there looking at him curiously.

"Are you sleeping over at the school or something? The bell rang you know." Hinata smirked lightly, tilting her head in question. Naruto glanced lazily at the clock reading 5:27 pm.

"I don't have to work for another hour..." Naruto just trailed off, staring in a daze at the chalkboard. Hinata raised an eyebrow.

"So you're just gunna lay there then?" She questioned simply, her voice coming out in that soft sweet tone. Naruto sighed tiredly, stretching his arms across the desk.

"No, I'm getting up..." He pushed his palms against he desk, bringing his body of out his chair and facing the empty chalkboard. Hinata looked at him a bit worriedly, wanting to ask about what happened this morning, but was reluctant. Naruto picked up his randoseru and finally walked out of his chair, slowly exiting the classroom with Hinata. He glanced with lazy curiousity at Hinata's direction, noticing her holding a set of english language books that did not belong to their school.

"Ne, Hinata-chan..." He started out slowly, half of his mind not with the present. They exited out the door, walking through the fairly quiet corridors.

"Hm?" She glanced up innocently.

"Whatcha got there? More studying?"

She shook her head, handing him a book to his outstretched hand.

"_Children's English Basics_..." Naruto read aloud, turning the book over and looking at the bottom right corner. There was a seal or a stamp there.

"Hikari Juku?" He questioned aloud, handing the book back to her with curious eyes.

"It's where I work. I'm a part-time english tutor at the Hikari Cram School." Naruto nodded emphatically, looking impressed though it kinna bordered on looking clueless.

"Right now 'Exam Hell' is coming up for the 1st years of the Junior Highs (7th grade), and I'm there to help them prepare." Hinata spoke evenly and confidently but she did not seem proud of her job. Hinata looked up when she heard Naruto slap his forehead and chuckle to himself.

"'Exam Hell'.. yeah I remember that time..."

"You passed right?"

"Nope, I failed that thing three times!" Naruto just started laughing to himself, Hinata was staring at him incredulously.

* * *

They made it to the grounds of the school, some classmates were still talking with their friends, on cellphones or waiting for somebody. Hinata waved Naruto goodbye as she exited the gate. 

"Ne, Hinata-chan!" He called, receiving a curious glance from her.

"Ganbatte." He said simply, smiling. Her eyes seem to light up as she gave him a sincere smile back and waved him one last time.

His expression soon turned bored as he sighed, looking around. A group of three girls that looked like upperclassmen walked out together when a car pulled up, laughing. Another pair of girls that looked about his grade but not in his class were talking into a cellphone, looked like they were making plans with friends. Over by the trees under the shadows stood a lone figure, waiting patiently for someone. He wasn't sure what to do to kill time before he had to go to work. But he couldn't wait the day to end, if anything tomorrow could either be worse or better.

The sun pulled up over the clouds and a cold wind blew right through Naruto's thin uniform clothes, reminding him of something he forgot.

"(sigh) ..left my work uniform in the classroom, my jacket is there too..." Naruto turned around, heading back inside the school, leaving the suddenly empty school yard.

* * *

Naruto picked up his uniform, slinging it over his arm. He picked up his jacket, looking at it disappointedly. It was a washed out black hoodie, moth bitten holes were in the sleeves and elbows, on the front a faded _The Rolling Stones_ logo. The cotton had thinned out over the years of wear and washing, he started to think he would have to throw it out soon. He slipped it on, it was better than nothing, and left he classroom again.

* * *

He was certaint the school was empty by now, but he kept hearing indistinct noises somewhere to his right... 

Naruto suddenly realized he had just wandered into the 2nd years (11th grade) section of the school. He heard the noises again, coming right up to a classroom that read 2-D.

_"..Sempai... ohh sempai, mouto... mouto.." _a passionate girl's voice muffled through slight crack of the ajar classroom door.

"What the hell?!" Naruto nearly shouted, keeping his voice hushed as he stared shocked at the classroom. He blushed recognizing the sounds.

_"..Sempai..!"_

"This is so perverted." Naruto grumbled to himself, walking away from the classroom, shaking his head. But the farther he walked away, the louder the girl became.

_'Dammit, who the hell does it in a classroom?!'_ Naruto hurried his steps, feeling really embarrassed and disgusted, except she started screaming.

"Make it stop! It's like all those freaking ecchi-films Ero-sensei use to watch!" Naruto whined, holding his hands to his ears, when he finally realized that there was something different and non-perverted about her screaming he stopped to actually listen but was a bit reluctant.

"Dame! Let go of me, lemme go! Sempai, Sempai help me!!"

Naruto turned back around running for the room, and ducked underneath the door's window. Peering inside, though it was unlit and shadows obscured most of the details, Naruto could see there was a girl propped up on a desk. An older boy was holding her down by her arms, and somewhere amidst the shadows there was another boy, his left hand grasping her left ankle harshly and his other hand trying to reach out for her other leg.

"Kyaaaaa, iie!"

SLAM!

Naruto burst through the door, the three students staring at him incredulously, before Naruto swiftly punched the ankle-guy in the face. He instantly let her go with a painful shout and landed on his back out cold. Naruto turned around grabbing the 'Sempai' by the collar, the girl let out a surprised scream as a frightened response to the sudden violence.

The older boy looked at Naruto nervously with apprehensive wide eyes.

"Bastards like you make sick."

"..." The boy barely made a squeek he was so scared, just gaping there like a fish, expecting to get hit and wondering when it'd come or if he could be spared.

"You and friend were just about to take advantage of this girl weren't you?" Naruto shook the boy up a bit. He blinked finally finding his voice.

"N-no! No, I swear! It was her, it was the bitch's idea!"

"Don't you go calling me a bitch, Sempai!! The girl shouted from the sidelines standing in the minimal sunlight. Naruto glanced at her, now able to see her face, he recognized her; it was the girl that scratched the hell out of his face three weeks back. When she noticed Naruto recognized her she looked down at her feet slightly ashamed and embarrassed. Naruto turned his attention back to interrogate the boy.

"What makes you think it was her idea when she was clearly screaming for help?"

"..She's a masochist..?"

"Shut up, Sempai!" She shouted back, easy to get a rise out of her.

"Don't listen to him, Naruto-kun--!"

_'Naruto-kun??'_ Naruto glanced curiously at her, surprised to hear his name used so casually by someone he kinna hurt three weeks ago.

"He lies and he.. he uses girls! Yeah, He uses girls like he used me and, and he.." She rambled on, clearly exaggerating to situation to make her look more innocent.

"Shut up, Ukue you bitch! I only used you because you're easy." He stated slyly, glaring at the younger girl.

"I said don't call me a bitch, you freaking rapist! Naruto-kun, punch his lights out!" She ordered zealously, hands eagerly fisted in front of her face. Naruto sighed somewhat making the older boy quirk an unsure eyebrow.

"I know I'm going to regret this but...!"

WHAM!

The boy slumped against the desk out cold like his friend. Suddenly an excited happy squeal erupted from the girl as she glomped Naruto.

"Naru-chaaan, you saved me!"

"Alright, alright...! C'mon, let's just get out of here!" Naruto replied aggravately, taking her by her wrist and leading her out the doorway.

"No, wait!" The girl protested, dislodging herself from him and running back in the room.

"What is it now---" Naruto's words died on his lips when he saw her pulling up her panties.

"You didn't see anything did you?!" She shouted accusedly in the dark of the room.

"No... no.." Naruto replied back calmly, turning away from the classroom.

"Good." Her voice came firm, as she walked into the hallway light of the doorway behind Naruto.

"..Anou..." Her voice turned soft suddenly, her eyes downcast. Naruto turned halfway to face her, taking in her appearance somewhat. Short blackish-brown hair, pale skin and round pointed dark eyes, almost cat-like. She was shorter than him, maybe almost Hinata's height, loose socks and a shortened skirt, and loud colored bracelets and hair clips, she was definately a kogal of the ganjiru-type.

"..Don't tell Yamato-kun, onegai..." She stared moistened eyes at her shoes, ashamed and pleading. Naruto sighed, running a tired hand through his hair.

"It's not like I'd tattle to your boyfriend, but what am I supposed to say? Once the principal finds out about this too, I'm dead."

"Well then lie somehow! I can't let this get out either! If Yamato-kun finds out..."

"Then why did you go along with this in the first place?! What would've happened if your boyfriend found out you got raped?!" Naruto stared her with disbelief and annoyance.

"He... he wouldn't think it was my fault... he wouldn't hate me..." Her answer soft and sad. Suddenly amidst her self-shame she felt her wrist being pulled, looking up to find that Naruto was pulling her back inside the classroom with the two unconscious boys.

"Fine, then go get raped so I don't have to lie for you." Naruto replied somewhat coldly and closed the door shut on her, holding the handle on the other side.

"No! No, Naru-chan, let me out! Let me out please, you're being cruel!!" She pounded on the door and tried jingling the handle but it wouldn't budge no matter how hard she tried to pull it open. But Naruto ignored her, only waiting for the other magics words that weren't 'please'.

"Naru-chan, c'mon please! Let me out, I think... " She gasped, turning her head swiftly around then back to the door, looking out the little window where Naruto stood indifferently.

"I think they're waking up! Oh no, raping-zombies! Naru-chan let me out, they're not going to eat my brains! They're going to eat my **-BEEP- **!!!" Naruto nearly choked on his shock, not expecting even a girl like her to say such a word so casually. His hand slackened on the door knob, which she took to her advantage and let herself out.

"I can't believe you did that to me!" She pouted huffily, stamping a foot on the ground childishly.

"And I'm going to do it again, so get back in there..." He started trying to shove her back in.

"No, stop it! I'll scratch you! I-I'll scratch like last time!" She warned, fingers curled halfway like claws. Naruto was unmoved, still trying to get rid of her and prove his point.

"Stop, I don't want to get raped!"

"But you just said that your Yamato wouldn't hate you if you did get raped, so what's the problem!"

"..." She remained silent, staring tearily down at her feet, a tinge of anger in her eyes.

"It's not like you have much to lose anyways, you don't seem like a very innocent girl to me." Naruto looked down on her somewhat, glancing at her sideways. She balled her hands into fists at her sides indignantly at his words but would not strike him, because they were true.

"That's not fair Naruto-kun..." She whispered furiously under her breath.

"And getting me to lie for you is? There's no other way around this, if you're going to deny you were in this situation, what other reason would I have to hit those guys? ...I'm not going to get expelled for this." Naruto finished calmly, walking away from her stubborn form as she stood there in the doorway.

Just when he was at the end of the hall, he was stopped.

"Naruto-kun, wait!" She shouted running towards him. She had a tear streak down her face and she wiped away at it hastily.

"I... I'll tell him... okay?" She brought her gaze from the ground to meet his eyes, looking up at him hopeful for a sort of forgiveness. Naruto smiled slightly.

"Good."

* * *

They walked out onto the empty cold courtyard, the girl Yoshida Ukue was wearing a milk-white snow jacket and Naruto wearing his faded hoodie. Naruto was about to leave for work, when the lone figure under the trees walked out of the shadows. Ishioka Yamato started walking up to Ukue and Naruto, darting irritated eyes between the two in an accusatory way, making Naruto nervous. 

"What were you doing with my Uku-chan?" He demanded pissily.

"N-nothing, I swear!!" Naruto waved his hands back and forth trying to dispel the tension in the atmosphere. Suddenly Ukue glomped him again from behind.

"Yamato-kun, he saved my life! Naru-chan is my hero, he beat those two guys up real good!" She explained chipperly, rubbing her face affectionately into Naruto's shoulder.

"Guys? What guys??" He turned his attention to his little girlfriend, glancing once at Naruto.

"I still didn't do anything..." Naruto started.

"Except save my life!" Ukue interjected happily.

"...So I'm just gunna go now.." Naruto smiled sheepishly with a sweatdrop, hoping to avoid anymore trouble. He tried to leave but could not dislodge himself away from Ukue, as she was having too much fun teasing him, and started to slip her hands into Naruto's pants pockets.

"...!! What are you doing?!" He shouted incredulously, a stress mark appeared on Ishioka's face, but Ukue just giggled.

"C'mon my hero, don't be like that!"

"Stop it, get your damn paws out of my pants!"

"I promise I'll be gentle!" Ukue giggled, grinning mischeviously like a chesire. You could almost see the cat ears appear on her head.

"You better count to ten, Hero boy..." Ishioka threatened, cracking his knuckles.

"Aw shit, don't kill me! Ukue stop it!" Naruto knew he hurt her wrist the last time and was reluctant to do so again, but he got over it and wrenched her wrists from his person and started running out of the courtyard not before yelling.

"You're girlfriend is a freaking pervert!"

Ukue and Yamato watched him, Ukue smiling all the while.

"I like him, he's a nice guy." She replied, smiling up at her boyfriend. He glanced at her blankly, with his permanent aloof visage.

"...I think you have a bad sense of judgment." He replied back calmly, walking outside the gate without her.

"Hmph! I do not!" She pouted, stamping her foot on the ground before she ran to catch up with him.

* * *

Hinata stood in front of the Hikari Cram School, a banner hung off the building's left side wall, written vertically in kanji it read 'Japan's Shining Youth of Tomorrow'. Around the slogan were some words written in simple hirigana, colorful graffiti from other students saying 'Ganbatte Minna-san!' and 'Fight! Win! Fight! Win!'. She smiled slightly, hoping she had those students in her tutor class. 

Their determination would make her job easier.

* * *

"_I had an apple._ The word 'had' in the sentence is a past tense article--"

"Lady! Speak japanese!" A boy shouted from the back of the room, interrupting Hinata's lecture. She glared mildly at him, turning her attention back at her books and went to write the same phrase on the board.

"The vowel in 'had' is longer than the japanese 'a', so you must pronounce it like--" Hinata stopped at the schreechy sound of a chair, she turned around to see the same rude boy picking up his things. He began heading for the door already, all eyes of the class on him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hinata confronted, disappointed and aggravated.

"Does it matter? Go back to teaching." He waved her off in a shooing manner and went to open the door, but Hinata reached it before him and slammed it shut.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He glared at her furiously.

"What makes you think you can just go skip lessons like that?! You're parents payed good money to put you in a cram school program so you can pass the exams next week! Don't go around thinking your needs are more important!"

"Alright fine, give me the money back." He smirked cheekily, leaning against the door with his hand held out towards her. Whispers went around the room.

_"Gawd, that kid is such a creep.."_

_"Why doesn't she just let him go, obviously he doesn't care."_

Hinata instead placed a textbook in his outstretched hand.

"Go sit back down."

"I said no! I don't care about this stupid crap!" He threw the book on the ground, boldly glaring at her, expecting to win the conversation.

"Hyuuga-san, just let him go already! C'mon, if he wants to fail let him!" a girl shouted within the room. Hinata looked reluctantly between the boy in front of her and the class. He reached her hand for the door handle and opened it.

"Fine, go then.."

"Yosh!" The boy jumped up and walked out.

"Later, children!"

Hinata sighed closing the door as the boy ran out, really excited to be free. He didn't even make it ten minutes into the class, and already he was giving up on the first day. She decided to take to the girl's general advice and not care. She picked up the textbook, continuing her lecture with a bit more ease since that boy left. Though not all of the kids were keen on being respectful; Hanabi sat in the second front row taking notes, but it was the girls two rows behind her that were being rude.

Akina and Yoko, the girls Hanabi pointed out before were talking non-stop through the lesson, giggling every now and then, using their cellphones. And Kanasato-kun sat a seat in front of Yoko. The wavy-blonde girl would tap his shoulder every so often and get him to talk to her, sometimes flipping her hair back flirtatiously. He would talk back too and smile, and managed to take notes in between the distractions. Hinata was now getting a look at how Hanabi's school days were like, at least since three weeks ago after the incident. She just sat there, quiet... eyes glued solely to the paper and her handwriting, because she was desperate to ignore them but she couldn't.

* * *

"Onee-san?" Hanabi spoke up after the while of silence. They had left the juku several minutes ago and were heading home, the sun was gone by now and street lights illuminated the sidewalks. Hinata glanced at her little sister worriedly. 

"Hanabi-chan?"

"Can I... go to a different class.. onegai?"

Hanabi only had to ask because, it was their father's idea to sign Hanabi up for cram school programs and also his idea that Hinata work there, he had some strings pulled so she could be put in Hinata's class. Since Hinata had been working there part-time for about a year, she knew some of the other tutors and teachers, so for Hanabi to switch classes wouldn't be too hard to manage. She nodded in response.

"There's another class a hallway down. Room 109, I know the teacher there, Ueno-san. Will that be alright?" She asked, a bit of concern in her eyes.

"Hai, domo.." Hanabi tried a smile, looking up at her sister.

* * *

The morning sun shone brightly through the classroom of 1-B, friends talking energetically as Harada-sensei sorted through her class material. Hinata was staring outside the window thoughtfully, chin in hand. Cars drove down the street, a woman walking her dog promenaded the sidewalks, and three little blackbirds landed on the school fence, pecking and chattering jitterishly. 

"Hey, Hinata-chan." Naruto called her attention in a light hushed voice, taking his seat behind her. She turned around, facing him with the same calm eyes.

"How'd teaching go yesterday?"

"Oh.. it was---" She started slowly, but was interrupted by the loud bang of the classroom door being opened.

"Crap!" Naruto blurted, staring wide eyes at the doors direction, along with the rest of the surprised class. Sakio-sensei was glaring aggressively at Naruto's direction, already understanding the situation he was in. The class looked questioningly at Naruto, wondering what he did this time.

"Koitsu..." He seethed from the doorway, making Naruto shrink in h is seat. He looked at Ukue's direction, pleading 'Help me!' with his eyes. But she looked reluctant and fearful too, eyes wide and unsure. Sakio-sensei advanced his way through the room til he was towering over Naruto.

"Sakio-san, what is the meaning of this?!" Harada-sensei approached indignantly, worried about what he was going to do, but he ignored her, all his spiteful attention on Naruto.

"I'm going to have fun getting rid of you..." He said waspishly under his breath. He grabbed Naruto by the collar of his shirt and started dragging him out of his seat towards the door.

"Hey! Lemme go, ya old shit!!" Naruto struggled against his grip and the floor, being dragged on his knees.

"Shut up, this is your last day here!" Sakio bellowed, dragging him more harshly. Hinata watched distressed and panic-stricken at the way he was being treated, scared of Sakio-sensei and unsure of what to do, if anything.

"Yamero!" Naruto shouted angrily, desperately, trying to get on his feet but he couldn't.

"Sakio-sensei, he said stop it! Let him go!"

The classroom and the old man stopped to face Ukue. She stood tall from her seat as she stared down the superior-complexed old man.

"He didn't do anything wrong." She stated.

"And what do you know about this?"

"All of it..." She admitted slowly, her eyes dimming in slight of her shame. Sakio continued to stare, as if deep in thought of a decision.

"You're coming too then." He ordered, waiting for her to get out of her chair. She stopped in front of, staring at him expectantly getting a confused self-righteous response from him.

"What?"

"Let go of him." She ordered boldly, standing her ground thus far. Surprisingly he listened to her, and let him go. Naruto landed on his butt with a surprise yelp, glaring up at the old man. He picked himself up, dusting himself off and straightening his clothes.

"Alright out now, to the principals!" He bellowed, quick to taking his authoritive position.

"Wait." came a low aloof voice. Sakio-sensei sighed aggravatedly, glaring at his other student Ishioka.

"What is it now?!"

"I'm coming with.." He simply replied, getting up from his seat and standing by Ukue.

"Alright, get going! All three of you!"

They walked out, Sakio-sensei keeping a glaring watchful eye on the small group. Naruto sighed a held breath, giving Ukue a grateful smile.

"Thanks.."

She grinned cheekily, replying cheerfully.

"You're welcome."

* * *

Naruto sighed tiredly, he began to wonder how many times he was going to see this place. The principal was raking through some papers on his desk, an expression of worry and irritation on his face. The two upperclassmen were sitting in chairs against the right wall. Ukue and Yamato stood beside him. 

"So exactly happened here...?" He replied slowly, more concerned with his paperwork than the situation.

"Well this kid hit us, for no reason..." one of them replied plainly with a black eye, pointing a thumb at Naruto. Ukue had been giggling at how bad it looked until she heard his lie.

"You're such a liar!"

"You're such a liar!" Both Ukue and Naruto had shouted at the same time glaring angrily at the two boys.

"I can tell you what really happened sir!" Ukue piped up in a determined manner. He looked up at her tiredly, wanting to get the whole thing over with.

"Those two boys tried to rape me!" She pointed an accusing finger at them, making them jump quick to defend.

"She's a freaking liar!"

"Yeah!"

"I'm not lying, it's true sir! You see I'm not doing so well in math, so sempai here told me he'd teach me something! But that's when things went real sour and I didn't realize what I had gotten myself into! Suddenly, out of the shadows, that other boy comes in the room and drops his pants!" She spoke dramatically and rather foolishly. The two boys deadpanned during the whole exaggeration of her story.

"That's not true, that didn't happen!" the boy with the shiner defended. The principal brought his hands up to his head tiredly, like he was having a headache.

"I want to hear it from Uzumaki-san alright..?" He spoke tiredly through his hands, then dropping them onto the desk and waiting expectantly at Naruto.

"Um, well... Ukue is pretty much telling the truth." He commented plainly.

"Pretty much?"

"I went back to my classroom to get my sweater. When I left I realized I wandered into the second year's hallway. I heard Ukue scream and I went in to save her. That's it."

The principal nodded, looking thoughtfully down at his papers.

"What am I going to do.." He mumbled aloud to himself.

"What's the problem?" Ukue asked curiously.

"If the media find out we had sex crime in our school, our ratings will drop..." He sorted through more paperwork, eyes glued to his desk.

"That's what you're worried about?!" Ukue shouted indignantly.

"Wait, you're believing her?!" The two boys shouted standing up from their desks. The principal nodded, giving them a pointed look.

"Their's was the better story."

Ukue smirked at the two boys as they glared vindictively at her.

"But do you think there's a way we can cover this all up?" He looked up at her with a burned-out sort of hopefulness. Ukue turned her surprised and exasperated attention towards the shorter man.

"I almost got raped, you! And you're worried about the school's reputation?! Get your priorities straight, I'm more important right now!"

"Then what do you suggest I do then?" He asked her reproachful.

"Expell them. They could be a threat to other girls like me."

"Tch, no one's sluttier than you Ukue-chan." The boy she called sempai replied slyly with a broken nose. Ukue screeched, causing everyone in the room to cover their ears instinctively.

"Kyaa, I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you creep!" She tried to lunge for him, but Yamato held her back with one arm.

"Expelling them under those charges is just as bad, we'll lose our funding if we lose even one student." He sighed, chin lazily in his hand.

"Is that why you haven't expelled me yet?" Naruto asked.

"Hai." He nodded, still looking over his paper work. Suddenly he just flung the papers frustratedly onto his desk and grabbed his head.

"Argh, what am I going to do?!"

"Just give 'em suspension or something!" Ukue shouted from the sidelines, still being held by Yamato. The principal just sat there, no response, still deep in thought, mulling over the situation.

"It's not fair for you play favorites like this! Don't you think the media would reward you for getting rid of, or at least punishing sex offenders?!" She glared disappointedly at the shorter man, too caught up in his selfishness. Naruto realized he had been quiet the whole time, and so far he didn't even seem to be much of a factor in this whole mess for once.

"So I'm not in trouble then?" he asked curiously.

"No."

Naruto sighed in his relief, but the prinicipal hadn't finished.

"But you could be, depending on how I'm going to cover this mess up..."

"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted, suddenly the two boys were snickering at him.

_"Stupid brat..."_ The boy with the broken nose smirked.

"Sir, I can't allow you to do that!" Ukue stepped out of Yamato's hold and approached the desk, slamming her hands onto the wooden surface and glaring pissily at the shorter man, giving him a much needed wake-up call.

"Look, I almost got raped. Try to dumb that down, and I'll make so much noise you won't be able to get the 'razzi off your back for one second of your life." She threatened, towering over the shrunken little man.

"L-like w-what?"

"I could say you were there when it started and that you let it happen. ...in fact I could say that you watched. Oh you sick little pig, they won't get enough of this juicy scandal." She smirked devilishly, face darkened and eyes twinkling mischeviously. Everyone in the room looked scared of her, hint of shock and admirable impression on the faces of Naruto and Yamato.

The principal gulped, looking a little blue in the face.

"A-alright... I'll f-figure something o-out..." He spoke as evenly as he could, straightening his tie.

"No, you make a decision now." Ukue ordered, slamming another palm onto the desk.

"S-suspension... two weeks..."

"Three." She revised. The principal looked up at her, reluctant to comply, the two boys accused stared at her incredulously.

"Three weeks?! We'll miss exams!" The boy with the broken nose shouted.

"Oh, like you really care about that!" She shouted back at them, then turning to the principal expectantly with a threatening look in her eyes.

"So, three weeks?" She prodded.

"...as reluctant as I am to come up with a decision..." He stalled slowly, still straightening his tie. Ukue rolled her eyes aggravatedly.

"Three weeks for both boys, in the mean time I've gotta make phone calls... " He ended wtih a sigh, getting up from his desk and heading for the file cabinet against the left wall corner.

"You're dismissed."

* * *

All five members of the meeting exited out, the two boys who would miss important exams glared at Ukue and Naruto, as Naruto grinned victoriously at them and Ukue stuck her tongue out at them. 

"Haha losers, we got you good!" Ukue started skipping away grinning in her cat-like way, as the two boys stayed behind in the lobby. Sakio-sensei had been there, waiting outside of the principal's office, he had not been allowed in during the meeting, orders from the principal who already found it dangerous for him and Naruto to be in the same room privately. When he saw Naruto grinning in that carefree way of his, an air of victory, he had been taken aback, expecting Naruto to get punishment.

"Looks like you won't be getting rid of me today, old man!" Naruto laughed in his face, Ukue giggling with, mocking Sakio-sensei with a victory sign, as they ran energetically down the hallways, Yamato following behind slowly. Once they had disappeared from sight, Sakio-sensei peered his head in the principal's office, eager to give his ten cents about his decision.

"Principal-dono, what have you done--?" Sakio-sensei trailed off, seeing as how the principal was muttering worriedly to himself.

* * *

Star- Yosh! 8,300 something words yikes, omgish! O.o Hoped ya liked it! XD Yah, I was going to make this even longer, but once again this looked like a better place to stop. So who knows, next chapter might end up being shorter, but I'll try not to make it too short. Wowza, we got to look at freaking school politics! O.o Yeah I watched the J-Drama **'Gokusen'... IT ROCKS!** It really does, and you can watch it on **Veoh**. XD It helped me with the whole school politics thing here, don't worry I'll try to lighten up on this stuff. I mean it's just there to give depth and detail to the school scene, otherwise not so important. ;P I love you guys, I hope you liked this chapter! Omgish, Sakio is so evil! O.o And yeah, we got to see more into Hanabi's life again, and then it turns out that the next day for Naruto was better and not so much worse. Don't hate the principal, he doesn't have his priorities straight, but he is kinna cowardly huh? O.o 

REVIEW! Hayaku! XDDD

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Translation Notes:

- Hayaku: Hurry! ; Hurry up!

- Hayakusiro: Hurry, Hurry up, Make Haste! (more commanding, formal.)

- Matte: Wait.

- Daijobu: Are you ok?

- Ganbatte: Good Luck; Do Your Best.

- Sempai: Often an honorific, is used to address someone older than you. Upperclassmen and superiors.

- Mouto: More. (ugh, so perverted, I couldn't stop laughing from embarrassment writing that scene. ///O.O///)

- Dame: No! (sometimes a scolding version, definately used often by mothers when addressing that thier children did a 'no-no'. But I think it's used casually enough as 'Iie'.)

- Ganjiru: literally translates into "White Face." It's a type of kogal that goes with the pale girl look.

- Koitsu: (you) Boy: (this) Boy; (that) Boy. (very rude way to address a male basically.)

- Yamero: Stop; Stop it!

Liner Notes:

-Kogal: It's easy to stereotype kogals as sluts or easy girls that use boys and older men to buy them trendy expensive items. But as I said that's the stereotype. Basically a kogal is the trendiest girl in Japan. School-wise, they have shortened skirts, modified stylish uniforms and wear whatever is totally against the dress code. X3 I'm sure not all gals are bad, even though Ukue is completely loose, she's not a bad gal.

-Yanki : I've mentioned it earlier. Yanki is a type of delinquent, sometimes they come in gangs; varying on whether they carry knives (rarely guns), steel pipes or just their fists. Girl yankis can be the worst, sometimes using razors! ToT Yankis were a big problem back in the early 90's, and these days are kinna romanticized in movies, manga, and stories. (Example: Kamikaze Girls, Gentleman's Alliance+, SuperGALS.) I suppose sometimes they were called 'junior yakuza', dunno I got that somewhere. ;P (also there are certaint yanki gangs that are biker gangs basically. ex: Kamikaze Girls.)

- Juku : It's a type of cram school where they have academic classes, non-academic classes, and entrance exam preparation classes for elementary kids. Hanabi is in 7th grade, and is attending Hikari Juku to prepare for "Exam Hell". She's going for other classes too, but one of them is for english/foreign language with Hinata. I'll only focus on Hinata's Eigo Studies. (eigo: english language.)

- "Exam Hell" : I sorta did a thesis on this. :3 Exam Hell is a time in every 12-ish year old's life (in Japan, duhskies.) where they must study non-stop til they burn up and lose wait, turning into (as one witness put it) "book-worn zombies" or something like that... -.-;; Um, I don't know when they really start, and I'm pretty sure they don't start in the middle of December, but it fit at this point into the storyline. So there, don't bug me about it. X0 Actually it's kinna depressing, cuz I went and read something on google about Japan's violence. It's low but when there is, it's still gruesome. ToT I'll try to get over it, so I can still live there. T.T

- Yes, omgish, Jiraiya exists in my story! o.o I changed it to "Ero-sensei", because sennin still meant 'sage' right? So why would he be a sage in modern Japan? I just don't know, so he's got the teacher honorific going for him, kay:3

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PUSH THE BUTTON!!!!!! PUSH IT NOW!!! XDDD (anou... it's the one that says: "Submit Review", next to the 'Go'.) ;P 


	8. Carefree and Sweet

Star - Wow I got this updated fast huh:3 Well.. though reviews for chapter 7 were slow, it's okay, I gots 4 of em!! XDDD ;P Anyhoo, this is a more easy-going chapter me thinks, I mean the other one was like... kinna eye-straining or for me at least. So hope youse like it, bubs. :3

_

* * *

_Yeah, I'll go on... Thanks for deh review. 

_Lovelyanime-sama_: OMG! YAYS! XDDD I loved your update, but you alrady knew that! XDD Yay, me so elated. :hearts: Glad you liked last chapter!

_Lunarangel's Dark Flame:_ I WUV YOU! XDDD I'm SOOO glad you loved the chapter! Ne, don't you like Harada-sensei too:3 She's a sweetheart of teacher, but not useful yet. XDDD Truly elated, yes:3 Hm and about Otakon... ... Well I remember getting abducted by a girl who was black and red-themed, anou.. you may need to be more specific! ;; Do you have any pics of your time there? O.o (I don't, stupid me.. I was afraid of breaking or losing my camera...). And "GANBATTE" in school! XDDD _"Fight! Win! Fight! Win!"_ X3 (lol)

_Chronostorm:_ Thank you very much for reviewing. But now I think you'll look at me strangely as say "WTF?" with this chapter. ToT It's just that, the thing is.. the main villain is Sakio-sensei. Also, if I write about Naruto's revenge on them or whatever, that will only start a chain of more revenge fights. And then the story wouldn't go anywhere, now would it? Oh wells, hope you have a better reaction and hope you don't suddenly dislike my story. ToT

* * *

Listening to:_ "Caramelldansen" _

ENJOI! (ps- Remember at the end of chapter 3 that the lavender-white eyes were contacts? Okay and that in chapter 5 Naruto was thinking the difference between her 'real eyes' and her lavender contact eyes? So yah, just reminding ye gents.) XP

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch.8 - Carefree and Sweet

_It was relief that washed over me the second he returned to the classroom with that bright smile of his, I could feel it light up my heart with gladness. _

Hinata and Naruto walked onto the school yard, Naruto grinning wide all the while.

"We should celebrate!" He suddenly shouted, throwing an energetic fist in the air, Hinata glancing at him curiously.

"How?" She asked in a soft voice.

"I dunno.. we can go to Ichiraku's.." Naruto grinned sheepishly. Hinata gave a small smile, though shaking her head.

"I can't, I have work." She replied wistfully. He looked at her questioningly, feeling slightly disappointed.

"How long do you work part-time?"

"Just the week." She replied simply still with that small smile.

"Hmm..." Naruto closed his eyes and put a hand to his chin, exaggerating that he was deep in thought. Hinata nearly giggled, the sides of her lips tickling.

"Oh well, maybe some other time." Naruto grinned in his fox-like way. Hinata was somewhat taken aback at his cheerier behavior, he seemed more upbeat and carefree; even more so since the first day she met him, or even the friday he treated her to ramen at his work. It was starting to become contagious, the day seeming sunnier than she could ever remember and the little light in her heart turning just as bright. A girlish happy squeal erupted out of nowhere as Ukue glomped Naruto unsuspectedly.

"Ahh, what the--?" Naruto turned around, facing the chesire-like Ukue.

"Naru-chan, we should celebrate our victory!"

_'Naru-chan??'_ Hinata thought looking at the two. Naruto looked warily past her to see her boyfriend Yamato standing there, aloof as ever, and the stubby boy Masabo boy glaring disgruntled at him.

"Uhh, what all of us??" Naruto asked warily, looking at the two boys cautiously, feeling hesitant and awkward.

"Don't worry, I promise they'll be on their best behavior!" She turned her head to glare warningly at the two.

"Right guys?!"

"I don't have to listen to you Ukuwaki!" Masabo shouted at her, fixing an indignant glare at her. She jumped off of Naruto's back and marched menacingly up to Masabo til she was towering over him.

"You will be nice to Naru-chan! Or I make you pay for all our food!" She finished, locking glares with him. You could practically see the lightening between the two, fighting against the other for control of the argument.

"Does that mean someone else is paying?" Yamato interjected naively. It wasn't until Ukue and Masabo turned their attention to him, giving him a significant look, that he finally caught the meaning.

"Why do you always do this to me?" He sighed yieldingly, bringing an exasperated hand through his hair. Ukue just grinned mischeviously.

"C'mon let's get going!" Ukue grabbed Naruto's wrist dragging him away out of the gates, the two boys following behind; Masabo grumbling reluctantly to himself but saying he couldn't pass up a chance of free food, and Yamato conceding wordlessly.

"W-wait, hold on!" Naruto shouted to Ukue, making her pause.

"Nani?" She looked at him expectantly and curiously.

"Where're we going exactly?" Naruto asked startedly, overwhelmed by Ukue's pushy form of friendliness.

"American Cuisine!!" She replied energetically, throwing a fist in the air. Naruto looked through the school gates seeing Hinata standing there alone, looking at him in an innocent clueless way. He was feeling clueless too, he didn't have to go to Ichiraku for awhile, and he was wondering about Hinata. He shot her a persauding look, asking her silently if she wanted to go with. She gave him a halfway smile and waved him goodbye instead.

"What is it? Don't like burgers?"

"Naw, it's fine." He replied seeing Hinata walked out of the school gates and disappear down the sidewalk, opposite direction as them.

* * *

"A! B! C! D!" The kids in Hinata's tutor class chorused uniformly, as she flipped through large flashcards of the english alphabet. Some were still having trouble pronouncing correctly, but long as they could recognize the characters that was all that counted. Though others, such as Yoko and her lackey Akina, were participating with lackluster voices. She hoped Hanabi was having an easier time in the other classroom, Ueno-san always had the better more polite students anyways.

* * *

"Omigosh omigosh, no wait! Haha, check this out, check this out!" Ukue laughed, sticking two ketchup-dipped fries in her mouth, right next to where her canines were. She turned to face Naruto, looking goofily at him. 

"I vant to suck your blood..." She spoke cross-eyed, ketchup drops smeared on her chin. Naruto almost choked on his soda, laughing out loud, a slight dribble of coca-cola leaking out the side of his mouth. Masabo went to take two extra straws from the center of the table and stuck each one up his nose, the other ends in his bottom lip so it'd stretch out strangely.

"I was born this way." Masabo replied, causing another round of uncontrolled laughter to erupt from their table.

"Oh my gawd, look at your face!" Ukue squealed breathlessly, tears at the corner of her eyes. After calming down enough, she picked up the ketchup bottle and hugged it to herself, an overly cute expression on her face.

"Pikachu!"

"Gyahahahahaha!!" Naruto and Masabo laughed loudly, Masabo slapping his palm on the table relentlessly. All their fun ruckus by now catching the attention of everyone in the family restaurant, some teens glaring annoyedly at them, others laughing and smiling amusedly, varied reactions from parents who were mostly busy trying to get their kids to calm down too and not follow their immature example. Ukue started kissing the ketchup bottle, saying 'pika pika' over and over, until Yamato had to pull it away from her.

That's the way it was the whole time, silly joke after silly joke, til tears rolled down their faces and the assistant manager had to kick them out.

* * *

Streetlights illuminated the neighborhood night, the sun having had disappeared long ago. Hinata and Hanabi made it home, taking their shoes off at the door in exchange for their indoor slippers. 

"So was Ueno-san's class better?" Hinata asked hopefully.

"Hai, there were a lot of older students there but they treated me nice. Ueno-sensei was real nice too. Some of them thought I was some sort of 'Chiyo-chan'." Hanabi giggled, kicking her shoes in place on the mat and walking into the living room.

"..Who's 'Chiyo-chan'?" Hinata asked confusedly.

"Gomen.. forgot, you don't watch tv. She's a 12-year genius in an anime." Hanabi replied, taking out several textbooks onto the kotatsu desk and began studying.

"Oh." Was all she said, walking into the kitchen and began preparing dinner. Taking out a searing pan, sesame oil, she turned the stove onto medium heat. She poured a small amount of oil into the pan, afterwards pulling out the salmon from the fridge. It was already cut and prepared, so she didn't need to do any butcher work she was afraid to do. She revised the pan stove heat to high, and placed the fish on the bubbling oil.

_'I'll need to get my assignments done after this, but not before I figure out tomorrow's tutor curriculum. But what kind of homework do I have..? Dame, how could I forget?! Anou... I have to do a paragraph on __The Tale of Genji_ _for Japanese Classics... practice 30 kinds of kanji and hirigana for Japanese language class...'_ Hinata began counted the assignments off with her fingers, deep in thought. _'There's the coordinate and culture notes on Japan's Tea Fields... mou, when are we going to learn about Europe? ...I wonder what Uzumaki-san is up to... well he's most likely at work right now though... It's good he didn't get expelled, I wonder what happened in the principal's office... mou, there's also the 5-page math assignment on circumference, after that I have to--'_

"(cough, cough)" Hinata's thoughts were interrupted by a bad smell, and her eyes began to water. She coughed, realization hitting like a freezing bucket of water.

"Onee-san, the fish!" Hanabi shouted, pointed at the source of smoke.

"Kyaaaaaa!" Hinata squeaked frightened, swatting away the smoke out of her teary eyes. Tried to move the pan off the stove, grabbing the handle, but amidst her panic and her fingers feeling hot, she dropped the pan back onto the stovetop.

"Kyaa!" Hot oil splattered out of the pan, hot droplets stinging her arms and hands. She tried again, taking the handle...

"Kyaa!" ..but it singed her fingers, sending a shock of heat through her immediate nerves and she instantly dropped it on the floor, the fish flew out of the pan, landing on the burning stove coil as the hot pan and oil spilled around her feet onto the floor.

"What's going on, what's happening?!" Neji ran out, hearing the shouts and screams. Seeing the smoke and mess around Hinata, Neji quickly went to pull her out of the way as he turned the stovetop off and started to fan away the smoke. He took a dish towel and wetted it down, wrapped it around his hands and picked up the fallen pan, disposing of it carefully in the sink.

Several minutes later the smoke finally dispersed enough to reveal a crispy burnt up fish, seemingly glued to the heat coil. It was unrecognizable. The hot oil made some irregular bubbles in the floor, as Neji tried to clean it up with the wet towel. He looked up, almost accusingly at Hinata. Or at least that's the way she felt it as.

She stood shaken up, dazed somewhat from where Neji put her. She could feel foreign fingers gripping at her upper arms, she looked down to realize they were her own. She brought her palms into view. Some sores and bubbles took up the areas closest to her fingers where she gripped the pan. She tried flexing them, wincing even at the smallest movement. Her fingertips though, were smoothed out, rough callouses outlining the sides of the sores. She knew the nerves would come back, but she was frightened and annoyed that she could not feel her fingertips.

"Hinata, what did you do?" Neji stared narrowed eyes at her, making her feel anxious, guilty and dejected. She shook her head, feeling herself shrink onto the floor and tears dampen her lashes. Her chest felt tight and her face hot and wet at the same time, though she had not truly cried yet.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry.."

_'What's wrong with me..?'_

* * *

Hiashi sat at the table, looking at the food dubiously. 

"What happened to the salmon?" Hiashi asked in his authoritive voice, looking around for the main course but it was no where to be seen.

"It swam upstream for the winter." Neji replied back as a joke, a discreet impudence in his voice that Hiashi did not catch or chose to ignore. Instead he narrowed his eyes a bit more suspiciously; he just couldn't understand how he was going to eat miso soup, white rice, and seaweed salad without the salmon. He glanced up at Hinata, giving her a look that meant he was expecting an answer from her, but instead she just shrunk further into her seat and continued to eat her rice quietly in small little bites, sad eyes glued to her bowl.

"Did it go bad, so quickly?" Hiashi assumed, taking a bite out of his rice.

"Hai." Neji answered.

"That's unfortunate."

Neji rolled his eyes.

* * *

Hinata sighed, taking much needed comfort in her heavy blankets of her room. She looked to her left, where she hung a large landscape poster of a field of lavenders under a summer afternoon sun. She could even imagine being there, the strong heady scent on the wind, a pleasant warmth of the sun enveloping her softly. She could feel herself getting pulled deeper into sleep; it hadn't been easy getting all her work done with her sudden bum hands of hers, fingers riddles with band-aids, and she was exhausted. 

She was sure sleep would claim her with it's heavy hand, when a soft knock came to her bedroom door. She sighed, stifling a yawn.

"Hai?" She called, picking herself up and approaching her bedroom shouji.

"A-ta-shi!" came a younger voice with a bright giggle. Hinata sighed with a weary smile, letting her sister in.

"Ne, Hanabi-chan what is it?" Hanabi walked in tentatively, she poked a toe in the floor before answering.

"Oh, um.. I just wanted to say 'good night'." She piped cheerfully.

"Monkey wants to say good night too.." She added, displaying her pink monkey to Hinata. She smiled, patting it on the head then ruffling Hanabi's hair.

"Good night.. but are you sure that's why you're here Hana-bunni?" She looked down hesitantly again.

"..No..." Hanabi looked around Hinata's room avoiding her eyes particularly, making her curious. Was she looking for something?

"..I'm sorry, I forgot why." She grinned sheepishly, heading for the door.

"Night-night." She waved from the doorway and closed the door.

"Oyasumi nasai, Hanabi-chan." Hinata replied through the thin shouji, then the shadow behind the rice paper, that was her sister, disappeared. With that, Hinata went back to her several blanket covers, burying herself underneath them and sighing comfortably.

* * *

They were at the door, ready for school. Hanabi was quickly finishing her breakfast, stuffing a slice of bread in her mouth and getting up. Hinata was waiting patiently for her, but was interested and confused when Hanabi disappeared back to the direction of their bedrooms. 

"Hanabi-chan, what is it?"

"I forgot something in my room, hold on. I'll be quick!" She replied back, sneaking around the hallway, hidden from Hinata's sight. But it wasn't really something in her room that she forgot, as she quickly and stealthily entered Hinata's room looking around swiftly for something.

"Ne.. where is it?"

Hinata's room was a bit of a mess, only because all the stuff she owned didn't quite fit. Heavy down and quilted blankets layed in the middle of the floor on her furton, two folding screens surrounded the little bed decorated with landscape posters of fields and palaces. Over to the far right corner stood Hinata's large mannequin Isabelle. Behind the mannequin, was a slightly ajar closet, several bodices and frills sticking out amongst the shadows. Hanabi turned her attention to Hinata's desk, seeing a tiny white contacts case.

"Aha, found it!" Hanabi grabbed carefully for the case and stuck it in her skirt pocket.

"I'm ready!"

* * *

Hanabi waved her sister and their neighbor goodbye, entering the school a bit more deliberately, not feeling as low as she usually did. She placed a protective hand in her pocket where Hinata's contacts were, feeling kinna giddy. She immediately went to the girls bathroom, situating herself on the sinks so she could have a better view of her face in the mirror. She pulled out the contact case, popping it open to reveal unique lavender tinted/semi-opaque white contacts. She smiled slightly, curious at how she would look. With a bit of apprehension, She nervously put in the contacts. 

She closed her eyes, adjusting to the contacts.

Then she blinked.

Smooth lavender.

She blinked again.

A smile blossomed on her face, having fun with her sister's fashion contacts and enjoying the way she looked. She let out an excited giggle, though trying to calm her smile down.

It always gave her sister a softer appearance, but it seemed to have a different affect on her. She wasn't sure how to describe it. Just that she had lavender eyes now.

* * *

Hinata sighed looking through her _Gothic&Lolita Bible_ magazine. It was the same one she had for awhile, rereading it ten or so times. She wanted to get the new issue, but didn't have enough money. At this point she just stuck with flipping through the pages, glancing at the photos of pretty new dresses and pretty new models. 

"Heehee, Naru-chan, you're still eating that?"

Hinata turned around, seeing Ukue smirking dubiously at him. He stared at her cluelessly, a burger hanging in his mouth.

"Jaa, I was saving it for lunch." He grinned sheepishly, a hand behind his head. Ukue smiled back, giggling like she did, continuing the friendly conversation.

_'He really seems to be fitting in now...'_

Hinata smiled slightly to herself, turning her attention back to her magazine. Her stomach grumbled somewhat, she had forgotten to make herself lunch today.

* * *

Hanabi smirked discreetly to herself at the hushed voices floating around the classroom. She was getting constant comments on her eyes from anyone who saw them, comments like... 

_"Did she have an accident?"_

_"She's blind right? She looks blind!"_

_"Moron, she's wearing contacts!"_

_"Contacts? They look so pretty... I like them.."_

_"She doesn't have any pupils, what the hell?"_

_"Ne, wait.. she'd have to be blind with those contacts... if there's no pupil."_

_"Shut up, I think she can hear you!"_

"You guys are so rude." Came a scolding voice from a slightly taller girl as she glared down her nose at them.

"Agreed." was a boy's voice, as he stood beside her. The group of gossipers looked down at their feet in embarrassment at being caught by the class presidents. Hanabi just smiled naively, not caring either way. She was having too much fun with her own business that she was able to ignore.. in fact even slightly enjoy the mean looks Yoko and Akina were giving her. She just seemed to not mind the things around her for once, she wondered if this was what her older sister always felt when wearing these contacts, being at Harajuku with her friends.

_Pin-pon Pan-pin!_

The bell rang, letting the students know it was time to go home. Hanabi didn't hear anymore about her, not minding either way, but did continue to notice people glancing at her to take a good look at her opalescent contacts. She shrugged her randseru onto her shoulders, a lilting smile on her lips.

_'Onee-san will know I borrowed her contacts, I'll need to put them away...'_ She thought to herself, as she headed for the girls restroom again.

* * *

She entered the restroom, but halted her private thoughts seeing Yoko and Akina staring at her keenly. Hanabi took a tentative step backwards, unsure what to do. She hadn't been expecting this. 

"So what's with those eyes, Hanabi-chan?" Yoko spoke with a dangerous quality to her voice, her dark eyes narrowed. She sat on the sink, left leg crossed over the right. Akina stood beside her, arms crossed.

"..." Hanabi chose silence, shaking her head, inching a bit backwards, wary of her at this point of their diminishing former relationship.

"What were you trying to do with those wierd eyes today? Think they make you look prettier? Were you trying to get a certaint _someone's_ attention or just anybodies?" Yoko advanced, stepping off the sink, approaching Hanabi ever so slightly.

"Kanasato-kun is Yoko-chan's, got that child?" Akina added with a threatening glare, arms crossed. Even when they were all friends, Akina still looked liked Yoko's suck-up lackey, as she did now.

"Kanasato-kun doesn't belong to anyone.." Hanabi replied quietly, though it sounded loud in the little 3 stall bathroom.

"Except just one.. And that isn't you." Yoko replied in a syprupy-sweet voice full of mock-sympathy, looking down her nose at Hanabi. She just narrowed her eyes in response, seeing that Yoko wasn't finished with her little tirade.

"So stop with the sweet act.. _cupcake_.. you're not catching any flies." Yoko stood over Hanabi, looking down on her, standing at least a foot taller.

"And neither are you, no matter how much you keep that damn mouth open!" Hanabi shouted defiantly, glaring bright angry eyes. Yoko's expression turned furious, teeth bared in a snarl and her eyes darkening.

"You little bitch!" She shrieked, bringing her hand back quickly.

_SMACK!_

She fell onto the floor from the impact, grabbing her cheek instinctively. Her face stung, hot tears welling up in her eyes and blurring her vision.

"You got some mouth, Hanabi-chan... Keep talking like that and nobody would want to kiss you.." Yoko craned her head back, hands on her hips, a confident pose full of attitude. She suddenly stomped her foot furiously on the ground, making Hanabi jump, the previous expression of rage on her face once more.

"Who would want a little girl like you!? You duplicitous child! You act like you're some goody-goody baby, but I know underneath all your honey, you're just full of shit!"

Hanabi blinked away the hot tears, letting them roll down her face, leveling and enraged and idignant glare against her own.

"And if you think you can rid us that easily, just by switching juku classes, you're wrong.." Yoko bent over so she was at least a little at Hanabi's eye level, staring her straight in the eyes.

* * *

At the sound of sudden yelling and a loud smacking noise, a petite girl hiding in a bathroom stall peeked curious frightened eyes through the slightly ajar door. 

"You got some mouth, Hanabi-chan... Keep talking like that and nobody would want to kiss you.."

_SLAM! _

The short girl inside the stall jumped.

"Who would want a little girl like you!? You duplicitous child! You act like you're some goody-goody baby, but I know underneath all your honey, you're just full of shit!"

She gasped lightly, pressing a small hand to her her lips. She watched as the small brown-haired girl on the floor, glare heatedly at the other, tears trailing down her face, jaw clenched.

"And if you think you can rid us that easily, just by switching juku classes, you're wrong.." She watched as the taller aggressive girl, with wavy-blonde hair, kneeled down in front of the shorter girl. She couldn't understand how she could just sit there and take it. Then again the taller girl kinna scared her too.

"...Kanasato-kun is **mine**." She ended, a frightening smile on her haughty features.

"...wh-what do I care? I don't need him.." came her voice ever so softly. The smile disappeared on the aggressor's face, staring somewhat blankly as the little one continued.

"..a-and if I'm so ugly, then why do you feel threatened by me?" her was still so calm and soft, as she looked the blonde girl in the eyes dauntlessly.

"Threatened by you--?!"

"You're the one full of shit, you hypocrite!"

"Shut your bloody mouth, Brat!"

She saw her hand pull back quick, for she guessed to be the second time she was going to strike her. She gasped again, a sudden need to act quick filling her small being, familiar words she heard all her life flew out of her mouth as she jumped out of the stall.

"Stop, in the name of the moon!" The once hidden girl shouted, tackling Yoko and grabbing her wrist before she got to hit Hanabi again.

* * *

"Stop, in the name of the moon!" Came a very child-like voice, as Yoko saw a rush of pink, and was tackled by a tiny figure and her wrist held in a weak grasp. 

"Tch!" Yoko grabbed the smaller girl by her forearms and threw her off to the side, the dark-pink haired girl hitting her head against the sinks.

"Eek!" She yelped in pain, grabbing her head in pain, tears stinging her eyes.

"Damn.. Akina-chan, let's go!" Yoko shouted, escaping out of the bathroom, Akina following diligently with.

The dark-pink haired girl held her head, trying to get up and blink away her tears. A mixture between a whine and a sob escaped her lips. She looked up, at the sound of footsteps, staring at disturbingly familiar eyes, yet it was someone she never seen before.

"Are you okay?" Hanabi asked worriedly, looking at the girl that recklessly put herself in a dangerous situation. The girl, she seemed so much younger than Hanabi, but she was sure she was just as tall as her. She had magenta hair, short and curly, and large pale green eyes, almost a watery mint color. She nodded her response, still wincing somewhat.

Hanabi didn't know it of course, but the pink-haired girl finally recognized her eyes.

_'Emiri-chan told me once that she had a little sister...'_

* * *

The sun was gone, time having flown out of her hands during her altercation. The pink-haired girl, Yamaka Shiho, as Hanabi had learned her name, offered to walk her home. She said she felt obligated to do so. Hanabi was surprised when she told her she was a 2nd year (8th grader). She looked so child-like and she was actually shorter than her by a couple inches. 

_'Kinna like a 'lolicon' or maybe like a 'Chiyo-chan'...'_ Hanabi mused to herself.

"Here it is." Hanabi stopped, pointing at her house. Suddenly the shouji doors opened, as a concerned and somewhat shaken Hinata stepped onto the engawa.

"Hanabi-chaaan!" She cried, relief washing over as she embraced her little sister.

"Where were you?! Ueno-san said you weren't in the class, I couldn't find you at all!"

Hanabi dropped her eyes ashamedly.

"I'm sorry Onee-san, I didn't mean to worry you.."

Hinata simply sighed, giving here a quick once over, unable to see the slight bruise on her left cheek in the shadow and moonlight. It was then that Hinata finally noticed the pink haired staring almost dazedly at her.

_"Emiri-san..." _She whispered to herself. Hinata immediately recognized her.

"Mei-chan.."

* * *

"Are you alright now?" Hinata asked Hanabi after treating her cheek. She gave a slight nod. 

"Hai, domo Onee-san." She answered back softly. Hinata sighed, unable to fight down all the worry and anger that had made her stomach sick earlier. The whole event had her nerves frayed and she hadn't been able to concentrate on anything. She still hadn't cooked dinner yet, hesitant and afraid to do so since last night's screw-up.

"Anou, Mei-chan." Hinata brought her attention to the smaller girl, making her jump.

_'Mei-chan... she's one of Nee-san's Harajuku friends!'_ Hanabi thought, seemingly impressed.

"Hai?" She squeaked.

"There's um, I have something of yours.. I don't know if you want it back.." Hinata explained sadly, a wistful look in her eyes, as if almost saying _'I'm sorry'_.

* * *

Mei held the heart-shaped box, the once perfect color tainted with dirty water stains. She stared at it dejectedly as she sat by Hinata's futon, tears that would normally come never reaching her eyes at all. It surprised Hinata somewhat. 

"I knew.. he didn't want it. I tried to give it to him, but all he said was.. 'Stop.' He wanted me to stop because I was 'bothering him with my affection.' That he couldn't like me back, that all I feel for him is 'just a child's crush'..." She sniffled, the long-awaited tears finally falling down her face, whispering desperately to herself.

_"Why... why.. Kazuo-kun, why..."_

Hinata watched melancholy and sympathetically, as her younger friend cried hollow sobs, clutching the heart-shaped gift box to her chest. She almost expected it to break and crumble to pieces, a visual metaphor to Mei's heart.

Hinata was afraid she did not feel enough empathy for this situation, not feeling a need to cry with her nor the tightening in her chest that came with such grieving.

She couldn't tell if love was wonderful or just painful.

* * *

Star- So yeah, wow this was a quick update huh? X3 I hope you guys liked it, considering it was done so quickly I'm worried that it's not well done. X0 So now you guys know who the older boy was and who the pink-haired girl really is. Mmhm... Yo! Take a looky at my STS Art, I gots ... 4 me thinks. :3 You'll be able to see a better version of Mei-chan soon too.

* * *

Translation Notes:

- Ukuwaki: Is the rude nickname Masabo has given Ukue-chan. A play on words with her name and the word 'Uwaki', which means: loose, promiscuous, etc. Uku (plus) Uwaki (equals) Ukuwaki. X3

- Atashi: Me; I; I am; It's me! (a-ta-shi! X3) (for females only.)

- Oyasumi Nasai: Good Night.

- Jaa: Well...

Liner Notes:

- Lol... burgers... american cuisine... it makes me giggle. X3

- Pikachu loves ketchup, remember? ;3

- "Chiyo-chan": The kawaii child from AzumangaDaioh! X3

- "Lolicon" - Refers to the child-like females in 'lolita complex' themes of anime and the like. It's a kind of 'moe'. (Moe is a type of fanaticism, like yaoi-moe for Moe-chan who loves yaoi. X3)

- "Stop, in the name of the moon!" : SailorMoon allusion, duhskies. ;P

- Umm, I think that's it:3

* * *

PUSH THE BIG RED BUTTON! (it's only red if you're pissed, drunk or pissed drunk. X3) Lol, just kidding mah friends. Just.. remember to review pweasy! TwT 

Much lurve again, ja ne! XDDD


	9. Mysterious Bookstore Vampire

Star- Check out my deviantart pwease! XD I love you guys, you rock out loud so much!! (lol) XDDD ...I'M REALLY REALLY SORRY THIS IS SUCH A PATHETICALLY SHORT CHAPTER!!!! ToT (I think my brain might be gone... O.o)

_

* * *

Sailor Alpha Tomboy: _I will go on... like in the Titanic song. X3 (lol that rhymed...) 

_Chronostorm:_ Uwa, I had a hard time understanding your review at first! O.o Do you just want the two boys to get beat up eventually and that's it? If that is it, I guess I'll figure something out, but at the same time dunno how it'd count as revenge if Naruto didn't do it.. Oh wells, domo arigatou gozaimashita for the review. :3

_Lilstrummr-chan:_ XD Hello! Haha, I was kinna wondering where ya went. XP Thanks for the wonderfully long reviews! I really enjoyed them:3 Hope the PM I sent you helped a bit. :3 Wuvles you! XD (PS- Sakura will come around, but not for awhile. ;P And I'll never tell you when or how or anything. ..muahaha. X3) Oh, double-PS... Did ya check out my STS Original Art yet:puppy eyes:

_Thorine:_ X333 Did the PM I sent help? Just curious. :3 Yeah, for some reason I can't totally write this kind of story to be explicitly NaruHina. I mean, it still is, but it's also their characters developing slowly along with their classmates and whoever else is basically in their immediate lives. It just seems to broaden the plot and whatnot. :3 Hope you don't hate this chapter though... T.T

_Hornless Devil Wingless Angel:_ Have fun in Maine and Vermont! XD

_Everlasting.Rainbow:_ Yaysie, thank uuuuuuu! XD

_Kalluwen:_ Gomen Kalluwen-san, but it'll take awhile... muahaha... X3 (referring to naruhinaness.) Just hope that doesn't discourage you to stop reading, eheh.. ;-; (or anybody else, whoever is reading this..O.o) Oh, also hope that you don't hate this chapter, since you were enjoying the story thus far... :crosses fingers nervously: (uwaa, so hard to impress! ToT)

(Gomen all, that this is a short, crappy chapter. Hope you don't hate it too much that it's like filler-ish. I'm going to Cape Cod, so hopefully I'll be able to come up with a better chapter when I get back Tuesday. please enjoi this nonetheless.)_ The Kooks "I want you back"_

Also, also! Please wish me good luck on the _ShojoBeat_, _Beat Girl Contest_!! XD I sent in a picture today, yays, and I hope I at least get runner-up. :crosses fingers like crazy: (COPIC MARKERS!! XDDD)

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch. 9 - Dokidoki; Mysterious Bookstore Vampire

The sun disappeared under hazy clouds, the natural light once highlighting the pages of her notes gone and turning the details faded. Hinata glanced up at the cieling, noting how the fluorescent lights lacked to light up the corners of the room.

"...formerly the Seto Inland Sea served as the main transportation waterway, between Kansai and Kyushu..."

Hinata sighed, as Sakio-sensei droned on. She continued to chew absent-mindedly on the callouses of her thumb. The nerves returned in her fingertips, but the seemingly thick layer of skin on her fingertips felt really awkward. She chewed thinking maybe she could massage it away.

"..the prefectures that share coastlines with the Inland Sea are; Yamaguchi, Okayama, Hiroshima, Hyogo, Kagawa, Ehime, Fukuoka and Oita..."

She was barely paying attention to a word of it. Same went for Naruto, as he noticed the bandages that covered her fingers.

"Ne.. ne, Hinata-chan.." He whispered, catching her attention. She turned around, looking at him curiously.

"You okay? What happened?"

"Um..." She started out slowly, but Sakio-sensei soon caught them.

"Uzumaki!"

"H-hai!" Naruto stood up, startled and caught off guard.

"Name a city from World War II that's located on the Inland Sea." He ordered, challenging him to answer with narrowed eyes.

"Uhh.." Naruto stood there, gaping like a fish. He paused when he heard a small whisper.

_"Hiroshima."_ Hinata whispered discreetly, glancing once at him.

"Huh?"

_"Hiroshima..!"_ She whispered a bit more loudly, hiding a small smile as she bowed her head to avoid Sakio-sensei's watchful glare. Naruto approached the teacher again.

"Hiroshima?" Naruto answered in a clueless way, making Sakio narrow his eyes more.

"..that's correct." He grumbled reluctantly. Naruto sat back down with a sheepish grin.

"Thanks." Naruto whispered, grinning at her.

"You're welcome." She whispered back, eyes on her desk and smiling under her hand.

* * *

Hinata stood in front of _The Strawberry Spider_, a Lolita and Cosplayer specialty store located far east of Shibuya district. She pushed the door open, the entrance bell ringing lightly, bringing small attention to herself from the cashier at the desk. 

"Welcome!" She called brightly, wearing cat ears and a blue hoodie with _Doraemon_ on it. Hinata simply smiled and waved, walking past the aisles of knock-off Lolita dresses and parasols, heading for the magazine wall located at the end. It was a simplistic store, colored in faded pinks and white in the front. There was a back room at the farthest corner, the doorway painted black and decorated with a curtain of cheap plastic ribbons, shiny and purplish-black. At the top read a sign _'Spider's Web'_. Hinata never stepped inside, knowing it was the goth-loli room. Yet she was a bit curious.

She pulled her attention from the hidden room, searching the expansive magazine shelves for her _Gothic&Lolita Bible_ new issue.

"Doko.. doko... sore wa doko?" Hinata murmured to herself, skimming over the magazine covers and bindings. She paused, pulling out a magazine that was brightly colored in schemes of cream and yellow, a young shiro-loli smiling elegantly on the cover, headlines and promises of outfit tips decorating the cover around her.

"Hai, found it." She whispered estatically to herself, reading the cover intently as she walked, on hand reaching for her money in her skirt pocket, not seeing where she was going.

"Oof..!"

"Eep..!" She squeeked. Hinata had been too interested in her new magazine, that she hadn't see who she ran into. She stumbled backwards, bowing apologetically and glanced upwards.

"Gomen nasai..." She trailed off. The boy before her was taller than her, maybe only an inch taller than Naruto she noted. He had shaggy brown hair and very angular eyes, friendly but somewhat feral at the same time. He smiled lightly, nearly revealing dangerous canines.

"It's alright." He grinned widely, displaying a toothy smile. Hinata nearly jumped, seeing the almost vampirous canines. She gulped discreetly, wondering if they were real or not. He waved her goodbye, walking past her nonchalantly. She watched him go, eyes glued to the back of his head.

_'Wait..! I know him!'_

At first glance she couldn't have been sure, the heavy dark jacket he wore covering up his school uniform.

And though she recognized him from behind, she still wasn't sure.

_'Isn't he in my class?'_

* * *

Hinata yawned widely, placing a hand over her mouth. 

"Whoa, I think I just saw a reanactment of _JAWS._" An older woman beside Hinata joked, causing Hinata to blush in embarrassment.

"Gomen..." Hinata mumbled, trying to stifle another yawn. She glanced outside the window, seeing nothing but black as the room and her reflection glared the window, obscuring any details of the outside world in nighttime shadow. She could only guess how late it was. She had offered to help Ueno-san with juku curriculum reports, not realizing how long it would take, and had sent Hanabi home long ago.

"You know you didn't have to help me, I would've just finished these things at home." said Ueno-san matter-of-factly, smiling warmly, early signs of aging wrinkling around her eyes. Hinata simply nodded, as she sorted through more paperwork and filed them in piles.

"Nobody else offered to stay, I couldn't just let you work alone." Hinata stated back, making Ueno-san smile wider as she moved to give Hinata a grateful hug.

"Aww Hinata-chan, you would make the sweetest daughter! Not like my real one.." Ueno-san mumbled under her breath.

"Ueno-san!" Hinata shot back incredulously, Ueno-san winking at her with her tongue sticking out.

"Just kidding!" She chuckled to herself, shuffling papers. A comfortable silence fell over the two for the next five minutes.

Suddenly she sighed to herself.

"I just don't understand..." She murmured to herself, pulling out a sheet of paper and examining it.

"What is it?" Hinata looked at her curiously, wondering what she was talking about.

"This test isn't even finished, the student gave up halfway... When as for this paper.." She pulled out another sheet of paper and showed it to Hinata. It had a very high grade.

"...this student did flawlessly..." She finished in a quiet voice. Hinata remained silent for awhile, replaying her words in her head and unable to make a connection.

"..Well not everyone is good at a foreign language.."

Ueno-san shook her head.

"No.. it's not that." Ueno-san stared pensively at the papers as she continued to sort through them, disappointement set in her eyes, making them suddenly more blue.

"There's always the lazy dropout.. and then there's the workaholic teenager, like you." Ueno-san pointed her glum blue eyes at Hinata, startling her somewhat. Ueno-san sighed again, pushing a finished pile to the end of the desk, and starting on another one.

"I've never met a balanced youth, there just doesn't seem to be an in-between these days.." She ended, her dark almost black eyes turning a bluer shade again. Hinata stared with solemn interest, trying to wrap her brain around the significance of her words.

"Well, you're lucky you just get the better students, not the bratty ones.." Hinata mumbled under her breath annoyedly, causing Ueno-san to laugh heartily.

"Haha, keep talking like that Hinata-chan, and you won't want children!" Ueno-san smiled brightly, laugh lines appearing around her eyes. They were about to nearly finish their work, when a creak of the front door sounded and soft hesitant footsteps appeared by the doorway. Hinata and Ueno-san looked up to see a small boy in a black middle school gakuran and large square glasses staring reluctantly from the doorway.

"Nani? Kinosaki-kun, what are you doing here so late?" Hinata asked, recognizing the younger boy to be in her tutor class.

"I-is it so late?" He asked, not stepping from the protection the door gave him. Hinata blinked, pulling at her sleeve to look at her modest wristwatch. She groaned inwardly when it read 9:34 pm.

"It's half-past-nine, have you been here the whole time? Shouldn't you be home?" She asked concernedly, but it seemed to only make the young boy step back a bit more. After much hesitation, he stepped out of the doorway, hand still holding onto the handle like a lifeline.

"I uh.. I fell asleep in the classroom..." He mumbled, looking down at his shoes, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose. He pushed them back up, but the slid down again. Hinata blinked, suddenly recalling that he had stayed behind to study on his own. She felt ashamed for forgetting he was there.

"Anou.. don't you think you're parents are worried then?" Hinata approached in a soft voice, eyes full of concern. Ueno-san glanced between the two of them, smiling secretly at Hinata's easily caring nature. The boy blinked, looking up at her from beneath his glasses. He looked really tired, as he shook his head slowly.

"'Kaa-chan works late, she may not know I'm still here..." He answered slowly, rubbing sleeping at his right eyes, and stifled a yawn.

"Then why don't you run on home, Kinosaki-kun?" Ueno-san added, somewhat pointedly. He stepped back, looking hesitant and nervous again, darting slanted eyes between Hinata and Ueno-san.

"..I um.. I s-still don't understand english.. I.. I need help still..." He mumbled, staring nervously at Hinata. She smiled lightly, getting back to sorting through the papers before answering him.

"You should get home before your mother has to worry, I'll stay after with you tomorrow." It took awhile for the words to fully register in his sleepy brain, as he continously blinked his eyes for clarity. He stepped back behind the door a small smile on his face.

"Arigatou, Hyuuga-sensei.." He waved from behind the glass window.

She smiled, looking up from the papers and waved him goodbye as he left.

"I thought you weren't going to work late anymore..." Ueno-san shot in mock-accusation.

"It's not like I have much of a choice.." Hinata sighed, finishing her pile.

* * *

Hinata continued stare, ignoring her lunch. 

He sat at the far corner of the room, asleep.

The boy with the shaggy brown hair.

She was almost certain it was him, from the specialty store yesterday.

But she wasn't entirely sure, half of his face hidden in his arms.

She was really tired too.

Still staring at him, she brought her head down to rest in her arms just like him and closed her eyes.

* * *

Star - Yo, everybody. Yah, sorry this is such a short chapter, and sorry if you think it's pointless like a filler. I also feel kinna bad at it crappyness as well as not mentioning Naruto much, but I think this will be the only crappy short chapter I'll ever write, prolly. I'm going to Cape Cod soon, so I won'tl be touching the computer til the 28th or 29th, it all depends. Until then, hope you didn't mind this short filler-ish chapter. T.T 

* * *

Translation Notes:

- Dokidoki : Onomonopetia for heartbeats.

- Doko: where?

- Sore wa doko: Where is it?

Liner Notes:

- _The Strawberry Spider_ - This is a fictional store, of course there's a chance that somewhere.. anywhere, there is a store with this name. I dunno, I'm just guessing, but otherwise I made up the name myself. :3 I always have fun naming stores. X3

- _Doraemon_ - is a blue cat anime character that has a trans-dimensional portal in his stomach pouch or whatever. It's a classic kids show and I think every episode starts out with whatever comes out of Doraemon-chan's magical pouch. XP

- _Gothic&Lolita Bible_ - The cover I described probably does not exist, because I made it up on the spot. I never went to check or look other cover styles. I think sometime they switch from gothic to sweet style. In this case the 'new' issue has a sweet-lolita style cover.

- Shiro-loli - Shiro means 'white'. Shiro-loli is a Lolita who wears all white.

- Y'all know what JAWS is. I think the Japanese do too, cuz I have this awesome family film (sorta from Ghibli, but not really. O.o) Anyhoo, it's called 'My Neighbor the Yamadas', and there's a cute scene where the little girl asks her brother if she could have a piece of his cake. He reluctantly complies, and she eats the whole thing in one bite. He starts to muse that she looked liked JAWS n stuff. It's a cute movie.

* * *

Alright once again, sorry that this was like ... extremely short and filler-ish and it was prolly really boring too. ToT But I thought it was a good place to stop and it will prove some significance soon enough. 

-Bai bai, tomodachi-minna! (I'll be back in 4 days, ja ne! X3)


	10. Fubuki Feelings

Star- Alright chickies, sorry be the annoying voice reminding youse that school is starting soonish... uwaaaa, I don't think I can do it!!! ToT (I hope my friends are in the same lunch period of me at least... sigh) Anyhoo, so after this I'll be getting back to (or at least try to get back to) the weekly update I used to do. So I'll be updating at least every Friday night and it'll be ready for you guys in deh Saturday mornings. :3

Let's start the new year together with courage and smiles! As we try to kick ass together in a world that never truly understands us! _And we'll all float on Alright already, we'll all float on Alright, don't worry even if things end up a bit too heavy We'll all float on ... _ALRIGHT! XD

_Listening to: Anna Tsuchiya "Anarchy in the UK" _(except the above was Modest Mouse. XP lol)

OMGISH! IT'S THE TENTH CHAPTAH ALREADY! XD and OMG! EVERYONE KNOWS WHO NARUTO-KUN'S PARENTS ARE! XDDD (I wuv Kushina!!! XD Man I hope the series ends with NaruHina and NO part 3, otherwise it's just gunna be too much like DragonBall, and DB: GT sucked, sorry for any hardcore fan that liked that season. Huh... I also hope that Naruto doesn't end up getting his last name changed to Namikaze... I like Uzumaki, it's perfect for him. T.T Oh and you know, maybe if you put red hair on Naruko, you can have a bit of an idea how Kushina looked like. Of course some other people had great original ideas as well. :3 But actually I was talking about in essence. XP)

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Lunarangel's Dark Flame: _Thank you so muchos! XD 

_Fang Shinobi:_ I know... I suck, I don't know how or why I made Hinata the way she is... but then again, I know how to counter that, eheh... And yah I know, I have errors.. half the time it is the website's fault when uploading, and I don't do a very good job at proofreading... X0 But I'll make sure the next chapters are tip-top. :3 Oh, and mostly Hanabi calls Hinata onee-san, I don't think I had Hinata say onee-chan or if I did, then.. oops. :3 But thanks for the CC's, I appreciate them. :3 Hope you continue to review for the other chapters too, eheh. :P (Harajuku Forevah!! XD) (Okay, question... do I need to do a better job at the japanese setting-ness or am I doing well enough? O.o ..Cuz If there's room for improvement, I'd like to know how. :3)

_Chronostorm:_ Alright I getcha... I'll think of something. And you don't like Kiba-kun?? O.o huh, interesting...

_Darkewaken:_ Yay you're back! XD (...eheheh..). Yup Kiba is here, I hadn't mentioned him yet because he has not come into Hinata's life yet. (explanation: Hinata and Kiba never shared a class together until now, their first year of High School. Also they went to different middle schools, though still in the same district. :3) ..Okay, coolz, hope you like this chapter too! X3

_Sailor Alpha Tomboy: _Sorry if this is rude, but I kinna wish you could say something else... 9.9

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch.10 - Chira-hora, Fubuki Feelings

"Suuugoi!" Masabo gushed on the otherside of the classroom, staring intently at his laptop screen, as other boys came to gather around him. Other students stared at their direction curiously.

"You got it to work?" a boy asked excitedly.

"Check it out!" Another boy exclaimed, pointing at the screen and grinning.

"Ohhh..." The group of boys chorused, ogling fixatedly at the image of a half-naked woman smiling flirtatiously. Several heads turned to stare curiously and incredulously at the group, some shaking their heads and others simply ignoring them. Hinata suddenly woke up, watching them with half-interest, wondering what was going on, but sweatdropped as soon as she heard their whispers and happy murmurs.

"There's just something about older women..."

"How old you talkin' about?"

"..Such long legs!"

"What a cute smile!"

"You're both wack, look at those melons!" Masabo bickered, eyes glued to the screen like the other boys.

Hinata noticed the shaggy brown-haired boy, who had been sleeping in the back, get up to watch the screen with the rest of the boys.

"Betcha they're fake." He added with a mild smirk.

"Shut up, what do you know?" Masabo glared at him momentarily.

"She's great but..." A boy with straight brown hair started, bringing incredulous eyes to stare at him questioningly. He paused, feeling slightly embarrassed under the scrutiny.

"..I like my girls a little paler..." He finished, glancing behind him subconsciously.

"Whatever." The boys said at once, going back to the laptop screen.

On the other end of the room, a lithe girl with long black hair finished her apple and stood up to approach the gathering of hormones.

"Ooh, whatcha guys lookin' at?" She asked energetically, peeking her head in beside the shaggy brown-haired boy. She tilted her head to the side, looking at the half-stark woman.

"Sexy, but guys.." She trailed off with a slight warning.

"... her breasts are definately false." She finished feeling a bit triumphant as she pulled her head away from the screen and crossed her arms.

"See? I thought so." The shaggy haired boy grinned, all of this causing Masabo to stand up from his chair and glare annoyedly at the two.

"Arrgh! Screw you both! What do you know, huh?!" He shouted pointing angrily at them.

"It's blatant, Masabo.. and besides, I'm a girl afterall." Tsukumi smirked then stuck her tongue out at him.

"Che, oh really? I couldn't tell, you being so flat-chested an' all." Masabo smirked, still glaring and immediately getting a rise out of her.

"What?!"

"Unless you want to prove it, that you're female..." Masabo finished slyly, grinning with discreet perversion.

"Freak! Just go back to ogling those fake ta-ta's!" Tsukumi shouted red-faced, pointing pissily at the screen.

"Feh, you're just jealous you can't look like that, Tsukumi-chan." Masabo turned the laptop around, mocking Tsukumi with the lingerie-clad image.

"Oh please, stop bragging! Everybody knows you have the biggest boobs in school!" Tsukumi threw back, ending with a zealous smirk, as she looked down her nose at the shorter boy. Everyone in the room was watching the altercation intently, mostly because there was nothing else half as interesting going on in the relatively quiet room.

"You twig! I'll break you in half!"

"I'd like to see you try, dough-boy!"

They stood at a standstill, just glaring at one another, the lightening crackling between the two.

Hinata was about to turn her attention to the world outside the window when a voice called across the room.

"Ne, Naruto! Wanna take a look?" one of the boys offered, catching Naruto off guard. Hinata swiveled her head around to stare expectantly at him, wondering what he was going to do, as she watched him sit there somewhat embarrassed and bewildered. He look around the room, all eyes on him, waiting for a response.

"Uhh.. maybe some other time." Naruto replied, smiling sheepishly with a sweatdrop.

"Alright, suit yourself." The boy replied going back to the laptop screen. Naruto let out a small breath of relief and the rest of the room settled down into their own business, with the exception of Masabo and Tsukumi who were still glaring.

_Pin-pon Pan-pin!_

The bell rang, going somewhat unnoticed, as the classroom door opened revealing Imahada-sensei with briefcase in hand.

"Alright puppies, put your tongues back in your mouth and take a seat." She announced pointedly to the boys surrounding the laptop, groaning reluctantly. As soon as they pulled away and took their seats, the classroom looking more organized now, Tsukumi huffily walked away from Masabo and took her seat. Masabo began to sit down, shutting off his laptop slowly, when he was confronted by Imahada-sensei.

"Okudachi-san, you know you're not supposed to have that in school."

"Maa maa, I'll put it away, just don't confiscate it."

"Alright, but it's fair to warn you that next time I will."

"Hai, sensei."

With that she walked back to the chalkboard, pulling out her textbooks, and started seventh period.

* * *

Bluish-grey and darkened clouds covered the sky, a chill filling the school courtyard. Hinata shivered slightly as she wrapped her unusual scarf around her face, covering her nose. Students were slowly filling out, and a cold breeze passing through the trees and her clothes almost constantly, causing her to shiver more and feeling aggravated in the winter weather. She sighed slightly, her warm breath radiated against her scarf and onto her face, but making her cheeks and lips moist and colder afterwards. 

"So you got work again?" Naruto asked simply, walking out the gates with her, hands in his pockets and shoulders shaking every now and then.

"You need to wear something more than a sweater, Uzumaki-san.. it's supposed to snow again tonight." Hinata stated matter-of-factly, causing Naruto to smile and laugh.

"Haha, you're worried about me?" Naruto stated more than asked, teasing her as she blushed embarrassedly under her scarf and shook her head.

"If you get sick, I'm not taking you're notes this time..." Hinata warned walking calmly past him. Naruto's expression suddenly turned worried and panicky.

"Oh no wait! C'mon, Hinata-chan don't be like that!" He pleaded, jogging to catch up with her pace. He was somewhat taken aback when she giggled and looked at him with smiling eyes.

"I was just kidding.. well just a little bit.." Hinata smiled lightly underneath her scarf, returning her eyes back to the horizon. Naruto chuckled in response.

"Ne, I might get something later in Shibuya." He replied simply, as a pleasant silence fell over the two of them.

"Um.. Hinata-chan?"

"Hm?"

"...Don't you usually go the other way for the cram school?" He glanced curiously at her, her eyes suddenly wide with realization.

"Oh no!!" Hinata shouted, turning around and running down the sidewalk, as Naruto watched her disappear bemusedly.

* * *

Hinata sat in aggravated concentration in an otherwise quiet classroom. She had told the younger students to study on their own for the day, so she could work on her own homework. The fluorescent lights were suddenly making her eyes hurt, and she just want to push her geography homework to the side and sleep. But she knew she couldn't do that because then she'd still have to finish after she stayed late again to help Kinosaki with learning english. 

She pulled her eyes away to look outside the window. It was dark and the windows were slightly glared but she could see that it was snowing lightly already.

_'..I want to buy a new dress...'_ Hinata thought dreamily, thinking back to the pages of her magazine as she looked outside the window slightly dazed.

_'One with a lot of lace ribbons.. and chiffon... maybe a pink one... or white and dark purple... or a new headress... with silk ribbons, pearl in color... and blue embroidered roses..'_

_Pin-pon Pan-pin!_

The bell rung, bringing Hinata out of her daze. The younger students began filing out of the door, one lone boy in the back remained seated, eyes glued to his textbook pamphlet. Hinata sighed to herself, putting away her unfinished homework, knowing now she'd have to stay up late again. As soon as she got up, she noticed that Hanabi stood by the doorway already, glaring behind her at whom Hinata wasn't sure. When she turned back around, Hanabi looked up at her questioningly.

"Anou.. I have to stay after again Hanabi-chan, gomen..." Hinata replied, recieving a nod from her little sister.

"That's okay, I'll see you later then." Hanabi gave a small smile, waving her goodbye and walking away from the doorway. Hinata moved to sit in the desk next to the younger boy Kinosaki.

"Kinosaki-kun?" She approached softly, startling him, which suprised and somewhat startled her too.

"O-oh.. um.." He darted nervous eyes between her and his textbook pamphlet.

"What do you need help with specifically?"

"A-anou.. th-the whole thing.. I guess..." He mumbled, arranging and moving around his stuff on the desk.

"Really? All of it?" Hinata looked at him surprised, wondering how he expected her to help him with all of it.

"Mm." He nodded curtly, his glasses slipping off his nose as he pushed them back up. Hinata sighed lightly again.

"Well... what about in school? I mean, you're learning English in school right?"

"I'm ...f-failing that class... I-I'm not doing too well in any of my classes right now..." He whispered ashamedly, eyes dimming as he stared glumly at his desk. Hinata looked on with sympathetic eyes, sighing to herself while trying to muster some resolve to help him out. It was her job anyways. She pulled out her textbooks and lesson sheets and placed them on her desk.

"Should we start with the basics then?" Hinata encouraged with a smile. Kinosaki turned to face her slightly, eyes hopeful.

"H-hai." He nodded curtly again, smiling.

* * *

"So you got that?" Hinata asked, pointing at a word in a sentence. Kinosaki nodded again curtly, his former glumness lessened over the past hour, a small sincere smile on his face. 

"Hai."

"You did pretty well Kinosaki-kun, I think you'll have no problem with the Eigo segment of the exams." Hinata replied matter-of-factly, pulling her lesson sheets and stacking them into a pile beside her.

"You really think so?" He mumbled insecurely under his breath.

"The questions should be similiar to the ones I just showed you.." Hinata got up, packing her things and shrugging on her randoseru. She looked at the younger boy curiously to see that he wasn't getting ready to leave like she was.

"Kinosaki-kun?"

"I-I'm um.. going to st-study some more.."

"You're 'Kaa-chan is working late again?" Hinata assumed with concerned eyes.

"She always works late... " Kinosaki trailed off in a small voice, closing his textbook huffily and glaring at the back cover.

"She has to, so she can pay for the cram school tuiton.. but if I were smarter she wouldn't have to.. or if I didn't need a tutor.. I could get a job too and help her with the bills... I want to help my mom, because I d-don't see her anym-more.. b-but passing the exams are all I c-can do for 'Kaa-chan.." Kinosaki sighed with dim eyes, opening up his textbook again, just staring at the pages. Hinata stood there with a sympathetic face.

"Is that why you're here too, Hyuuga-sensei?" Kinosaki asked casually, peering though his large square glasses. The simple question caught Hinata off guard, not knowing how to answer it or what he meant by it exactly.

"You have this job so you can help your family, right?" He added, not seeing her faltering demeanor.

_'To help my family?'_

_"Otou-san, I w-want to get a j-job..." a younger Hinata announced, heels dug in the floor of the living room, as she tried to muster up some courage to stand in front of him. He looked up from his paperwork, eyes blank and poker-faced, making her feel like he didn't take her seriously._

_"I've told you before, a job will take up all your time, in which you should be studying." He stated simply, giving her a pointed look at the end. Hinata averted her eyes to the side momentarily, before looking back up again._

_"Besides we're well off, what do you need a job for?" He glanced up at her once, paying more attention to his work than their conversation._

_"T-to buy stuff..." Hinata trailed off in a whisper, worried he'd easily find her reason to be petty and selfish. She heard him make a a sound of disapprovement, making her hands ssweat a little with worry._

_"And where exactly do you expect to work?" He prodded with an arrogant tone._

_"A-anou.. I c-could work at a restaurant or a clothing store--" Hinata was interrupted by another grunt of disapprovement, startling her when she had been feeling a bit more confident._

_"All low wages, and too far from home." He stated with finality._

_"B-but, Otou-san..!"_

_"No, none of those vocations!" He fought back aggressively, causing Hinata to flinch and whimper softly. He relaxed the grip he held on a sheet of paper and placed itback on the table, smoothing it out. He sighed._

_"Do you still want to work?" He asked, his tone back to its usual indifference._

_"H-hai.." She affirmed, none too confidently. She brought her eyes up to see her father pull out a newspaper from underneath the pile, and folded it. He then turned it over, presenting her with a page that had an ad on it._

_"Then you will work here."_

Hinata shook her head slightly at the minor memory. She had wanted to work a normal and easy job, not this. In hindsight of the conversation, Hiashi's reasons were pettier than hers for working.

_'We're not poor at all, I didn't even care if I had a high paying job or not. I just wanted to buy more dresses, I'm not here to help provide my family at all...'_

Hinata smiled slightly, giving Kinosaki a bit of advice before leaving.

"Just don't fall asleep again, Kinosaki-kun."

* * *

Hinata slipped inside the doorway, taking off her mary-janes and rolling her tired shoulders. The kitchen and living room lights were still on in the otherwise still house. Hanabi had fallen asleep by the kotatsu, several textbooks still open around her, her studying unfinished. Neji wasn't in the room she noted but shrugged it off. She noticed that Hiashi however was sitting by the kitchen table, paperwork spread out as usual. He had stopped momentarily, not to notice or greet her, but noticing at his displeasure that Hanabi fell asleep at the books. With a grunt of disapproval, he went back to his spreadsheets, paying no more mind, but the disgruntled scowl still remained. 

Hinata sighed to herself, walking into the threshold, as she headed for her bedroom to finish her homework.

"Don't fall asleep like you're sister, Hinata-chan." He spoke up, making Hinata pause mid-step. She glanced at him curiously and cautiously, hearing her name from his mouth making her nervous. It wasn't often he addressed her directly. Hinata turned away without words, only to be stopped again.

"Hinata..?" He warned, expecting a response from her.

"I won't Otou-san."

* * *

Star- Well this was a bit longer than chapter 9, and not entirely filler-ish. :3 I'm really not into fillers yo, I want to make every chapter significant in some way. But anyhoo, I'll try to get the next chapter done in time for next saturday okays:3 Hope you wonderful people enjoyed this chapter. I could have made it longer I guess.. but oh wells, I'm sure this is alright. 6.6 

Translation Notes:

- Chira-hora: Onomatopoeia for snow falling softly.

- Fubuki: Blizzard.

- Sugoi: Wow; Amazing; Wonderful; Terrific!

- Eigo: English Language (yah I know, it kinna sounds like _'L'eggo my Eggo!'_ 9.9)

Liner Notes:

- Obviously Tsunade has the biggest ta-ta's in the school, but being a staff member she didn't count in the silly squabble.

- Many devices are prohibited in Japanese schools I think... but usually students sneak their junk in. ;P (Then again, maybe that was just the 90's when Japan was having a surge of teen violence and yankis and such that many devices were easily confiscated... hm, something to think about. Well don't critique me about it so much, it's not that big a deal.)

- I don't know when 'Exam Hell' actually takes place, and I don't know exactly the contents or details of the exams. But I'm pretty sure they are studying for all classes, and that english language is simply one of them. So yah, Hanabi, Kinosaki and the others of their grade are taking mad exams for majority or all of their classes. Um.. yeah.. feel free to correct or critique me if I got this all wrong. Even I prolly only got at least half of it wrong. 6.6

* * *

Okay so I guess that's it. :3 Good Luck everybody, Live well:D _And we'll all float on Alright already, we'll all float on Alright, don't worry even if things end up a bit too heavy We'll all float on ... _ALRIGHT! XD 


	11. Fake Flowers

Star- Okay well I decided to update a few chapters consecutively this time, because I figured Thorine-san would get bored with the next two chapters and prolly stop reading. So here is chapter 11, next is 12, and then finally 13. (Expect chapter 13 next Friday/Saturday kay:3) Please review for each, if you can help it. :3 If you can't then, Merry Christmas. XD I still wuv you guys, I just hope you don't find this and twelve to be filler chapters, because only 9 was meant to be a filler, anyways I just don't want to skip over any details, cuz I don't do flashback summaries, it would be too tedious and semi-impersonal, like you know.. second-hand scenes with first-person POV's.. now that wouldn't be very interesting. At least I don't think so.. Anyways, it'd be short too. But yeah, dunno if you even read this, just hope you enjoy this chapter.

Enjoi!

_

* * *

Thorine: _Sorry for boring you, hope you can make it til the 13th chapter, cuz that's when the prologue season ends, and the story starts up again as not being boring. Seriously, it's true:3 

_Lilstrummrgirl527:_ You rock, thanks for reviewing for both chapters, and thanks for well.. I mean you weren't totally bored with the past two chapters right? O.o Well anyways, hope you're entertained til the 13th chapter. :3 Ja ne!

_Chronostorm:_ THANK YOU SO MUCH! XD I mean for liking the chapter, cuz I was worried that it was dull... T.T Well then I suppose you won't like Kiba much for awhile, I'll be characterizing him as the way he was before the Chuunin exams, aka... kinna arrogant. But he'll still be a nice guy, cuz he is. Then again, maybe I'm not so sure how Kiba can be poorly portrayed unless its like OOC. ..O.o?

_Lunarangel's Dark Flame: _Hee hee, you're review made me smile. :3 But I wouldn't totally call the boys perverts, just that they are being boys. And Kiba didn't exactly ogle the lingerie girl with interest, just to make fun of Masabo's judgement. ;P But yah, that's just me spreading the grey shades around, anyhoo... thank you very much for the splendiferous review, you summarized it so nicely. XP

_Lovelyanime-san:_ I don't know why, but I just want to shout out.. I LOVE YOU SWEETHEART! XD Sorry if that was wierd, but at least it's out of my system. X3 Good luck with school, pyon! ;P

_Fang-Shinobi:_ Omigosh! XD I've been blessed, err my fanfic has! Yay I'm so elated! XDDD Thank you SOO much, you rock! Truly, Positively, obviously! XD lol, sorry for my weirdness. Yes I've been researching Japanese culture constantly all my life since 6th grade, that's like about... oh.. just 6 years..hm. Well shoujo manga helps too, lol! (And Gokusen! That helped alot too! XD) And I guess that's not really all my life either, lol. X3 Much love:3

_Darkewaken:_ Sorry, eheh, if that sounded shallow.. (sweatdrop). But I did miss you, I was rereading your past reviews and I was like.. 'uwa, where did you go?', lol. X3 Hope you like this chapter, much love, ja ne! XD

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch.11- Fake Flowers

Hinata peered out of her bedroom shouji, a frigid draft chilling her through her thin cotton sleepwear. She shivered, though was busy silently admiring the snowy morning. She pulled her eyes away from the snow-covered ground to glance up at Naruto's house, then closed the shouji. She pushed herself back onto her futons, sighing to herself tiredly. She picked up the crotcheted square made of soft blue yarn to her eye level, scrutinizing it with weary eyes. She blinked as if she could barely see it.

She had studied til early in the morning, completing her homework til the sun rose up from the snow-covered horizon. After that she couldn't see any point in sleeping and took to crotcheting a scarf. She barely made it past three inches long, but decided she'd have to finish it another time after school.

"At least it's Friday... just one more day until Sunday." Hinata murmured to herself, smiling softly.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Hinata nearly laughed, looking on incredulously at Naruto's behavior. 

"Making clouds with my breath. You ever do that when you were a kid?" He smiled childishly, exhaling large moisture clouds that would instantly evanesce in the chill air. Hanabi started following suit, giggling every so often as it hit against her cheeks. They kept doing that til they made it to the Middle School gates.

"Ohh, I'm getting tired.." Hanabi commented, letting out on final exhale, leaning against the brick wall of the gate.

"Yeah.. me too." Naruto chuckled slightly, trying to regain his breath, but only making him shiver more. Hinata noticed he wore the same fade black hoodie, instead of something new and warmer.

_'I'm going to have to finish that scarf soon..'_

She shook her head with a slight frown, as she waved her little sister goodbye.

"Bye, Onee-san!" She called as they walked further away. As soon as they were gone, she starting making her way slowly into the school, somewhat enjoying the frigid December weather. She approached her shoe locker, not noticing two pair of eyes watching her from afar. As soon as she opened it though, gasping lightly and taken aback, she looked inside, a polaroid sitting atop her indoor shoes and staring right back at her. She reached in, taking the picture tentatively in her hands. It was one of the pictures from over three weeks ago, the one of her and Kanasato-kun.

Hanabi turned to glance to her left in time to see Yoko and lackey Akina smirking darkly at her before turning away, Yoko's long wavy hair sweeping behind her. Hanabi turned her wide eyes back to the picture and flipped it over. There was dark red script on the back.

_You got lucky last time brat, but not today._

Hanabi cursed silently under her breath, hair falling over her eyes.

"Dammit.."

* * *

"Oi, Masabo..." 

Masabo ignored him, tapping irritatedly on his desk.

"Oi, Masabo you got your laptop again??" The boy persisted again, smiling hopefully though the chubbier boy continued to ignore him.

"Oi, Masabo! You got your--"

"Stop bugging me, dammit!" He shouted back, bringing the attention of the entire classroom on them. Whispers and murmurs between friends went around the room, eyeing them incredulously.

_"What are they doing?"_

_"Not again.."_

_"..boys are so dumb."_

"Stupid Masa.. I'm not that flat..." Tsukumi grumbled, chin on her desk glumly.

"You're still hung up on that?" her friend beside her Touki sweatdropped with a small frown.

"I shoulda kicked his ass for saying that!"

"Just don't mention this to your family... I'm afraid what'll happen to him.." Touki muttered weakly, chin in hand as her friend continued to mumble and rant. Suddenly a boy across the room starting coughing. When she looked up she deadpanned, seeing the shorter boy coughing exaggeratedly.

"Man, what's up with you?"

"I'm (cough!) sick! (cough!) Can't you tell?" He grinned cheekily, not fooling anybody.

"Oi! You're going to see Tsunade-chan again, aren't you!" Masabo accused loudly from his seat, the shorter boy still grinning but not saying anything else. It was actually obviously, being that this was something he often did before.

"Baka, she won't keep you if you just have a cough." Yamato pointed out matter-of-factly, Ukue rolling her eyes at the whole situation. Across the room by the windows, Naruto looked on bewildered and curious.

"Do they do this all the time?" He said aloud, more to himself than anyone. A girl with reddish-hair behind him spoke up, looking bored.

"Yup. But they're not the only ones in school. There's ton of fakers all over campus. It's pathetic." She explained with an annoyed sigh, Naruto nodding in response. Suddenly the shorter boy doubled over, wincing as if in pain.

"Itai.. my stomach hurts...!"

"Asano-kun you're so funny!" Ukue shouted, laughing with tears in her eyes.

"Well, I'm off!" He announced, limping out the door with a grin and still holding his stomach.

"_Really_ pathetic." The red-head finished.

* * *

The shorter boy trudged on through the halls, getting some looks by other classmates and teachers as he held his stomach and muttered to himself. 

"Itai.. itai.. my stomach... owie.."

Upon arriving at the white door, he knocked audibly enough so it sounded like an emergency. It opened swiftly, revealing Shizune, who once looked worried but immediately her expression changed upon seeing him.

"I'm sick!" He immediately announced, deriving an irritated sigh from Shizune.

"What is it this time, Asano-kun?"

"My st-stomach hurts! I think it's food poisoning!" He winced almost convincingly.

"Can I see Tsunade-chan?" He smiled, looking up hopefully, the former painful wincing gone entirely from his face. Shizune brought a hand up to her head, brushing back black bangs before looking at him pointedly.

"I honestly don't think that's a good idea right now..." Shizune warned, with a loud angry shriek and then a yell coming on cue, from way back in the room.

"AAAAAGH! I'M A FREAKING HEMO-PHOBE, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! WHY DID GOD GIVE ME A MENSTRUAL SYSTEM??!!!!" came Tsunade's rage-filled voice, almost blasting out of the doorway, causing a suddenly scared and slightly blue looking Asano to take a step backwards. He knew any woman was scary when PMS-ing, but then again Tsunade was always rather pissy one way or another. So either this made no difference or it easily made it worse. Asano straightened his back, no longer putting on the act.

"Wow, I'm cured. Guess I'll just go back to my classroom then..."

"Yeah, you do that.." Shizune sighed wearily to herself, closing the door as he walked away swiftly. Suddenly a door in the back opened as a stressed looking Tsunade walked out of the bathroom, massaging her forehead.

"Who was at the door, Shizune-san?"

"Just another one of your admirers." She replied with a light sheepish smile, Tsunade scoffing at the clear meaning. She moved towards the beds, collasping on one, one hand on her stomach and another draped over her eyes. She sighed somewhat comfortably to herself, concentrating on calming her inner turmoil when another loud knock came to the door.

"Is it another one?!" Tsunade called out, sighing aggravatedly.

"Mm-hm.." Shizune replied sheepishly, eliciting another aggravated sigh from Tsunade.

"Boys will be boys, Tsunade-hime." Shizune smiled fondly with a sheepish eyes, a mix of a smile and a smirk on Tsunade's face at the nickname.

* * *

They had finally used the pictures against her. 

And had shown them to everyone.

Hanabi sat rigidly in her seat, gripping one of the photos fiercely til she was certaint the image was unrecognizable and wrinkled. She hadn't cared so much for other peoples words or the feeling of heat on her back like so many eyes. She never talked to anybody else, her once 'tight-knit' group with Yoko, Akina and Kanasato being all that she had for the past two years. She wasn't exactly was what possessing Yoko to turn on her, and she still felt jilted by Kanasato.

_'But he's not here today.. why is that? And why did she wait til now?'_

_She clutched her school bag tighter in her fists, trying to summon enough strength not to just run out of the gate and turned to face the school doors. She gasped slightly when she noticed Kanasato-kun's eyes on her. Something seemed different about him, he averted his eyes to the bottom right and turned around, walking away into the school. _

_'How long had he been there?'_

Hanabi lowered her eyes, staring a dejected hole in her desk.

_'He's been avoiding me since then, since the pictures... but that day he looked a little guilty right? Or am I just hoping that he did?'_

Footsteps stopped in front of her, barely getting her attention. She didn't care who it was, they just better leave her alone real soon.

"I don't usually like small girls, but you look like a lot of fun in these pictures, Hanabi-chan." came the boys voice smugly, and though she didn't look up, she could practically see the arrogant perverted smile on his face. She gripped at the crumpled photo in her hands further, her knuckles turning white, and her eyes widening with anxious anger.

"Especially with those cute rabbit panties... are you wearing them today?" He finished, placing a hand on her desk and leaning closer to her. She clenched the withered photo further in her fist ti lshe could feel her nails digging into her palm, tilting her head down til hair shadowed her eyes from view.

"...Disgusting pig." She whispered darkly, startling the smug boy who barely heard her.

"What'd you call me?" He shot back indignantly, unaware how easily he just became a target of her rage. Suddenly Hanabi shoved her desk so hard into the boy, hitting him across the stomach, that he lost his footing and fell backwards.

"Hey!" He shouted, though Hanabi marched out of her seat, ignoring the ass that landed on his, and stopped in front of Yoko, glaring at her menacingly. Yoko dropped her smile and stopped talking with Akina, facing a cool and questioning gaze at Hanabi's angry one.

"Why now?! Why have you shown them now?!" Hanabi shouted out in a barely controlled voice, her voice cracking somewhat at the end, and frustrated tears stinging her eyes. Yoko sat there unfazed and unmoving.

"Why is this bothering you so much?" Yoko replied with extra sugar-coating, putting on an air of clueless innocence. Hanabi stomped a foot on the ground, a strangled frustrated scream croaked in her throat, making it feel very hoarse.

"YOU KNOW DAMN WHY!" Hanabi screamed at her, making the room jump and look on with rapt interest and anxious eyes.

"People are treating me like a call girl, and you're just fine with that, aren't you?!" Hanabi glared at her accusingly, a ghost of a smirk hovering over Yoko's lips.

"Geez, Hanabi-chan... with the way you threw yourself at Kanasato-kun, it's easy to assume that you are." She smirked smugly, feeling very comfortable knowing she was on the advantage. Hanabi's eyes widened, disbelief on her face as she shook her head vehemently, worried and embarrassed tears stinging her eyes again.

"N-no! It.. it wasn't like th-that!" Hanabi stammered embarrassedly, suddenly doing a poor job at defending her side of the story.

"But you were coming onto him, weren't you?" Yoko prodded innocently, making the situation for Hanabi worse as the students continued to openly eavesdrop.

"..N-no, I wa-wasn't..!" Hanabi's voice faltered against her will, hands fisted weakly at her sides, nervous eyes sweeping across the room, only to see blank expressions on the classmates. Who side were they going to take? Were they believing Yoko?

"Then what is it?! Why don't you explain yourself already?!" Yoko shouted at her, demanding her to answer as she stood suddenly towering over her now. Hanabi dropped her eyes to the ground, unsure whether to speak, unsure of what to say.

"..." Hanabi stood silent, stubborn to talk. Her face felt hot and her stomach cold, the anxiety and stress and anger swirling nauseously in her chest.

"Either you like Kanasato-kun or you're an easy penny!"

"N..no. I.. I don't care about Kanasato-kun..." Hanabi whispered, knowing that she was lying to herself, clenching her fingers loosely in her fists.

"So then you are a ho'?"

"NO! Just shut your mouth already Yoko!" Hanabi shot her a deadly glare, fist clenched tightly at her sides. She stomped her foot again.

"Your such a liar, and the pictures are a lie! Everything that comes out of your mouth is just shit!"

"You tiny bitch!" Yoko hissed, shoving Hanabi backwards, pushing her by the shoulders.

"Look in the mirror sometime, and you'll find a hyprocrite! Stupid girl, you're the biggest liar I've ever seen okay?! You DO like Kanasato-kun! And even if you didn't, the pictures show how quick you are to flip your skirt!" Yoko stepped forward, giving Hanabi a final push, shoving her on the ground as she fell with a frightened squeak. She landed awkwardly on her butt, her skirt flown up, showing white panties to half of the class. Silence filled the room for an instant, Hanabi pushing her skirt back down hastily, embarrassed and jilted tears falling from her bewildered wide eyes.

"See?" Yoko scoffed, smirking haughtily to herself, before finishing.

"Cute polar bear panties by the way." She smirked darkly, Akina laughing beside her, smirking as well. Suddenly Hanabi screamed, picking herself up and swiftly lunging for Yoko, catching her off guard as she shoved her against the large classroom window. She hit her head against the glass, making it wobble slightly. Hanabi, though despite their height difference, did all she could at the moment; scartching her face, punching her, pulling her hair. And Yoko wasn't quite able to shove her away this time, as she screamed frightened. Suprised and scared yells went around the classroom.

"Penny-chan's gone crazy!"

"Somebody do something!"

"Why don't you, stupid?!"

"Somebody get the teacher!!"

* * *

Snow fell softly onto the school courtyard, students slowly and pleasantly trudging through the cold and soggy ground, laughing and talking. Hinata breathed into her scarf, warming her face with moisture. She had already waved Naruto off as he went to work. But she decided to take it easy, as she stood in the snow, staring a blind hole at nothing, as if her mind was just empty of any true tangible thoughts. She felt unattached, floating yet grounded at the same time. She breathed into her scarf, the moisture hitting her face, waking her up out of her daze as she blinked. 

_'I need sleep...'_

* * *

Hinata looked up after bell had rung, the students filing out. Some of them were missing she noted, but not taking much concern out of it. Kanasato hadn't been there, nor Yoko and that other girl...oh, Akina. She turned her attention to the doorway, expecting to see Hanabi smiling and waiting patiently for her. But she wasn't there. 

_'Maybe she's still with Ueno-san...'_ Hinata took a final glance around the room, shrugging on her bag and pulling her supplies together, it was then she finally realized somebody else had been missing from the after school class.

"Where's Kinosaki?"

Hinata exited out of the classroom with quick and deliberate steps, hoping to meet up with Hanabi and wondering what happened to the quiet boy, Kinosaki. After a few lefts and rights, Hinata made it to Ueno's classroom to see her packing up as well.

"Oh, Hinata-chan?" She looked up at her curiously, as Hinata's eyes swept across the room, and worry etching onto her face.

"Where's Hanabi-chan?" Hinata rushed, eyes wide and voice slightly hitched. Ueno-san looked on bewildered, thinking tiredly to herself_ 'Oh geez, not again.'_ She sighed to herself, preparing herself to deal with Hinata before she freaked out. Last time she could barely convince her to go home, she wasn't sure how she could do it again.

"Maa maa, Hinata-chan.. I don't know what I to tell you, but she hadn't been here today."

"Oh no.. last time she ..she got in a fight with... oh no..." Hinata brought a hand up to her lips as she continued to mutter to herself. Suddenly Ueno-san reached a hand out toward Hinata's head...

"Itai!" Hinata squeaked, grabbing her head, glaring an accusatory 'What did you do that for?' at Ueno-san, whom was smirking a half-way smile at her.

"Gray hair." was all she said, holding a single strand of hair in between her index finger and thumb. Hinata gave her a confused look.

"You're only going to get more of these, if you keep worrying like that." She added, smiling cheekily.

"But that strand isn't gray.." Hinata stated matter-of-factly, causing Ueno to inwardly groan.

"I know that, but I was trying to make a point here!" She threw her hands in the air, muttering to herself exasperately "I give up!". Hinata sighed softly, sinking into a chair and pulled out her cellphone. She began dialing Hanabi's number. After several rings and no pick-up, Hinata gave up and put her cell back in her bag.

"She's not answering?" Ueno asked, coming back from across the room.

"No. She didn't answer last time eitiher." Hinata sighed, placing her chin in her hand and staring dazedly at nothing once again. Ueno-san looked at her bemusedly, taking notice of the slight bluish discoloration under her eyes.

"You really need to get home, honey. I'm sure your sister is there." She stated softly. Hinata got up slowly, shrugging her bag further onto her shoulder and nodding sleepily.

"Anou.. could you do something else for me then?" Hinata asked in a small sleepy voice, looking Ueno-san in the eyes for moment before her sight drifted to the side.

"Kay?" She nodded, with curious eyes.

"You remember the small boy from Tuesday night? Kinosaki-kun?"

Ueno nodded.

"He wasn't here today, could you.." Hinata trailed off slightly, turning around and heading for the door.

"I'll call his house. I'm sure things are alright though..." Ueno trailed off curtly at the end as Hinata waved her goodbye and exited the room. Ueno collasped onto a chair, leaning an elbow on the desk and placing her forehead in her hand.

"Great.. now I'm worried about my own daughter..."

* * *

Night time blackened the sky, dark bluish clouds drifting over the moon, but the city lights obscuring any stars to be seen, even from Ueno Park **(1)**. Hinata drifted across the snow, like the hazy clouds did the sky. She had missed her stop on the bullet train, after falling asleep, and she landed in the JR Uguisudani Station. She stared at the baren sakura trees, thinking to herself how pretty they will look in the spring. It reminded her of so many picnics her mother use to take her on when Hiashi was too busy moving around. 

_'And then after ice cream, she'd take me to see the giant panda at the zoo...' _Hinata smiled lightly at the little memory, realizing now that the tips of her ears were numb cold. She pulled her scarf further around her face, walking lilting strides down the park walkway until she came up to a little bridge that crossed over a stream. She stopped to admire the slow moving stream, as it glinted with moonlight every now and then. The banks were covered with snow, the water looking foggy with frost at the edges, sometimes chunks of snow would fall and drift and dissolve into the water. Eventually it would freeze over completely.

She yawned, moisture clinging onto the inside of her scarf, as she sighed into the frigid night air.

_'Stay any later and I might get sick... if I get sick I don't have to go to school tomorrow.. or teach at the cram school... maybe I should..'_ Hinata shook her head, berating herself for thinking the way she was, such nonsense. Yet she couldn't help but feel tempted to catch a cold, she never got sick before except one time when she was little, back then she missed three days of school.

"Oh well..."

* * *

Hinata slipped inside the house quietly, kicking her shoes off at the door, she was taken aback when she heard voices yelling. She had even been able to hear it five feet away from the house outside. 

_'Hope Uzumaki-san isn't hearing any of this... what happened to make Otou-san so angry?'_ Hinata hesitantly stepped onto the threshold of the living room, a furious Hiashi coming into immediate view and Hanabi sitting down by the kotatsu. She was gripping at her knees, and her shoulders were shaking, all the while he was scolding her.

"WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH YOU, HANABI!"

"I'm sorry, Otou-san..."

"EXAMS ARE COMING UP NEXT WEEK! WHAT ARE YOU DOING PICKING FIGHTS FOR?!"

"Otou-san.. sh-she w-wa-was.."

"DON'T GIVE ME ANY EXCUSES, HANABI!"

"I'm sorry Otou-san.."

"THE PRINCIPAL WANTED TO SUSPEND YOU FROM THE EXAMS! YOU KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD'VE DONE?! I CAN'T ALLOW TO HAVE A FAILURE!"

"I'm sorry, Otou-san..."

"And what was last night?! You fell asleep in the middle of your studies! Five hours of sleep and you fail! Four hours and you pass! Remember that!"

"I'm sorry, Otou-san..."

"Don't give me 'sorry'! Tell me 'yes' that you're going to work hard! TELL ME!"

"I'll work hard.."

"Not that you will! You are!"

"I.. I am going to w-work hard..."

"Get going. Go, go, go! Move it!" He snapped his fingers at her, as she stumbled to get to her feet, picking up her books and running to her room.

Hinata felt like her ears were ringing, she hadn't heard her father yell in so long and it scared her. She accidentally took a step forward, eliciting a creak in the floor. She gasped, and her heart was beating rapidly in her chest with fear, and she felt like a cold flash came over her, her hands moist and clammy.

"WHERE WERE YOU?!" Hiashi bellowed, eyes completely hard and enraged. She darted her gaze away frightened, but remember she couldn't look weak, it always displeased him. Her throat went dry however, she couldn't come up with the words immediately to divert his rage away from her.

"WELL?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, COMING HOME SO LATE?! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?!"

Hinata took a step back, she began to frantically wonder where Neji was.

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE, AFTER YOU'RE SHIFT, WITH DINNER READY BY THE TIME I GET HOME!"

"...!" Hinata nothing but breath come out of her mouth, she was starting to feel pinned under his glare and she couldn't take it.

"ANSWER ME!"

"I WAS AT THE LIBRARY STUDYING!" Hinata shouted the lie, sliding against the wall onto the floor, looking up at the suddenly less enraged Hiashi, as he looked down his nose at her, as if scrutinizing if her answer was valid. She waited in the tense silence, hoping to every god that he believed her. Suddenly with a small noise of approvement he turned away, sitting down by his paperwork at the kitchen table. Hinata immediately took that moment to run to her room, much like Hanabi did.

As soon as she entered her room and shut the shouji door, she collasped on her futon and curled into her covers, trying to leave the world behind her.

Even if only for a second.

* * *

Star- Well that last scene dredged up some nasty elementary school memories. ToT Anyhoo, hope nobody thought this was a messed up random filler chapter or that Hiashi seemed homicidal. Obviously you guys don't know what strict parents are like then, seriously. Well anyhoo, this is not a filler. Just because I wrote one (ch.9), doesn't mean this and 10 were fillers. Twelve isn't supposed to be a filler either okay? 9.9 

In fact, I'm prolly nevah gunna write any fillers, even if it's a short fun chapter, it's not a filler. Just setting the ground rules here, then kay? X0 (argh, the frustration of it all!)

Liner Notes:

-Yes majority of the school boys and maybe a couple lesbians (that I will never mention cuz they're not relevent right now.) have the hots for Tsunade-hime. Duh, she is beautiful blonde bombshell. ;P Anyhoo, since in the original Naruto storyline, Tsunade is using a henge for her ability to look about 20-30 years old when she of course is 50-60, I decided to make her actually be the age that she looks: 28. Right now she is 28. Okay, no botox or olay regenatives! (lol).

-"Penny-chan", was a momentary nickname for Hanabi as you knew, because Yoko had called her an 'easy penny'. Which is a term that I derived from a phrase used by Kotobuki Ran from "GALS!" manga: "You think I'm just a penny you can pick up off the street?!" Something like that, I was too lazy to go back and check word-for-word. But it's close. X3

- Ueno Zoo and Ueno-sensei: It was a complete accident... Ueno Zoo and Ueno park exist, Ueno-san is a legitimate last name but has no affiliation with the park and district (and zoo.) Normally I try not to reuse names, or in this case have a character's name be similar with a place. In any case, it was all an accident. I forgot that Ueno park existed, ha yeah I know that sounds wierd, and I was thinking of Ai Yazawa at the time unfortunately when I decided: okay her name with simply be Ueno-san. The last name had been rolling around in my head til I finally used it. Just letting you guys know all that. (whew..)

-Yah I know, Hiashi is a creep and scary-exaggerated here, maybe. But if I could reiterate that he. is. STRICT. And so of course he's gonna be all yell-y and pissy and controlling. I may have even made him scarier than Shikamaru's mom, lol. But I dunno, yeah... sorry Hanabi and Hinata to leave yah with horrible moments with Hiashi like that.

- You guys prolly are thinking "Geez, wtf, it's just exams. Lighten up, why so much drama over tests?" or at least that's what I'm sadly anticipating to be your reactions. In any case peoples, this is "Exam Hell". It's supposed to be a big deal in Japan me thinks, after all... I read this one article from a former student's POV about "Exam Hell" and how it affected her friends and classmates: They studied so hard they lost weight because they practically ignored eating. They turned into "book-weary zombies" or something like that. And Hiashi knowing that it's a big deal, is going bozonkers over it, so deal with my crazy angry parent moment okay? ToT

- the title "Fake Flowers", is inspired by Olivia Lufkin's song "Fake Flowers", the lyrics that stood out the most to me were these verses:

These lyrics make me think of Hinata in this chapter, pertaining to Hiashi's expectations and the pressure of that and life weighing heavily on her back, and making her feel somewhat chained to her life. Harajuku is of course her only escape.

* * *

That's it, please review this chapter if you can help it, I know there's people out there who'll just simply review the last chapter with a summarized opinion of the whole story so far, but that's no fun! XD 

So review please! Ja ne!


	12. Sugarbloodsuckers

Star- Hope you guys didn't get freaked out with the last chapter ending, and sorry if it was wierd or supefluous and sorry for my unessecary and large amounts of OC's over Canon Characters. But most of the Canon's are over in Matsue, now don't get pushy with me about when they show up. You'll hopefully be please with how we get to that part and how I'm going to write it out, okay? O.o yikes, I'm all tuckered out with the stress of trying to do this right. ToT

Enjoi please, for the love of GOD, Enjoy! ToT

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch. 12 - Sugarbloodsuckers

_I felt so far away just then, everything felt out of place, out of my control... why do people expect so much out of others? Why can't I just live and breath in peace, with everybody else? There's something I'm doing wrong, I just don't know what it is._

_And then that feeling comes back, the one that feels like a small hole in my chest..._

_...I'm missing something._

_And I just don't know what that is._

"Man.. I couldn't sleep last night.." Naruto muttered, causing Hinata to panick. She looked at him with large panicked eyes, but immediately pulled away to look ahead of them, walking rather rigidly beside him. Hanabi walked slowly behind, holding hands with Hinata and her long scarf shared between the two of them, covering up her split bottom lip from yesterday's rumble.

"Wh-why i-i-is th-that?!" Hinata squeaked breathlessly and a hand held to her chest, as if trying to muffle her rapid nervous heartbeats. Naruto didn't take notice of her anxiety, his expression blank and unchanged.

"There was a guy yelling, sounded like maybe it was across the street. I couldn't make out any of the words though.." Naruto commented, nonchalant with hands in his pocket. Hinata sighed a breath of relief but was still feeling anxious.

_'He doesn't know.. (sigh) this is too awkward...'_ Hinata mellowed out after that, and waved Hanabi goodbye at the middle school gates. Hanabi barely nodded, as she trudged on, making Hinata feel even more unsettled.

* * *

Homeroom was pleasant, with the buzz of indistinct conversation and the occasional loud laughter from Ukue or aggravation of Masabo, the usual group of boys gathering over a talk about cute girls, the girls in the back gossiping over a kogal magazine. 

Instead she was focused on the strings of soft blue, woven into and out of eachother, like an unmoving ocean. She smoothed out the 6 inch rectangle of soft blue, then returned to making more loops and tightened the threads, adding onto the length.

She wasn't sure what compelled her to make a scarf that sleep-deprived morning, she just vaguely remembered how it reminded her of his eyes. And watching the blue increase, the repeative motions making her calmer, she could feel herself leave the world behind; no burdening thoughts or heavy feelings ruining her plain and relaxed mood.

She just felt simple and comfortable, for what felt like the first time in the longest time since.

The classroom door opened, but she hadn't noticed.

Some of the students greeted the boy pleasantly, and she hadn't noticed.

She still was too focused on her crotcheting that she hadn't noticed the footsteps stop beside her.

"Ne, Hinata-chan...? Whatcha making?" Naruto grinned in his fox-like way, his voice instantly making Hinata jump.

"Eep!" She squeaked suddenly, making a hasty effort to hide what she was doing. She didn't want him to see it yet.

"N-nothing!" Hinata replied, making Naruto raise a confused brow.

"Nothing? You were making something, it was blue."

"No it wasn't!" Hinata shook her head vehemntly, unwittingly turning in an embarrassed spaz, a light blush across her cheeks. _'Ohh.. it was supposed to be a surprise..' _she whined to herself dejectedly. Naruto just looked at her a bit strangely, shrugging the whole thing off easily.

"Um, okay... Hinata-chan.." Naruto gave a small sheepish smile and walked away to talk with the group of boys crowding around desks toward the door. Hinata sighed to herself, flushing with embarrassment, and staring aggravatedly at the soft blue almost-a-scarf in her lap.

"..was I.. acting wierd?" Hinata sighed wearily at her own embarrassment, bringing her forehead to lean against her desk.

* * *

"Yosh! I can't wait to get to work! I wonder if the old man will let me eat during shift though...eheheh." Naruto grinned, chuckling to himself and hand behind his head, Hinata smilng softly underneath her large white scarf. 

_'And today is my final day of work for a couple months..'_ She looked wistfully to the hazy greyish-blue sky, the sun a perfect circle behind a veil of clouds.

"Ja ne, Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted over his shoulder, startling her out of her daze seeing him bolt off. She hadn't even gotten a chance to really react or respond, she wondered what got him so excited?

_'Oh wait... forgot, it's ramen.'_

She didn't mind having to work, or at least she figured she didn't. Rather it was returning home that she was truly not looking forward to. Even if Hanabi hadn't gotten into a fight, she knew that sooner or later Hiashi would get around to 'coaching' Hanabi in her studies. She remembered how he got when she was thirteen and taking the week long exams, she just wondered if she had it worse or if Hanabi was. Hiashi seemed to favor Hanabi over her, though it was hard to tell, with him not being around and Hanabi hanging around her. She didn't care if Hiashi preferred Hanabi over her, usually it worked to distract him away from hassling her around. Except for recently, she was afraid he wasn't finished with her, maybe he came up with more to bitch about and would vent out on her.

"Iie, stop thinking like that... it's not like that anymore, I'm passed stuttering constantly..twiddling my fingers.."

_'But does Otou-san take me seriously?'_

* * *

Hinata peeked inside the classroom door of her tutor class, turning back around to face Ueno-san who had been calling her name. 

"Kinosaki-kun's mother collasped during work yesterday evening, that's why he wasn't in your class. He stayed home to take care of his mother." Ueno stated quickly and evenly. Hinata was shocked and concerned at the news, but was also mildly surprised how unattached Ueno-san was to it.

"Is she alright?!" Hinata asked worriedly, her voice hushed but risen with concern.

"Yeah, she's fine. Don't worry so much about it." Ueno smiled slighlty, though Hinata went slightly pensive.

"I know, but I can't help but feel a little obligated.."

"About what?" Ueno gave her a dubious look, surprised Hinata was taking her minor tutor job so seriously.

"I don't know.. I just feel obligated." Hinata answered vaguely, eyes averted to the side like she was looking into herself for a moment. Ueno just sighed tiredly, shaking her head at Hinata and walked away for her class. She turned around and walked inside, readying herself for the last day of her part-time job. She looked up to notice Kinosaki sitting in the back, glum eyes glued to his textbooks unconcentrated-like.

She easily felt bad for him.

He was such a nice kid and he tried to so hard to please his mother, tried so hard to make it through school at least decently. His mother overworks herself til she collaspes, and there's no one else but him to take care of her.

She felt sympathetic for him, and ashamed that she had it easier.

If only slightly.

* * *

"Good job today Naruto-kun, you didn't burn the chicken or overcook the noodles." Ayame smirked good-naturedly, as Naruto glared at her half-heartedly. 

"Of course, what'd you expect? I'm the best there is! Hahaha!" Naruto puffed out his chest, laughing loudly. Ayama just looked at him, deadpanned.

"Ne, Naruto-san, you go and head home tonight okay?" Teuchi called over his shoulder, hands busy with cooking on the wok. Naruto paused in his laugh-rant, leaning against the counter and gave him a questioning look.

"Why? I can work a few extra hours, I don't mind."

"Yeah but this is about the time that drunks roam the streets." Ayame added, and almost as if on cue the curtain flaps were pulled aside and came two new customers.

"Moe-chan would you just lay off already?" A fairly good-looking boy with brown hair sighed wearily under his breath, taking a seat and glaring tired eyes at the reddish-brown haired girl with ruddy tan skin. She stood almost towering over him, hands on her hips, a bossy determination in her eyes.

"No way, baby! I'm tired of seeing you moping over Atsuko-chan! I think the only way to get him out of your mind is to tell me everything you did with him that. one. night..!" Moe grinned chesire-like, a dangerous twinkle in her eye, like she was hoping he'd cave in.

"That's not going to help, it's going to make it worse!"

"Surrender to my superiority!" Moe grinned widely, pumping a fist in the air. Robin just slumped further in his seat. Naruto just stood there, deadpanned and unsure what to do or how to respond.

"Are these the drunks you're talking about?" Naruto asked aloud with a blank face, with Ayame just shrugging.

* * *

Hinata stood by the stove, cooking slowly with her concentration split in half. Every now and then she'd take a discreet and somewhat derisive glance across the room where Hiashi stood towering over Hanabi, but not as menacingly. He was basically 'coaching' her this time. 

"I want you to study all night and all of sunday, got that Hanabi-chan?" came his usual indifferent voice, receiving a curt nod by Hanabi as she already was reading a textbook, several more spread out around her on the floor and kotatsu. She recalled how similar it all looked, like when she was taking the wretched exams. Except Hiashi wasn't yelling at Hanabi.

Hinata mentally shrugged it off, eyes returning to stir the soup, which was all she had been doing for the past ten minutes.

"And remember; Five hours and you fail. Fours hours and you pass."

"Hai, Otou-san." Hanabi nodded curtly, shoulders relaxed yet Hinata could tell she was tense. She hadn't moved from that position for the past 30 minutes, Hinata figured she was waiting for Hiashi to move she could relax. Hanabi was actually wishing she could just go hide in her room, at least she couldn't constantly be put on the spot when Hiashi would suddenly address her directly and sometimes indirectly. And at those times, she wasn't sure if he was talking to her or Hinata.

Hinata exhaled softly, finished with her stirring, the boiling bubbles surfacing steadily.

She just couldn't wait til tomorrow.

"Dinner is ready."

* * *

"Ohh, c'mon Robin-kun! You're not being fair!" Moe whined, hands fisted under her chin, looking at him with puppy-dog eyes. 

"I'm not telling you." He replied firmly, chin lazily in hand, waiting patiently for their ramen and drinks. Moe shot out her seat, looking wildly hyper, a determined zealousness in her eyes that made Robin wary.

"You have to though! What if the fate of the world rested on this?! What if Atsuko-chan, died in your arms one night, and his last words were: "Robin-chan.. I want you.. to tell Moe.. how I took away you're virginity." Well, would you tell me then?!" Moe shouted, getting a wierd look from a wide-eyed Robin as he slowly registered her rapid and dramatic sentence. He deadpanned blankly, then smacked his hand on the plastic of the counter, standing up from his seat to rival Moe's zealous glare.

Meanwhile in the back of the quaint and small ramen stand, Naruto stood chopping up some vegetables beside Ayame who was boiling some broth. She stood smirking sheepishly at Naruto's annoyed expression, often mumbling complaints to himself.

"She's crazy.. I'm certain.." Naruto sighed with disbelief.

"Naruto-kun, relax. She's not so bad, she's actually just about as interesting as you sometimes." Ayame smirked half-heartedly, receiving a wide-eyed sour look from Naruto. She giggled slightly, shaking her head as Naruto turned his attention back to the food.

"Can't we just kick out people like them?" Naruto asked, hopeful and annoyed at the same time. Ayame just shook her head at him, returning to the broth.

"Atsuko wasn't my first! Stop getting facts confused! And stop shouting my life to the world!" Robin shouted back, a hot blush across his face, glaring aggravated eyes at her. Moe gasped.

"He wasn't y-your f-f-first?! Who was?! At least tell me that!" Moe exclaimed excitedly. Robin suddenly grinned, sitting back down and taking a sly and cool pose, that made Moe sit down and stare at him with complete eager focus.

"Former babysitter." Was all Robin said, still grinning and making Moe gasp again, pointing a shocked and accusing finger at him, stammering all the while and gaping like a goldfish.

"You.. and.. babysitter... what?! Who?!" Moe squealed, still staring shocked eyes at him, unable to fully grasp the news. _'How the hell did I not know this about him?! Stupid boy never tells me anything, hmph!'_

"Ouri-chan." Robin said simply, as if it explained itself. And it did. Moe let out a small gasp, slowly her shocked expression turning blank.

"Oh.. your ex? Well that wasn't very exciting news..." Moe sighed, leaning lazily against the counter with a bored expression on her face.

"Well what did ya expect?!" Robin shouted annoyedly looking at her with disbelief.

"Oiyyy... Kimpatsuuuu..." Moe dragged out, staring at Naruto's back, the term she used to address him, making Naruto tense agitatedly.

"Where's my ramen, Kimpatsu?" Moe continued in a lazy but demanding voice. Robin darted nervous eyes between him and her, looking wary.

"Oi, Moe-chan! Stop it, you're being rude! And anyways, he looks kinna scary, dont'cha think..?" Robin whispered almost conspiratorily to her. Moe gave him a lazy glance and sighed.

"'Scary'? Are you that weak?"

"Shut up, I'm just saying you shouldn't provoke him if he has a knife... besides, doesn't he look like belongs in a bosozoku?"

"You're so dumb sometimes Keisuke... C'mon, a gang? Don'tchu think he wouldn't be working here if he was a yanki? No proud manager would hire a yanki." Moe huffed with finality, leaning back in her seat, arms crossed over her chest, as Robin shook his head.

Naruto paused, placing the large knife aside on the cutting board, as he spaced out, eyes wistful and faraway. He was the only one who heard her, Ayame and Teuchi busy with cooking. Relief on that fact didn't register, just the loud girl's unbiased words.

_"No proud manager would hire a yanki."_

_"You should rethink you're life, Naruto."_

_"Look at what you did! Look where this has lead to! It's your fault! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"_

Murky memories began to swirl like musty smoke in his brain, and it was all he was seeing. It took awhile for Ayame to snap him out of it.

"Raaaaa-men! Raaaaa-men!" Moe sing-songed monotonously in a loud drone, Robin(Keisuke) sigh exasperately beside her.

"I think she wants her ramen." Ayame smirked at her cheap joke, handing the finished Curry Ramen to Naruto, as he nodded curtly. He walked over placing the steaming bowl in front of her.

"Sh'yeah! Itadakimasu!" Moe called out chipperly, snapping her chopsticks in half and wolfing down several noodles.

_"No proud manager would hire a yanki."_

_'Should I ..even be here?'_ Naruto thought to himself, not hoping for an answer, the question sounding quite hollow in his mind, and feeling suddenly out of place when so recently he had started to feel accepted.

* * *

Star - Woot, okay so that's that. :3 I really didn't want to leak anymore of Naruto's past until the appointed later time, but oh wells, this might be the last time for awhile. I just like the dramacy of the scene so I kept it. Hoped you guys like it, here comes the 13th chapter! Whoo-hoo! XDDD 

Translation Notes:

- Kimpatsu: Blonde hair

- Bosozoku: Bike Gangs or a type of yanki. Robin just seemed to figure Naruto to be some kind of troubled or trouble-maker kid, which also means he's got great intuition, lol. X3 I'm not saying anymore than that, okay:3

Liner Notes:

- Not much to say here today just a couple of stuff...

- I know some to most of you don't care about my OC's or perhaps more specifically could care less about Kinosaki-kun. Well there is a reason for him, if he wasn't important or didn't serve a purpose then I wouldn't have used him at all. But it'll become relevent soon enough, amongst other stuff. And I know you all will be glad to see the 'Exam Hell' chapters are done and dealt with, finally! I'm sorry, but I couldn't just skip ahead, it would've thrown off the pace and balance of the story before I get back to the good stuff. Anyhoo, onwards to the prologe season finale, Chapter 13! XD

-Also... don't get mad at Moe-chan. Or Robin(Keisuke)-chan. This is just an example of people with opinions of a person they don't know, so in a way it's perfectly harmless on their part, cuz they weren't meaning to insult him deliberately or in anyway.

- BTW: Keisuke is his real name, Robin is his nickname and Harajuku name, so it's heard more prominently The reason why Moe used it that time was because she wasn't in her inviincible cheery mood at the moment and used his real name to show that she was kinna serious at the moment. Did I mention that they are pretty much childhood friends? They're always together basically. :3

-Also, Ouri-chan... (pronounced like: Oh-uri) Anyways, to explain why she's Keisuke ex-girlfriend and at the same time babysitter, here goes: Ouri-chan babysat Kei-chan since he was a kindergartener up until he was in 7th grade, after that she continued to visit him because both were used to it, and they started dating. At the time, Keisuke/Robin was 13 and she was 17. It's cute, so deal with it. :3

-The title, "Sugarbloodsuckers" is the cool name of Olivia Lufkin's rather demonic/screamo sounding song, where only very minimal parts do you here her REAL beautiful voice, anyhoo... much like the last chapter, the lyrics stood out to me:

_Sell your soul for cash  
Sell your soul for life  
Everybody needs to make money_  
_Everybody needs to feed their children  
But even though we have enough  
we continue for more_

_We're fucking animals  
We're fucking, fucking  
Sugarbloodsuckers_

(the lyrics were paraphrased this time.)

These lyrics kinna make me think of life, like _'everybody needs to feed their children' _and poor Kinosaki's mum collaspes during work. And amongst other things that have happened. ;3

* * *

REVIEW! now! 


	13. The Sullied Dress

Star - Here it is! The Prologue Season Finale! Sorry the last four chapters sucked! Enjoy! XD

_

* * *

Darkewaken: _Yay, I love CANDY! XDDD Heeheehee, well thanks for reviewing for both chapters! And I'm still amazed how much you like my story, dude, I know what it's like when being yelled at like that, it is scary. It doesn't happen to me anymore, (and hopefully doesn't happen again, ugh, stupid stinkin report cards) and it's worse when you're like... 8,9,10 years old, you know? O.o Okay 'nuff about dat stuff, I hope I did a good job with this chapter, ja ne! XD Much lurve to ya! 

_Chronostorm:_ Mmkay, I suppose I can understand not caring for the OC's. I mean, the only reason why I have them, is because if I replaced them with the Canon Characters, they'd be OOC and it wouldn't work. Also OC's and Extras do help to fill up the negative spaces, otherwise Tokyo would seem very small, and it ain't. :3 I dunno if that made any sense, but hope you don't mind when I get into Hinata's Harajuku friend's sidestories, I think by now everyone has somewhat forgotten about Mei-chan, eheh... 6.6 oops. Well anyays, thanks for reviewing and liking this story enough. :3

_Kalluwen-san:_ Wow, you're really figuratively drowning in my story? That's awesome! In a way, eheheh... I'm just so (weep) happy (weep) that you enjoy my story this much. Lol, much love. :3

_Thorine:_ Thorine-san, you made my day! XD Seriously! Not blaming names or whatever, but (whisper) uzukun7 was being kinna rude.And so I thank you so much for being open-minded and seeing things from someone else's pov. :3 I just hope you like this chapter, cuz I'm not writing fillers, I guess it'll just depend on what certaint events a person finds important. As for me, everything is important, cuz you never know when you'll need to connect the dots! XD Or something like that, have a nice day:3

_Lunarangel's Dark Flame:_ Uh-oh yah.. hm Ukue complained a sex crime, so why didn't Hanabi? Damn.. so much for not having holes and loose ends... oh well, since Hanabi didn't do anything, and sorry if this will sound callous, but it doesn't matter. :sweatdrop: then again I could just say that Hanabi didn't want to seem weak and simply tattle. Yup, there we go, anyways she didn't want to get Kanasato-kun in trouble, since she still cares for him yet it's conflicting. :\ Also, I hope you didn't forget Moe and Robin already, they are Hinata's Harajuku buddies remembah? It was a moment of irony at the same time most ordinary coincidence that Hinata's outside friends run into Naruto. Anyways, you'll see how that impersonal meeting plays out in this chapter. :3 (too bad you think Moe is annoying, but it's understandable. :\ )

I wuv you! X3

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch. 13 - The Sullied Dress

_Sunday.._

Hinata smoothed out her white skirt, standing in front of the mirror to examine herself. White rocking horse shoes, that gave her an extra inch of height, white chiffon and cotton dress, that had white lace edging, and the skirt decorated with little pink rose buds. Hinata pulled her arms straight out, so she could see her sleeves fully; white cotton with the same lace edging, and little rosebuds decorating the sleeve like on a loop of vine. She straightened out her white pinny, holding her soft pink parasol in her other hand. She twirled around once, twice and smiled.

She slipped on her matching white gloves, made of spider's silk.

Twirling her parasol in hand, Hinata pulled aside her bedroom shouji and left her bedroom for Harajuku, elation and impatient excitement filling her, she just couldn't wait to be with everyone else.

* * *

"Robin-chan, you need to keep me warm!" 

"What?"

Moe glomped him, pulling his arms around her in a forced embrace, as she shivered. He blushed slightly.

"It is a cold day." Hinata simply stated, twirling her parasol absentmindedly in her hands, as LaBelle giggled teasingly at Robin's embarrassed discomfort.

"Yeah but Moe is the only frost-bitten kitten here." LaBelle added, smirking at them.

"Hey! I don't have winter lolita dresses like you guys okay?" Moe shouted back derisively, shivering in her short sleeved-summer style blue lolita dress.

"Where did you get that anyways? It's ugly..." LaBelle's face took on a disgusted look, scrutinizing the blue dress. Moe glared at her, like 5 year having a whiney tantrum.

"What? What's wrong with it?"

Hinata and LaBelle moved to look at the skirt's design, making Moe a bit uncomfortable, trying to sink further into Robin's chest.

"Yeah, just look at the stitching, it's a knock-off." was LaBelle.

"And the design is ironed on, not embroidered." was Hinata.

"The design is the same as one of Mana's dresses, except the placements are wrong."

"Doesn't Atsuko-chan have a dress like this?" Hinata spoke up, glancing at Moe, making her feel like she was being accused.

"Uwaaa, you guys are making fun of me!" Moe whined, hiding her face in Robin's chest, making him feel embarrassed and uncomfortable as he blushed again.

"I can't help it if I got a crappy dress, the sign said 1,500 yen!" Moe admitted in a whiney dress. LaBelle deadpanned, staring blankly at her.

"Well no wonder then." LaBelle scoffed, leaning against the bridge beside the complacent and softly smiling Hinata. Comfortable silence fell over the group who were enjoying the usual sights and sounds, despite the wintery breezes that would remind them how cold it was. Several photographers wandered around, taking pictures of pirate and dandy lolitas, sweet and gothic too. Cosplayers and street musicians wandered through the passing crowds of foreigners and pedestrians, looking for their friends or a place to perform.

Moe peeked over Robin's shoulder, not noticing the warmth that radiated from his cheeks. She saw Atsuko and Yuki sitting down, eating pocky.

"Allo allo, what's all this now?" Moe said in a faux-pas english accent, LaBelle and Hinata chuckling at her silliness. Moe stepped out of Robin's arm and walked over to observe the two oblivious lovers.

They were eating banana pocky, Atsuko placing one in Yuki's mouth then eating the other end with him til they kissed.

"Kawaii!" Moe squealed in her usual yaoi-fangirl way. Atsuko gave him another one, repeating the cute sequence. Moe paused for a moment, staring at them blankly, the two of them not noticing her or anybody else.

"I just realized something.." Moe started slowly getting the confused and curious expression of LaBelle, Hinata and Robin.

"What?"

"Banana." was all she said, as the innuendo spoke for itself. Yuki and Atsuko both tensed, stopping midway from eating the banana pocky stick. Yuki suddenly dropped his head, clearly blushing again like the last time Moe managed to embarrass him. Varied expressions went around the group; LaBelle laughing loudly, Hinata blushing slightly, and Robin with a shocked look on his face

"MOE-CHAN!" Robin and Atsuko shouted at her scoldingly, Moe just laughed.

* * *

Naruto rolled over in his futon, groggy and half-asleep. His house seemed dark, no warm sun outside to wake him. A cold draft blew through from under his front door, causing him to pull his blanket tighter around him. Suddenly his stomach gurgled and he bolted out of his futon. 

"No, dammit! What time is it?!" Naruto shouted, nearly tripping over his covers and turned on the mini-television. The news channel came on, the little clock at the bottom right corner reading, 11:23 am.

"Kuso!! Aaah! I really need to get a freakin' alarm clock in here!" Naruto rushed into his very small bathroom, picking up his work uniform off the floor and shrugging it on hastily. He quickly washed his face with a damp towel then bolted out of the house. He stood shivering, the snow up to his ankles and the chilly wind passing through his thin clothes that he slept in from yesterday and work uniform (which basically was just an apron and hat combo.)

"Dammit!" Naruto cursed, realizing he forgot his sweater in his haste and ran back for the door, but the knob wouldn't budge. Naruto shook the handle and the door furiously, but it wouldn't open.

"It's locked?! How's it locked?!" Naruto banged rather foolishly against the door, kicking it once. He sighed aggravatedly, leaning his head against the door, eyes closed. Suddenly he noticed his keys on the ground by the mat.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me..." Naruto chuckled ironically and somewhat bitterly to himself, stooping down to pick up his keys to open the door.

* * *

A rather ill-pronounced song played amongst the bustle of Harajuku, a voice too soft for singing managing to drift over the crowd and onto the winter air, as he strummed quite well on his acoustic guitar. 

_"You don't love me the way I love you.."_

"You said Kazuo-kun isn't here today?" came a soft voice. Hinata and the group turned eyes to see petite Mei look up at them with a somber wide-eyed expectancy, wringing her hands in an upset manner. All took on a half-hearted smiles and sympathetic eyes. LaBelle nodded in affirmation.

_"You kill my heart just to see if I will rise, Above your anger and above your lies.."_

"He got sick the other day so he's taking off work. ..Maybe you should give him a visit, Nurse Mei-chan?" LaBelle grinned slyly, teasing her and giggling to herself at Mei's shy and startled reaction. Hinata gave a small smile despite her sympathy towards the younger girl.

"Wait, how do you know all this?" Moe shot back, incredulous that LaBelle knew the photographer so well, when she only knew him by name and face.

"I talked with him last night." LaBelle stated matter-of-factly, giving Moe a flat look, as Moe gasped and pointed a finger at her, becoming overlydramatic and silly again. Mei, in her distant and despondant mood, walked in soft strides to stand beside Hinata, leaning her pink head against her arms, staring wistfully at nothing.

_"You don't love me you don't care, oh woman! Cause you don't love me you don't care, woman! But you don't care you don't love me, woman!"_

Suddenly an almost envious scene came into her vision.

"I'd liked to be able to do that one day.." Mei mumbled, tilting her head to the side. Her words caught on and LaBelle, Moe and Robin turned to see what she was talking about. Not too faraway there was a punky looking girl, and a punky/dandy boy posing in front of a camera man, sharing a pocky much like Atsuko and Yuki were earlier. Moe turned to face Mei, with a dry expression.

"With a ladder?" Moe asked, eye brow cocked, kinna giving Mei a wierd look. Her cryptic message though didn't register through to anyone and it ticked Mei-chan off a bit.

"No, with Kazuo-kun!" The shorter girl shot back snippety.

"And a ladder."

"What are you talking about?!"

"You're just so short, Mei." Moe added matter-of-factly, finally getting her point across, managing to unintentionally upset Mei and anger LaBelle who glared pissily at her. Mei grabbed fistsfuls of her dress, glaring sad bitter eyes at the ground, Hinata trying to cheer her up somehow.

"Moe! Keep your mouth shut if your brain can't differentiate between being _a bitch_ and being polite!" LaBelle yelled, always the first or second one to get riled up by Moe.

"Oh c'mon, you know there's no way Mei-chan can get the kind of relationship she wants!"

"That's not for you to say!"

The two faced off, glaring at a standstill. Hinata sighed to herself tiredly, a soothing hand on Mei's back.

_'What a mess..'_

* * *

Naruto stood on the crowded morning bullet train, barely able to hold onto the cieling handle, sandwiched from many directions by business men, students and kogals alike, all trying to make their destination somewhere. Even now he still wasn't use to taking the train to work, when back in Matsue he'd either drive out or walk around. He couldn't imagine how these people didn't go crazy on these things, half the time he really wanted to shove somebody aside but stifled the hostile urge and berated himself for thinking it. 

Oh well, no use complaining, it did save a ton of time to get from the neighborhood to bustling Shibuya.

* * *

LaBelle and Moe's dispute settled when Hinata and Robin teamed up to calm them down, Robin having the harder time because Moe was easily the most stubborn girl alive. 

"How much money did you earn from the juku, Emiri-chan?" LaBelle asked, trying to return a feeling of pleasant sensibility to the group.

"50,000 yen. How come?" Hinata answered plainly, like it was the most unimportant thing ever. She was puzzled seeing a shocked expression on her friends' faces.

"F-f-fifty thou?!! That's prostitute money!" Moe shouted aghast, startling Hinata making her jump back slightly with wide eyes.

"Moe-chan, shut up! You're so uncouth!" LaBelle finally took her chance to snack Moe over the back of the head.

"Ladies, let's not start this again, please!" Robin pleaded rather weakly, waving his hands back and forth, trying to dispel the bad air between the two.

"Keep out of this!" Both girls shouted at him, making him shrink into a cowering chibi. Mei and Hinata deadpanned at their group, wondering simultaneously how they ever got stuck with such an odd and tempermental group. Amongst the exclusive chaos between friends, Hinata's ears pricked up at the sound of footsteps stopping beside her and Mei, a strangely familiar voice entering her ears as the person made himself known.

"Hey, I've seen you before, right?" came the boy's voice, low yet still boyish in it's quality. Hinata turned to face him, almost gasping to herself in suprised recognition. It was the same boy from _The Strrawberry Spider_ specialty store. Hinata barely moved nor answered, still caught off gaurd by the predictable coincidence. She should've known he'd be in Harajuku, yet she never entertained the thought.

"You're in my class right, or were you the girl from the store last week?" He smiled boyishly, craning his head to the side and taking her distracted appearance.

"A-anou.. I was.. um I'm both.. u-uh, in your class and f-from the s-store.." Hinata brought a hand up to her head, trying to get her tongue back on track, feeling annoyed and embarrassed with herself. He just laughed, but she knew not at her. LaBelle from the sidelines noticed the new guy and the flustered Hinata, taking in the image with a new interest and ditching her petty altercation with Moe.

"Hi, I'm LaBelle, blood type O!" LaBelle extended a hand, smiling charmingly. They shook, his expression still pleasant and smiling. LaBelle then moved to introduce Hinata to the shaggy haired boy, dressed in a black leather jacket, torn at the edges, with belts hanging off loosely. He wore a black dog collar (no leash or chain), a black tweed vest underneath and white collar shirt, blood red tie hanging loosely off his neck, baggy black jeans with belts and chains, and combat boots. He had a gothic-orphan thing going on LaBelle assumed. It was a very different style than what she was used to seeing.

"And this little darling is Emiri-chan, blood type A." LaBelle smiled, the simple introduction making Hinata take an embarrassed step back. She didn't always enjoy meeting new people, always disliking being put on the spot or in the spotlight.

""Emiri? Is that like Emiri Rose?" The boy smirked, managing to confuse Hinata and possibly embarrass her slightly more.

"Who?" Hinata managed to utter. He just chuckled.

"Oh don't mind her, she's not from here." LaBelle joked, teasing Hinata. LaBelle knew what the boy was alluding to, and knew immediately Hinata wouldn't understand the simple joke.

"She's not? Where was she born?" The brown-haired boy asked curiously, actually believing LaBelle. She simply smirked.

"Well you wouldn't believe it but..."

"What?"

"She was born in a hospital." LaBelle finished anti-climatically, still smiling at her silly joke.

The boy deadpanned.

"That wasn't funny."

"I thought it was!" LaBelle giggled, moving away from the two for the meantime. He shook his head, the taller blonde girl skipping away and humming to herself. He turned his attention back to the shy shiro-loli in front of him, not noticing the shorter brightly colored Mei who stood between the two and out of the conversation. Feeling awkward in their company, Mei sighed and moved out of their way. Hinata clutched tighter on her parasol, putting on a calm face, the only hint of her struggle for confidence showing in her grip.

"Actually the thing is, I'm wasn't born in the correct time period." Hinata smiled softly, her entire appearance turning soft and elegant, feeling like she was telling an inside joke.

"Haha, how's that?" He grinned displaying vampirous fangs, this time Hinata didn't jump scared. She gave a small smirk, placing a hand to cup by the side of her mouth, like she was about to tell a secret. The boy leaned in close, with a curious expression.

"I'm really a two hundred year old vampire." Hinata giggled at her dumb joke, but getting a real laugh out of the gothic-dressed boy beside her, his eyes almost glowing with mirth.

"Hey, me too!" He laughed.

* * *

Naruto ran his way through the crowd, dodging and sliding past people like as if in an obstacle course. It wasn't until much and some bruises later that he finally made it to the Ichiraku. He pulled aside the curtain flaps, collasping on a chair and spilling apologies profusely over and over again. 

"Oh Naruto-kun! We're so glad you made it!" Ayame smiled widely, somewhat ignoring Naruto's tired and bewildered state, Teuchi smiling proudly beside her.

"You're just in time, because we have something very important and special to tell all our employees!" Ayame grinned, the words slowly registering through Naruto's tired brain. A lonely wind blew behind them, an empty can rolling across the sidewalk, as Naruto gave them a flat look.

_'Are they in denial?'_ He thought incredulously, referring to the fact that he's their only employee.

"Well, what is it?" Naruto prompted.

"Okay, ready?" Ayame started out, getting quite excited and enjoying creating the suspense.

"Ichiraku.. is starting... catering!" Ayame announced with a proud smile, Teuchi smiling as well, popping a confetti cone in the background. Ayame then stepped out of the booth, pulling out a thin utility bike, with a basket in the back.

"We've been thinking about this idea for awhile now, but neither of us could leave the kitchen. Now that you're here, you can be Ichiraku's first delivery boy!"

"Sounds cool, but it's snowy out.." Naruto commented, wondering if he held a good point or not.

"Well see, we'll just test this for a week just before Christmas. If this mission goes well, we'll keep it for good in the spring. And if that goes well, we may even upgrade the bike to a moped, you have you're liscence right?" Ayame smiled expectantly, Naruto launching from his seat in his exuberant way, energetic fist poised in the air.

"Yep! I won't fail, you won't regret hiring me!"

"Alright! Hey, you can even look at the moped as incentive!" Ayame giggled, looking forward to how well this was going to work out.

"Do I get to keep the moped?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"No. But you can keep the bike." Ayame answered laughing, Naruto slumping slightly with disappointment.

"Oh and Naruto.." Ayame started out in a suspenseful voice, catching Naruto's curious attention.

"You got you're first delivery already." Ayame smiled, waving a piece of paper in her hand, a number and address on it.

* * *

Hinata found Kiba's company fun and pleasant, she was suprised how easily she became comfortable around him. He was definately different from what she was used to, he had this occult fetish or obsession going on. When she asked about his teeth, blushing all the while, she couldn't contain her curiousity (niether could the always nosy and loud Moe), he smiled paying no mind and replied that they weren't real. But they weren't the lame denture-style vampire teeth neither, he had wanted them in permanently. She was somewhat disturbed at first, wondering who would want such things in their mouth, but LaBelle opened her mind and so did he. Apparently other vampire fanatics do the same. 

He cosplayed as a vampire, not really thinking he was one, so she was glad he wasn't overly fanatical or she'd be put off. She felt like she could talk with him easily, being that they were both into the antique European scene of Harajuku. Clearly they had nothing truly in common, he loved horror movies, and she never watched anything close to a little bit scary or suspenseful than "_The Phantom of the Opera_".

"That was a good movie."

"How many times have you seen it? I've only seen it two times, but I've got the songs on my cell phone." Hinata added rather meekly, smiling shyly.

"Oh I have it." Kiba grinned, unaware that Hinata suddenly went from somewhat shy to excited.

"You have it?!" Hinata squeaked, twirling her parasol swiftly in her hands, obviously elated.

"Can I borrow it some time, or keep it or, or..!!" Hinata rambled on, blushing, making Kiba laugh amused at her reaction.

"Haha, so you can be a bundle of sunshine." Kiba chuckled, the comment embarrassing Hinata, hiding away in her parasol, because of her sudden unusual behavior.

* * *

The delicious smell of broth emanated from the quaint ramen stand, the sound of the meat sizzling against the wok adding to the lively and busy Shibuya streets. Ayame packed the soup in a red wooden box and tied it to the basket. 

"Alright, the noodles are kept separate so they don't mush on the way down. Just let the customers know."

"Sure, it's like reverse instant ramen, eheheh." Naruto chuckled, balancing on the bike, both feet on the ground.

"And don't get lost, you're first delivery shouldn't be too hard to find."

"Where is it again?"

Ayame sighed. She walked back to the counter, scribbling on a piece of order paper, then giving it to Naruto.

"Here's the address. You don't need a map too, do you?" Ayame looked on worriedly, the soup could only last so long before it got tepid and plain of flavor.

"Uhh... maybe.." Naruto sweatdropped, hand behind his head, making Ayame sigh again. She couldn't help get a little high strung over this, the success of their delivery operation was important to her. She turned around, pulling out a pocket map by the mini-fridge.

"Hey, if the soup gets kinna cold or I don't make the delivery in time, can I eat it?"

"No!"

* * *

Hinata waved Kiba goodbye, he had gotten a call on his cellphone from his mom, saying that she needed help at the pet shop. With that LaBelle took her chance to sneak up beside Hinata, nudging her in the ribs. 

"I didn't know you liked the gothicy type, Emi-chan." LaBelle teased in a voice that sounded like she disapproved. Hinata turned wide eyes at her, looking quite spaztic, a look that LaBelle had never seen on her but thought was very cute.

"I-I don't l-like him! I d-don't even know if I l-like h-him!" Hinata stammered embarrassedly, waving her hands around as LaBelle deadpanned at her words.

"Geez, Emiri-chan, how do you not know if you like or don't like someone?"

"... I don't know.. I've never thought about relationships.. I don't have a type."

"Seriously?" LaBelle took on an aghast look, her surpise annoying Hinata slightly.

"What? Is it that big of a deal?"

"No not really, but you should at least know if you like a person or not."

"Maybe..." Hinata murmured thoughtfully to herself, bringing a hand up to her lips as she stared out at nothing with faraway eyes.

"Hey, guys! Let's go shopping!" Moe shouted exuberantly, jumping up and down, Robin caught in her grasp, as he sighed to himself exasperately.

* * *

Naruto was having a hard time finding the place of delivery. He stood in the bicycle section of the road beside the cars, all waiting noisily at the red. He often shifted from one foot to the other, balancing the bike in vertical suspension. 

"Geez, how long is this light?" Naruto glanced around, blurring of faces on the sidewalk making people watching very futile. He decided to take out the map, examine where he was going one last time, because so far he wasn't sure where he even came from anymore.

"Ichiraku is right here... five blocks up, turn left then 3 blocks from there... the hell?! Harajuku is all the way in Shinjuku district!" Naruto growled agitatedly, stuffing the map back in his pocket, and pushing off his bike, pedaling as fast as he could and maneuvering through the mass of cars.

* * *

Hinata and the group walked through the crowded, colorful yet immensely cramped Takeshita Street, a shopping street just off of Harajuku Bridge. They managed to snag Atsuko along with them, without Yuki. It had been a very emotional moment for both them (which Moe enjoyed immensely, like watching a romantic J-Drama) and the group worried Atsuko was going to wither away from separation anxiety. Yuki remained poker-face and silent, but he kept hugging Atsuko, in any case he had said to Atsuko (no one has ever heard a word from the young man), that he had to go to work anyways. So with that, the group (including the reluctant Robin), were having a self-declared 'Girls Day Out'. 

"Why do I have to go with you guys?" Robin whined, trailing cheerlessly behind Moe, who took lead in the group.

"You count as the effeminate guy that's popular with the girls! And so you complete the group!" Moe giggled, having fun teasing Robin as she always did. Robin could barely remember a time when she was serious or particularly normal around him. He couldn't even think of a time when she was nice.

Mei and Hinata drifted behind, enjoying eachother's company, every now and then commenting on another person's outfit or reading names off of store signs.

"You guys want lunch? There's a Mickey D's down there!" Moe shouted from the front of the group.

"Ew, no." was LaBelle's comment, schrunching up her nose with distaste. Moe just glared at her, looking at Mei and Hinata expectantly for an answer. They just shook their heads.

"Ohh fine, party poopers." Moe huffed, turning around, arms crossed.

"Hey, you know what else I just realized?" Moe asked aloud, a thoughtful finger on her chin, glancing at Robin beside her.

"What?" The group asked in unison.

"There's 'bi' in Robin."

Vacant silence fell on the group, Moe's random 'epiphany'.

"Aah, you're right!" Robin suddenly shouted, not being sarcastic.

"You didn't notice that?!" Moe laughed.

"Well I wasn't thinking of that when I came up with the name!"

"Haha, hey maybe I should just call you 'Bi-chan' from now on, eh Bi-chan?" Moe giggled, smiling mischeviously and eyes twinkling again. Robin gave hr a flat glare only uttering one response to her.

"Please don't."

Eventually they came upon a pink and white window display, full of lacy dresses and corsets and headresses. Hinata, Mei and Atsuko pressed their faces against the glass, almost in a childish trance at all the pretty things they thought they desperately needed. LaBelle chuckled at their behavior, finding it all very adorable.

"Momma, can we go in there?" Moe asked LaBelle in a very cute childish voice, tugging on her hand like a child and looking at her with pleading puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah, mommy! Can we go in, can we go in?" Mei giggled, going along with Moe's silliness and tugging on LaBelle's dress.

"Alright, alright! Don't pull my arm off!" LaBelle laughed, Mei and Moe shouting happily and running inside. Hinata giggled with a gloved hand over her mouth like an aristocrat, and walking into the store elegantly. Robin sighed, following in reluctantly. The girls were too cute and loud as a group for him to keep up with.

The door bell jingled, signalling their entrance. LaBelle could instantly tell it was a knock-off store, but it did have a higher quality of items than most places. There was most likely one thing worth buying in the small pink and white polka dot shop.

There was a large rack of dresses, old-fashion pinafores and jumper skirts. Hinata kinna felt like a kid again, playing dress up with Mei; holding up dresses, trying them on and twirling around in front of the mirror, striking silly and cute poses, and wearing all the hats they owned. Some of them were really big, one was a top hat and it actually fell over Mei's entire head. Hinata tried a feathered sun hat, it looked like something from the 1800's and Hinata wished it looked good on her otherwise she'd totally buy it.

Suddenly across the room, Moe was being overly exuberant as always, and in ugly mismatched clothes and several old pearls, she rushed up to LaBelle, clearly bugging her again.

"Momma, buy this for me!" Moe said in her baby voice, referring to the wierd greyish-pink pinafore she was wearing, and swaying back and forth in her hyperness.

"What happened to the money I gave you yestserday?" LaBelle joked, continuing the act until Moe herself was done with it. Which would probably until they left the shop.

"I spent it on candies. C'mon c'mon, pleeeeeeeaaaase??" Moe begged, hands clasped together as she used the puppy eyes again. LaBelle went back to scanning the jewelry.

"Why don't you go bother you're brother instead?" LaBelle added, both knowing who she meant exactly. Suddenly Moe turned around and went to glomp the unsuspecting Robin by the hats section.

"Onii-chan! Buy me something!"

"Why are you still acting like that?"

"Onii-chan!"

"I'm not 'Onii-chan'!"

Hinata, Mei and LaBelle laughed, the 30-something year old lady at the register smiled, amused at their happy hyper behavior.

* * *

"Why is this such an ordeal?" Naruto sighed, his legs were getting tired of pumping already, which sucked, because what if he had to make another delivery once he was done with the first? 

"I don't think I even know how to make it back to Ichiraku..." Naruto groaned, pedaling slowly through another car crowded street before he saw several strange looking people surrounding a bridge, and hanging around the bridge's entrance.

"What's going on here?"

* * *

Hinata and her group made it to the end of Takeshita Street, after not buying anything, but enjoying themselves as they always did when in eachothers company. 

"I swear, that one guy was giving up dirty looks.." LaBelle mumbled worriedly and annoyed at the person's rudeness.

"He thought we were wierd." was Robin's weary voice.

"Who cares?! Stupid stuck-up old farts can't ruin our fun, just because they don't agree with it! Forget him, for all we know he was the wierd one!" Moe smirked at the end of her zealous rant, unbeknownst recieving silent looks of admiration from her friends and Hinata.

The end of Takeshita Street was just another car bustling road, they decided they would make their way back to the Bridge and hang out from there, that or grab some lunch.

Moe's stomach grumbled.

"Aww, why couldn't have gotten some Mickey D's?! I'm so starving, I'm gunna die!"

"Quit whining, we'll get something better!" LaBelle scolded, brushing back blonde bangs huffily.

* * *

When Naruto made it across the street and stopping in front of the Harajuku Bridge, Naruto looked on in morbid fascination and at the same time frightened disbelief. He still didn't know if he was in the right place, wondering what apartment or building number the person resided in (assuming he was dropping off at the person's home), he decided to use the bridge to cut right on through. But now he felt trapped and alienated. 

He hopped off his bike, kicking in the kickstand and pulled out the crumpled map from his sweater pocket. He was interrupted when someone stopped in front of him and he looked up.

'_What the heck?_'

There was a plain looking girl smiling at him, she held a sign that had english letters on it, that said: FREE HUGS. He was unable to read it though. Behind her was a taller somewhat older boy, maybe 18, holding a video camera and it was pointed him.

"What?" Naruto asked rather snippy.

"Free Hug, sir?" She asked, smiling sweetly.

"Huh?" Naruto was getting wierded out, narrowing his eyes in a look of derisive confusion.

"Free Hug." She dropped the sign, moving closer to him, arms spread wide, yet Naruto didn't catch the meaning. He thought she was doing something wierd, and he pushed her away, hopping on his bike and pedaling past them into the crowd.

"Well that was depressing. Want me to delete that in editing?" The camera boy asked the 'FREE HUGS' girl. She shook her head, though staring where Naruto disappeared with disappointed eyes.

"No, don't. We don't have any footage of jerks."

"What the heck is this? Halloween Hell?" Naruto mumbled to himself, pedaling slowly through the crowd of cosplayers, streets fashion kids and lolitas. Gothics mixed with Sweets, Cyber Punks flaunting down the street, FRUiTS kids hanging around and talking, Decora friends taking pictures together, Visuel Kei cosplayers posing in front of camera men, and so much more. It made Naruto's head spin, and it started to put him on edge. There were too many wierdoes here at once.

No one payed him no mind, even a cute shiro-loli walking with a kuro-loli smiled and waved cutely at him, which caught him off gaurd and he nearly tilted the bike over, which would've spilt the soup. He shook his head, trying to make it past the brightly colored and strangely dressed bridge people.

He never seen anything like it, who dressed like this? Who the hell allowed themselves to be seen like that? Did they enjoy looking like they did?

Naruto couldn't wrap his head around it, he began to get really put off by the place.

"Bunch of wierdoes..." Naruto whispered under his breath, not noticing that someone suddenly walked in his direction and stopped right in front of him. Naruto felt the bike jerk to a stop, his eyes settling on an obscenely scary and burly man or boy. He was a skin head, and had shaven eyebrows, several brow piercings and serious gages in his earlobes. He had a nose ring like those on a bull or steer, and it had a chain that connected it to his right gage. He had spiked knuckle black leather gloves, a spiked collar, camoflauge pants and a black torn shirt that was splattered with what looked like blood (fake, red paint splatter), and the shirt said: "FUCK YOU" in english.

Naruto tried to shake the bike from the guys' grasp, getting really frustrated with his mean poker face and lack of communication.

"Hey, c'mon! Let go, freak! I need to make a delivery!!" Naruto shouted at the guy, not noticing the slight narrowing of his eyes. Suddenly another guy came along; lanky and taller, a flat greenish blue (with some blonde highlights peeking out) mohawk, lay to the left side of his face to cover his one eye, the other side of his head was completely shaven. He also had several piercings and couple of lip rings, mouth set in a poker face frown. He had a bandana wrapped around his neck, and wore a tight black leather jacket and tight black pants and boots. He came around, untying the bindings on the ramen from the bike's basket. Naruto freaked out, thinking he was stealing his delivery.

"H-hey! Get back here, that's not yours! HEY!" Naruto shouted, seeing the lanky boy go off with the ramen, approaching a pretty girl just a few feet away. Suddenly the bike shook like crazy, as the burly guy shook Naruto out of the bike, then tipped it to one side, making Naruto fall into a heap on the ground.

"HEY! FREAKING ASSHOLES! GET BACK HERE!" Naruto looked on at the random act of thievery, the lanky boy bending down on one knee before the pretty girl and presenting the box of ramen before her like a present. She had pin-straight black hair, a long mulberry robe that hung around her like a british queen's, and she wore a crown upon her head as well. Naruto's face screwed up, in a confused and sour expression.

"Your ramen, my Queen." the lanky boy said in japanese, but with a wierd accent that Naruto knew wasn't a japanese dialect. She nodded in approval, fishing two paper bills from inside her cloak and handing it to another one of her friends cosplaying as bodygaurds. He then handed it back to the burly guy who threw it down by Naruto on the ground, and they walked away, the pretty but definately strange girl walking in elegant strides.

"What the hell was that?!" Naruto took the money and shoved it angrily in his pants pocket, furiously and clumsily trying to get back on his bike.

"Was I just mugged or was that the delivery point?" He mumbled incoherently to himself, he was getting really pissed with this place. Naruto pushed off his bike, pedaling even further into Harajuku bridge.

"FUCKING WIERDOES!!" Naruto shouted pissily, pedaling hard, too caught up in his indignance that he didn't realize he caught the attention of several visual kei fans.

* * *

"So where should we go to eat? It's got be cheap though.." LaBelle started thoughtfully, looking to Hinata and Mei for feedback. They looked on unsure, restaurant names not coming to them immediately. Moe was quick to respond as always and with a one-track mind. 

"McDonalds!" Moe exclaimed chipperly.

"Not that cheap!"

* * *

"FUCKING WIERDOES!!" Naruto shouted pissily, pedaling hard down Harajuku Bridge, wanting to just get the hell away and never come back. He swiftly past by groups of Visuel Kei kids, his uneccesarily offensive words catching the attention of Malice Mizer cosplayer. They glared at him instantly, indignant and irate emotions overcoming them at being insulted by a stranger. 

"What'd he call us?" A gothic lolita girl hissed under her breath, taking a step forward toward Naruto's direction, seeing him grow smaller farther down the bridge.

"He doesn't know us.. fucking asshole doesn't know us!" A gothic aristocratic style boy screamed, spurring the mutual anger amongst his fellow cosplayer and friends, running for Naruto, the rest of them following with.

Naruto heard shouting behind him, shouting loudly and furiously and he wasn't sure why. He swore "Shit..", pumping his legs faster, willing himself to escape what was now becoming a mob before his eyes.

"WHAT'JU CALL US ASSHOLE?!"

"GET BACK HERE AND SAY IT TO MY FACE!!"

Naruto stole another exasperated glance at the gothic crowd chasing loudly behind him.

"Tch, well at least I'm NORMAL, you bunch of freaks!"

His words caught all over Harajuku, suddenly more cosplayers and eccentrically dressed teens adding to the group of angry glam rock fans and turning it into a powerful larger mob, all with the same intention to defend their pride as anti-comformist teens.

"NORMAL IS A MYTH!"

"GET BACK HERE, COWARD!"

"NARROW BOY, YOU DIE HERE!"

"REPENT FOR YOUR WORDS!"

Naruto began to freak out, the numbers of angry teens having increased nearly ten-fold; Cyber Punks, Gothic Lolita girls, Visuel Kei fanboys and girls, even a Sweet Lolita tried to hit him with her parasol after throwing it but missing. The attention this chaos was recieving, Naruto being chased by practically half of Harajuku Bridge, caught the extreme interest of the civilians and the photographers who started taking picture after picture of the mob scene and Naruto. Flash after flash of the cameras were distracting Naruto's sight, making him swerve slighlty on his bike, his anxiety increasing slightly with every passing minute like a death sentence.

He was really worried he was going to die by the hands of an ugly mob.

* * *

Hinata looked up at the sky, not realizing how far she had drifted from her friends. They had finally decided upon getting sweets for lunch, stopping by a cute crepes stand, serving up many delicious choices of french pancakes, from bananas with peaches and cream to strawberries with sweet beans in whipped cream. 

Her thoughts floated pleasantly and brightly on the chilly wind, like fluttering wings that gave such a dreamy kind of hope. It was really quiet she subconsciously noted to herself. But she couldn't see nor truly acknowledge anything around her but whatever dreams she surrenderd herself to, her strawberry/sweet bean crepe left untouched and forgotten in hand.

It had been a very good day, despite Moe's constant bickering with Robin and LaBelle, despite Mei's drifting sad heart to Atsuko caring more about his boyfriend than his friends lately, it was still a good day because it wasn't so cold and she got to spend it with her friends in her place of seldom solace. Her heart lay cozily and pleasant inside her quiet soul, thinking to herself what a good day it was, as if she hadn't had one in a long time. The past week or so, as she had been glad to be rid of and never wanted to think about again, had been stressful and utterly useless to her. So let the wind take the heaviness and boredom off her shoulders and smiled liltingly into the winter sky.

She was glad too, that she finally got to meet Kiba, making a new friendship with him. She wondered with distracted interest what the gothic side of lolita was like, and she kind of wanted to see him again.

* * *

Naruto saw the end of the tunnel, or in this literal case, the bridge. But a crowded street full of swift moving traffic lay just beyond him, and maneuvering in time to fall in with the flow of cars would be tricky. He knew he would have to stop less he try to get run over. But if he stopped, they would kill him. Probably. 

It sounded like the shouts and yelling were getting closer, louder.

"What'd I do?! What did I do?!" Naruto shouted back frantically, trying to survive this horrible turn of events to what was once an ordinary day.

_'Dammit!'_ Naruto took one last distracted glance backwards, his foot trying to coordinate and find the pedal to break. But he didn't find it in time.

"EMIRI-CHAN! LOOK OUT!" a screamed ripped painfully through the already noisy city atmosphere, the last thing Naruto heard before his bike jerked painfully forward from the impact of a body he didn't see standing in his way, then falling crookedly onto it's side on the ground, Naruto standing awkwardly in a slight daze.

Naruto hadn't meant to, he didn't see the girl standing there, now laying in a heap of white fluff on the ground.

* * *

Laughter of her friends echoed behind her, Moe teasing Robin again. Hinata smiled, subconsciously aware of irate shouting smothering the sounds of her friends voices. Suddenly a scream ripped through her distraction, a rush of air coming up to meet her. The warning came too late for her. 

"EMIRI-CHAN! LOOK OUT!" Hinata whirled her head around at the horrified scream of her nickname. She felt another rush of air pass through her, gravity pulling her downwards to meet the cold wet concrete, her body jerking backwards at the pull of her dress, then falling out of her savior's hand at the sound of sickening rip of cloth echoed through her subconscious. Her shin burned, a hot aching pain shooting up her leg, time seemed to slow around her, the buildings descending away from her sight as the cloudy winter sky came into full view.

She finally fell with a thud.

* * *

Naruto looked on in a dazed sort of disbelief, like nothing was happening around him, any sort of immediate reaction dulled greatly by his distracted and unseeing eyes, nothing yet processing through his brain. 

_'What happened?'_

_'I hadn't seen her there?'_

_'Did I hit her?'_

The mobbed had stopped behind him, continuing their indignant rants and shouts, seemingly more angered at seeing in a way, one of their own struck by him. She moved very little on the ground, wincing and whimpering silently as she tried to get up. But she couldn't move her leg, it hurt too much and she was afraid of feeling more hot pain were she to move it more. Hinata couldn't get into a comfortable position, unable to pull her hurting leg underneath her so she could stand. She flattened her palms onto the cold sidewalk, trying to push herself up from being sprawled on her back. She whimpered, finally in a sitting position and brought a cold pale hand up to her head, brushing aside hair from her face before looking up to see what happened.

The girl on the ground, now in a sitting position, slowly began to bring her head up.

It was then that everything seemed to turn silent and still, the air practically escaping from his lungs.

She had lavender eyes.

* * *

"...Hinata-chan?" Naruto breath with disbelief. 

She barely heard him over the crowd, a sudden wild and cold anxiety filling her and gripping her rapidly beating heart til she felt her throat tighten up and cut off her ability to speak. She saw the way he was looking at her; wide blue eyes staring at her with disbelief that made her feel alienated from him, as if maybe he didn't want to recognize her.

She gripped at her arms, a chilly draft of wind passing through her and hitting her somewhat naked back. She realized that the backing of her dress and corset was ripped when Moe had tried to pull her aside, the front now threatening to slip off and expose herself further to the cold and him, in a most unwanted and humiliating way. She just wanted to hide so very badly, her vulnerable insides shrinking under his unnerving gaze, yet she couldn't take her eyes away from his face, despite how much she wish she could.

The world seem to return to him, Naruto's shock fading away into a mild but conscious daze. He suddenly rememberd his situation, the mob of teens yelling relentlessly at him, and another girl with reddish-brown hair screaming pissily at him.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, FOOL!" Moe screamed, red-faced. She had been yelling non-stop at him, her throat getting sore, she was pissed that he ran over her friend and she was pissed when he hadn't been listening or reacting at all since the unforgivable action of hurting Hinata. LaBelle, Robin and Atsuko stood behind her, trying to calm her down, all looking very worried.

"Moe, hold on!

"Don't start something, Moe!"

"I'm sick of people like you, always rushing! You think you can just run a girl over, because you're in a hurry?!" Moe shouted demandingly, misinterpreting the situation as something else, ignoring her friends behind her, too riled up now to stop ranting.

"YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN US, HUH!?" One of the Visuel Kei boys screamed from the mob. Naruto glanced behind him, feeling trapped against the angry voices around him. He couldn't help but wonder how he managed to piss off so many people so quickly.

"WE DON'T TELL YOU HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE!" A gothic lolita girl shouted.

"YOU DON'T KNOW US!"

"Freaks! Leave me alone already!" Naruto shouted on the bike, trying to find a way to escape the irate crowd.

"YOU RAN HER OVER, BASTARD! WHAT'CHU GOT TO SAY FOR YOURSELF!?" Moe screamed taking a menacing step forward, hands fisted at her sides.

"YOU CAN'T TREAT US THIS WAY!"

"LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO EMIRI-CHAN!"

"Sh-SHUT UP ALREADY!" Naruto stammered, taking one last glance at Hinata on the ground, and pushed off his bicycle, pedaling away onto the street, the mob and Moe still yelling and shouting after him, unwilling to let him go.

"GET BACK HERE! I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!" Moe shouted, as Robin and LaBelle helped Hinata up from off the ground. Moe suddenly whirled around on them, red-faced and glaring.

"Aaaaaah!! Did you see that?! That was a hit and run, he just sped off without any sort of apology!! Emiri-chan, we can't let him get away with it!" Moe paused at the end of her rant, still on a one-track mind, but managed to push it aside for a moment.

"Are you alright, Emi-chan?" Moe spoke in a soft worried tone, walking over and looking at the mild trickled of blood that spread like an ugly red blotch over her now ripped stocks, running down her leg and staining her white boots, now also stained with dirty water. Hinata felt cold and wet, dirty water from melt snow sullying her dress. Her elbows felt a little raw, realizing she must've gotten abrasions when she fell, and it stung greatly.

Robin moved to take off his sweater, handing it to LaBelle as she helped put it over the stiffened unresponsive Hinata. But Hinata couldn't help her distracted mind, clouded with a dreary anxiety like a raincloud that washed away her former good mood, and filling her with nothing but a cold and hollow mind. Washed clean and only left with a cold quiet dread.

She brought her head down, hiding her sad eyes away from everyone around her, some of the lolitas and visuel kei boys from the mob asking if she was alright. She couldn't let anyone see her now.

Not after all that, feeling as if her secrets had betrayed her, growing wings as they flew out from her grasp when she had descended onto the ground.

She didn't want to look up, not after all that.

_'He s-saw me.. he saw me..'_

* * *

Star - Woot! XD I'm done, so happy! XD So what'd ya guys think? Hope it was good, don't kill me for what I did, but you'll never know how this plays out. Or do you? ;3 Anyways, I wuv you guys, now here comes the liner notes! Ta da! X3 (Also, this is why you shouldn't make fun of people, no matter how bad your terets is. lol.) 

Harajuku Liner Notes:

-Kuro-loli: Is a lolita who wears all black.

-FRUiTS: Is a street fashion magazine but also a kind of street fashion style and I think it's also a brand name now too, But I'm not entirely certain. ;P But it's all really cool looking, one my faves. ;P

-Decora: Is a bright and colorful funky street fashion style, that's mainly focuses on cramming as much hairclips, bracelets, souvenier items, necklaces etc on your body as you can while making it look good. It's uber cute. X3

-Cyber Punk: Cyber punk basically consists of rubber outfits, shiny clothing, super high platforms, it's all very funky looking and usually colorful.

-Visual Kei: It's a type of rock genre, like glam rock, cuz it's got uber stylish decadent rock stars who wear make-up. Example: Malice Mizer, Mana, Moi-dix-Mois, Gackt, etc.

Usual Liner Notes:

-Bullet trains: In Japan are extremely effecient and extremely crowded. Everyone gets crammed in like sardines, and if there's one more person who can't fit in, the attendents are more than ready to help squish them in (instead of making him wait for the next train.) Trains have about a 60 second arrival rate/interval or whatever, feel free to correct my choice of wording.

-1,500 yen: Roughly or is $15. (That's mad cheap for a lolita dress. :P)

-The Kooks "You Don't Love Me": was the song lyrics used, paraphased.

-Kiba: Just like Moe, he doesn't have a nickname. I couldn't decide on one, the 3 that I had were really lame and unsufficient. So I didn't use them, besides there's too many 'other' names right now, I thought giving Kiba a nickname would prolly be aggravating to keep up with.

-Kiba (pt.2): I decided to make him a fan of the occult and horror films. Do not worry, he doesn't actually think he's a vampire. It's all part of his thing, don't give me weird looks kay? But at first I had decided to make him a werewolf type of guy, so instead I'm going to make him a vampire/werewolf guy. (lol, he's confused, he can't decide between the two. X3)

-"Liking Kiba?": Don't kill me, this is a NaruHina all the way. I'm just not going to surrender to fan-service so easily, you will hopefully be pleased with the way the story will be going otherwise, I hope. Anyhoo.. I'm not saying anything, cuz that'll ruin the unpredictability of the story, I still want to keep this fun enough for you guys. Anyways, interpret that scene any way you want, because I know that you guys are smart. (except for dragon king pyro, but that's a different story. ..don't report me please. sorry that was rude. T.T)

-"Emiri Rose?": You guys know, right? I'm alluding to the movie "The Excorsim of Emily Rose" or whatever the name title was... O.o.

-50,000 yen: Roughly or is $500. I don't know if that's too much money or an unrealistic amount for a week long tutor job or whatever, but let's just go with it. Anyways, cram schools are earning over like what.. prolly 8 million yen a year? Like 60,000 yen a child or more? Yeah, and ever since relaxed education, more parents had to spend money on cram schools, so yeah cram school people are happy even though everyone else is miserable. Except for the kogals, they always try to have fun and be happy. Go Gals! XDDD lol but that may have been a slight exag. or stereotype, but that's okay. XP

-Harajuku, Shinjuku and Shibuya Districts: Shinjuku is like on the otherside of Tokyo and Harajuku is like on the edge of Shinjuku. Shinjuku district is far from Shibuya or at least far enough on bike. Just take a look at a map. XP lol.

-"Hi, I'm blood type AB!": I haven't heard or read it much in anime or manga, but there was a fact, and then backing that up a liner not in a different anime/manga, and also in an article I read about personalities and blood types, is that Japanese introduce themselves with their blood type, just like we focus on what our astrological sign is. :3

-Please please please!!Don't hate the Harajuku kids! ..And don't totally hate Moe. This was just one giant mess of a misunderstanding and well... yeah. (sweatdrop)

-In Japan, you get a separate liscence and different kind of test for small vehicles. You can achieve that liscence as early as I think 14-ish, prolly. Well just about the same thing in France, younger ages for cutey scooters. X3 (I TOTALLY WANT A VESPA! XD)

-Crepes are yummy, lol. They are french pancakes that are kinna like a loose burrito filled with fruit and whipped cream. The Japanese seem to totally love French cuisine and food trends or something. ;P

-Hope you didn't think the punky bodygaurds and punky queen to be wierd, eheh..

-"FREE HUGS!": Exists in Japan, hooray! The one singular thing that Youtube can honestly be said was useful for. Since they are just getting sued all over the freaking place, sheesh. But poor Naruto wasn't in a completely sunny mood to give the time to understand her nice intentions. Just another simple misunderstanding. Life's full of them. ;P

- I think that's it! XD

* * *

Review please, I lovle you guysies! XDDD 


	14. Please Don't Make Me Cry

Star- Woot! It's finally here! XD Sorry this is kinna late, but hopefully the anticipation makes it all worthwhile, eh? ;P Unfortunately I have lost one favorite and wonder what happened with that, but oh well, I'll just have to keep on trying. I promise not to disappoint you guys (unless you're so used to the more simpler styled high school fanfics, sorry then that this simply is not one of them. ;P) Anyhoo, I'm gunna set up a few ground rules, err.. head up kind things at the end with the liner notes, so that way you guys aren't like.. shaking the screen trying to kill me.

Alrighty! Here it comes, Season 1!

But first a word from our sponsors, just kidding, here's the review replies cuz I just love talking with you all. :3_

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RageofKyubii_: NARUHINA FOREVAH!! X333 The most perfect, beautiful coupling ever created from shonen! X3 (Then again there's always: HaruElie, AAML, RyokoTenchi, and maybe a couple others that I can't think of right now. :3) Okay sorry, got distracted, eheh... O.o.. Thanks for the kind and energetic review. :3 Hee, also thanks for being like.. probably the only one who likes my OC's cuz, I dunno about everyone else, eheh. :3 Though don't expect things to patch up so easily or so quickly between the two of them, sorry. ;; Hope you like this chapter too, have a great day! XD 

_Kyuubi3000:_ Hiiiii:3 THANK YOU!! X3

_Sailor Alpha Tomboy: _What would you say, If I didn't 'go on'??? O.o Hm... something to think about.

_JSai: _Oh my gish! You've finally reviewed! XD I'm so happy! (weeps) Sorry, it's just that I noticed how I'm on your alerty-thing but I wondered if you'd ever review, eheh. But yay, I'm so glad you like my story! XD Heehee! Take care, have a good day! Hope you like this chapter too, sorry if it may suck! O.o (woot, for deh closet! Lol, goth. (hearts))

_Lunarangel's Dark Flame:_ I didn't mean to sound mean and/or be callous towards Hanabi, eheh... I just got annoyed and lazy at myself for having a hole/loose thread right there with Hanabi's situation. So then instantaneously I had come up with something, which I will get into towards the end-ish of this chapter. :3 Hooray! XD Hm and I think anime conventions would be different cuz Naruto would either not go to one or if he was forced to go to one, he'd know to keep his mouth shut. Dude, even security would be on his tail! O.o, lol what a funny image, no offense Naruto-kun. :3 Well anyways, thanks for always reviewing, you are wondeful. :3 Hope you like this chapter, later days:3

_Thorine:_ WoWZ! Prolly like the only long review I ever got from you! X3 Yay, so anyways... :3 Thing is Hinata never entertained the thought of someone seeing her and basically she never wanted anyone to. If you recall from chapter 6, Hinata had hid her lolita magazine under her butt on the chair when the two girls were asking her questions about the fight. :3 That was supposed to be a clue to how she feels about other people and her exclusive hobby. But yeah, we'll get into more of that later in this chapter. :3 Oh also, about the delivery/mugged scene (yeah sorry about that, I was hoping people would make their own opinion of what happened with that, but anyways) Yeah they were the people who ordered it, that's why she payed him. Naruto just didn't know that because he expected to be dropping off at an apartment, except Harajuku doesn't have residencies. Poor Naruto-kun, no worries though, he'll get used to everything eventually. Lol, poor little country boy. :3 (suburbs count as country in Japan. :3) Mmmkay, very sorry that this is getting mad long, but anyways.. very glad you like the chapter, I tried. :3 And this is T, sorry to say that I don't think I can write very good lemons at all. (Or at least a lemon that's still clean and romantic, cuz that'd be my ideal lemon, and there just aren't too many like that.) Anyhoo, but if you still want an amateur lemon, I could give it a shot and send it to you through PM. :3 And final thought: (There will be fluffs and lime much much later-like, and there is no NaruSaku, I can't stand that shit lol. But Sakura will appear... eventually. 6.6)

_Kalluwen:_ Hullo again:3 Yeah, dunno about that throw down though lol. I don't think she'd want to deliberately see Naruto at work with her friends, I think she'd see a fight 10 miles away. And probably in the back of Naruto's head, an apology was stuck in his throat, but he was still dazed from seeing her and distracted by the angry teens that he couldn't think of apologizing. Hope that suffices, eheh..

_Lovelyanime:_ Oh don't fret:3 It's okay, I forgive you. There's nothing you need to do, lol. :3 Hm and killing Hiashi off... O.o yeah, I dunno... maybe there's something like that... later on... who knows. _mweheheheheh..._

_Chronostorm:_ Eh, it was more like a crappy crazy morning, heheh. :P And thanks for kudos of my OC's and my writing of them. :3 I try. And um, you know, I have a deviantart account and couple of character charts that you could use as easy reference and stuff. :3 Hope you dig this chapter as much or more than the previous. :3 Have a great day! X3

_Lilstrummrgrl-chan!!!!:_ Heeheehee, everytime I read your reviews it makes me giggle. :3 I'm so sorry to hear about your story alert, eheh.. oh but yeah, at first I was like yelling at myself for making Hinata OOC, but I figured out a way around it. Hm, I was actually would've described her as a standoff-ish/ defensive kind of shy. But I do feel bad for not making her a total sweetheart, but whatever, it's High School. Life Happens. :3 Yay, I'm so glad! XD I totally converted you to Ai Yazawa-ism! X3333 OMG! OMK! Sorry, fanatic moment here, but she is just waaaaaaaayyy too good at her job. Wow, but enough about that. :3 Yeah Naruto still likes his job, he's not going to quit, he needs the money. Anyways if he quit or whatever, then Ayame and Teuchi wouldn't be less and less in the story as they kinna already are. O.o Okay well anyways, on the situation of Naruto and his past, just trust me that you will find out, just not right away, but it will be all at once. But in a good way. :3 It's a long ways from now actually, hope you can wait that long. :3 And Noo! Don't DIE!! XDDD You rock!!!1 Hope you like this chapter! Ja ne! (job upgrade, what? O.o)

_Darkewaken:_ XDDD Yay!! Heeheehee, everytime you review, you know, it makes me smile. :3 You're state of mind when reading this during school also made me laugh. :3 (sigh, I remember those days... slacking off during class and reading fanfiction when I'm supposed to be doing research. X3) Sorry about Naruto getting wierded out and pissy towards the abstractly dressed teens of Harajuku. I had just figured that him being a small town boy and all that, I figured he wouldn't give those people a second thought. But you know, that's life. And about 'FREE HUGS', I did that on the last day of school, and most likely a teacher wouldn't allow you to have a sign around. But if you want to do it, then just do it anyways. Just make sure it's your own choice actually, cuz now I feel like I'm persuading you into doing something that even though isn't bad, could be bad, I don't know how easy and possibly carefree you're life is enough to do that without your 'rents getting mad. O.o I'm just being considerate of the consequences, ehehe.. sorry I overthink things alot. O.o

_Xarulel:_ Heyyy! XD It's so nice to here from you:3 Oh don't put yourself down, at least you're review is sufficiently long and stuff. :3 Hope you're not dying too much... O.o lol, enjoy the chapter cuz HERE! IT! COMES!

* * *

YAY! Prepare yourselves! Get some popcorn and candy! XD Open up wide, cuz here it is! XD 

The Original Season Premiere of well.. Season 1! XD (sorry for totally sounding like a FOX channel announcer guy, lol.) _Listening to: Eisley "Telescope Eyes"_

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Scratch the Surface 

Ch.14 - Please Don't Make Me Cry

_I recieved a little e-mail from Moe and Robin after that incident. It was a cute little video; chibi versions of themselves were battling against a big monster, then defeated it in three moves. The victory music played and digital chibi Moe poised proudly, underneath her saying: "Life is a Never-Ending Battle!" After that a recorded video of her and Robin in her room appeared. _

_She was whispering cluelessly to Robin, making Hinata giggled despite her swirling emotions of distress and apprehension, and a bit of regret._

_"Is it on?"_

_"Yes.."_

_"It's recording?"_

_"Yep."_

_"What? Liar, I don't see the red glowing button..."_

_"Moe-chan, I said it's recording! Aaah, you never listen to me!"_

_"Hey this video is about Emiri-chan, not everything is about you!"_

_"No, that's because everything is always about you!"_

_"True, but not this time!"_

_"Okay fine, fine! Just start already!"_

_Hinata shook her head, smiling at the pre-recorded two. Moe straightened her posture, fixing her hair slightly and putting on a needless air of professionalism. Robin sighed silently beside her, sitting informally on her swivel chair, swinging back and forth._

_"Listen to the wise words of old man Shakespeare William!----" Moe started off energetically as always._

_"---William Shakespeare." Robin corrected, just to be a pain._

_"To thine own self be true! Alright? Don't let smug alecky bastards knock you down! You're great the way you are! There's always going to be people out there who don't appreciate you, I know like hell how that is! And you know that I know! Heheh, but yeah.." Moe trailed off slightly, a wistful sort of sadness coming over her, distracted by a far yet recent memory that Hinata and Robin understood. Robin had stopped swiveling back forth, and was attentively sitting beside Moe at the desk. Her voice suddenly turned somewhat emotional, a rare but serious looking Moe staring stern yet wavery blue eyes across the screen and into Hinata's lavender ones._

_"Shit happens, you know? Just... ..just don't worry about it, don't let this get to ya." Moe finished off rather solemnly._

_"Yeah.. and I bet after what happened at Harajuku Bridge, you won't even see that guy again." Robin added supportively, unbeknownst how totally backfired his words were on Hinata. _

_"Ai-Shi-Te-Ru Emiri-chan!" Moe sing-sang before the video ended, and Hinata couldn't help but slam her laptop screen down harshly._

_The room became silent, no sounds of birds, not so much a sound of even her own breathing. _

_It was.._

_just.. _

_very.. _

_quiet._

_She glanced solemn apprehensive eyes towards her shouji, almost able to see Naruto's house through the thin rice paper door._

_'Won't see him again? ...yeah.. right...'_

_Why am I making such a big deal out of this?_

_Why do I feel so scared out of my skin about being seen?_

_I'm supposed to be proud of what I love, am I not?_

_So why... why am I so scared to face him?_

_I shouldn't be..._

_I shouldn't be._

* * *

Hinata hastily threw her bag on her shoulder, making long swift strides towards the door onto the engawa, a bewildered Neji and Hanabi looking on with wide eyes. 

"'Nee-chan, don't forget about me!" Hanabi whined worriedly, waving Neji goodbye before running out of the house. She stopped suddenly in her tracks, an unusual yet curious and almost unsettling scene playing out before her.

Hinata stood there, stiffly as if standing her ground before Naruto who stared back at her somewhat unsurely and rather standoffishly. Both looked kinda nervous or wary of eachother, but it was hard to tell. It was like they were at a standstill, a faceoff; unsaid words and incomplete thoughts floating through the still atmosphere, as if all the unseen and unamable shinto gods were waiting with her, watching as quietly as possible to see what would happen next.

Naruto couldn't tell if she was mad at him or what, when she had come out and he had been waiting there on on the delivery bike, her initial reaction was a short look of shock. She had taken a hasty step backwards, staring at him with wide eyes. Then her expression had immediately changed, her eyes narrowing, and hands fisted readily in her pockets. She took on a defensive stance, biting her bottom lip, still keeping her space from him.

Honestly she was shaking scared and her palms gone clammy and cold against the moist fabric of her pocket which she grasped onto tightly, as if were she to let go, she would fall apart, needing something to lean on. To hold onto.

Yet he couldn't tell, to him she looked too tense and her expression rather hardened, he assumed her to be mad at him, he just wished she would tell him why. Then again he might as well ask in order to find out.

And then again she was upset with him, it was a wierd emotion to fall onto for support, rather irrational and selfish emotion to fall to, as if it would justify her right to be the victim of the whole situation. But she couldn't help it, seeing the way he was just standing on his bike, an unreadable expression on his unusually quiet face; it put her in a position to hold her guard up. She had begun to remember what kids at Harajuku had said, that he had said, and it just made him look worse before her eyes.

_"Freaks! ..."_

It echoed in her head, like a hollow headache til it pained and disappointed her to look at him.

She suddenly stomped off the engawa, listlessly forgetting Hanabi who rushed up to meet her as she walked away from a taken aback Naruto.

_'Nee-san seems really mad... I don't think I've ever seen her like this. What happened?'_ She glanced curious eyes between the huffy Hinata and Naruto behind them, whom peddled steadily behind them.

Hinata hastily slipped on her greyish-blue cotton/rayon gloves, roughly throwing her scarf over her shoulder and forcibly willing her legs to bring her farther and farther away from him. But he was still there, the steady continuous rattling of the bike chain ringing in her ears, letting her know he wasn't going anywhere else. She couldn't take the noise of it, even though it wasn't at all loud or obnoxious, it was just there and she wished it wasn't, she wished he wasn't.

They were going to the same destination, she knew that. She just wished he wasn't behind of her, it made her feel like he was following her, his prescence distressing her further. If she could, she would stop so he would peddle ahead of her and leave her alone, but if she did that she knew she'd run away from the school, because still he'd be there...

..right behind her..

..all day..

..everyday..

..for the rest of the year.

_'Dear God, I can't take this anymore!'_ Hinata screamed desperately inside her head, stopping dead in her tracks. Silence suddenly brought her back to earth, a small cool wind breezing through her subconsciousness. She turned around, realizing she had stopped dead in front of Hanabi's Middle School entrance. Hinata watched her leave with a goodbye that had gone unnoticed when she had been so absorbed in her dread. She suddenly glanced surprised eyes to the side, Naruto was waiting on his bike looking at her with a limited sort of expectance. She only got to look at his eyes a brief second, before pulling away from him entirely and marching forward again.

She could feel her heart rise up and tighten inside her throat, the more strides she made to get away from him, the more she knew he wasn't going to leave her alone. She began to feel frightened, anxious, distraught and frustrated all at once. She had been hit with a cold kind of sadness that dampened her soul, til she felt like she would freeze up and die. The mere second she saw his eyes, they weren't so open looking anymore. The bright and honest blue of them, dulled and hidden under a veil of discretion that hid his true self from her, or whatever amount of true him he ever let her see.

Now she just felt like he had just cut her away from him, she couldn't take the blank unsure look in his eyes, it pained her and only made her heart clench further into hard and clammy grip.

And she couldn't take the sounds of the bike peddling behind her, it just made her feel all the more anxious and frustrated.

She began to run.

This startled Naruto, though he had took notice of her ever increasing pace since the middle school, he hadn't expected her to suddenly run away from him.

"Oi, Hinata-chan!" He called out, only managing to push her to run even faster away from him. Naruto narrowed his eyes exasperatedly, scoffing annoyedly under his breath.

"Damn, what's her problem? ..Hinata-chan!" Naruto peddled faster, trying to catch up to her.

The sidewalk and middle class houses started to dissipate and transition abruptly into a more urban setting, peddling further and further into Tokyo's wide city ranges. Naruto struggled to keep an eye on Hinata, as she deftly wove through the crowd of pedestrians. Naruto was having trouble biking on the populated sidewalk now, and began to consider taking to the street.

"Hinata-chan! Chotto matteyo!"

Naruto swerved left onto the street, pumping his legs faster, trying to pursue her through the crowd of cars. He could see her, her being the only one running down the sidewalk like a maniac. He wove through and peddled past cars and other bicyclers, hoping to reach Hinata. He just didn't like the idea of her running away from him like that so suddenly, he wasn't even sure what he did wrong. She just ditched him.

She took a sharp right turn around a building, as Naruto swerved a hard right around a parked car, to peddle down the same street she was running on. Now that they weren't on the main road, he was a lot closer to Hinata now than merely a minute ago, the raucous din of the city cars and millions of footsteps echoing off behind them.

"Hinata-chan!"

Hinata ran through the crosswalk just when it turned red, nearly missing the hasty jerk foward of a car and shoved herself through the school gates. Naruto nearly swore under his breath after seeing her near recklessness, and paused by the red light, now delayed from catching up to her.

It finally turned green and he sped across the street, clearing through the school yard. He peddled faster, seeing Hinata's wide seemingly frightened eyes settle on him, as he pulled up beside her and stopped right in front of her, blocking her way from entering the school.

"Wh-what do you th-think you're d-doing?!" Hinata shouted, startled at Naruto's nerve to park himself right in front of her so rudely.

"What were you runnin' away from me for?!" Naruto demanded stormily, glaring at her from his bike with fiery blue eyes, his affliction with Hinata's behavior overshadowing the slight hurt that he didn't yet realize he was feeling.

"J-just leave me alone! S-step aside!" Hinata shouted back rather shakily, trying to side-step him but he moved forward, blocking her way again, making her feel more anxious and frustrated, like a cornered animal.

"Look, if you're pissed at me about your leg, I'm sorry!"

"I don't care about that!" Hinata cried out in a high voice, her throat feeling sharp and dry afterwards. She could feel her need to really cry surface in her chest, an almost suffocating feeling welling up inside her til she was certain she'd burst.

"Then what is it?! What'd I do?!"

"You should know!!" Hinata ran past him, head ducked, disappearing inside the school. Naruto watched her go, overwhelmed and aggravated with her and the wall of confusion that seemed to surround him and keep him ignorant. He growled angrily, stepping off his bike and kicking it roughly, unaware of the other students in the courtyard had been watching him and Hinata, and still were basically.

* * *

"I can't do this... I can't do this..." 

Hinata sat at her desk, hands on either side of her head, burning a hole in her desk with shaky lavender eyes, not really seeing anything, just hunched over and absorbed in her anxiety-ridden dread.

"Hinata-chan?" Came a familiar voice, making Hinata jump. She looked up to see Kiba looking at her with bemused curious eyes.

"Oh no, I was talking aloud..!" Hinata hissed to herself aghast, causing Kiba to suddenly laugh mirthfully.

"Yeah, you still are. Hahaha!" Kiba laughed, making Hinata gasp with a blush, slamming both hands over her mouth as if that would help cover her mistake. Kiba couldn't help but think how cute she was, even though she seemed rather awkward half the time. Hinata slumped exasperately in her seat, surrendering to her embarrassment.

"You okay? I wasn't sure if I should come over an' check or not.." Kiba gave a small half-smile, a friendly look of concern in his dark eyes. Hinata relaxed at his simple words, eyes softening back to calm. She nodded, smling very little, but smiling softly nonetheless.

"Hai."

"Heh, well that's good." Kiba replied back, a hand behind his head. Realization suddenly hit him as he remembered something.

"Oh yeah, hey um.. I got this magazine at the _Spider_, if you wanna take a look.." Kiba placed a black and moonlight-yellow colored magazine on her desk, a blood-splatter kuro-loli drawn in gothic-shoujo style stood prettily on the cover, red ribbons, lace and roses were sparce on her dress and parasol, a single white medical eye patch covered her left eye. Normally Hinata would've ignored the more gothicy styled stuff, but the magazine seemed interesting enough.

"_LACE_.. hm, I like it." Hinata smiled up at him, making him smile too. She brought her attention back to the darkly lavish magazine, as they began to read it together, enjoying one another's company.

Suddenly the classroom door snapped open, bringing Hinata to glance at it's direction. She saw Naruto walk in, heading for his desk. He nearly caught her gaze at the same time she began to pull away. He sighed silently to himself, collapsing in his chair, a bored expression on his face.

He finally took notice of the other boy who was hovering close by Hinata, narrowing his eyes in scrutiny.

_'Huh? Who's that guy?'_

Hinata flipped quickly through the pages, scanning the dark and eerily beautiful dresses and artistic images.

"That dress would look great on you.." Kiba spoke in a low voice, keeping their conversation as quiet and private as possible, his comment and wam breath causing Hinata to turn pink.

Naruto took slight note of that, he didn't know what was being said or going on, but he noticed Hinata's flustered state after Kiba said something, and it kinna irked him.

_'Oh geez, I don't need to see this..'_ Naruto sighed, turning his body away to lounge lazily in his seat, staring at the opposite wall. Everyone in the classroom were just going about their usual business, nothing interesting going on, nothing new. He suddenly decided to go back to his original position, turning his head to stare out the window. Nothing special out there either; just naked frozen trees standing tall and half-asleep in the winter snow, birds landing and flying away just as soon as they had come, a women and her three young children (one of them being a baby) was being pushed in a baby carriage. He glanced to his right from the window, pausing suddenly with disbelieving eyes.

They were talking, Kiba and Hinata, easily with eachother like they were really good friends. Or maybe Kiba thought they were _really really good friends_, because his hand was on her shoulder, every now and then he'd brush back strands of her hair. Naruto instantly became annoyed at the boy's gall, afterall he himself hadn't recieved the rights to use Hinata's first name until it had been three weeks, and now this guy that usually sat at the far opposite corner of the room was touching her... in small seemingly intimate gestures.

Naruto just scoffed, averting his eyes to glare at the floor.

Hinata turned another page, knowing that Kiba already read through this issue once, she paused in shock, her hand hovering over the right corner of the magazine.

It was a picture (one that took up the two full pages) of Naruto on his bike, the mob of vindictive cosplayers running behind him. It was actually a rather well done image, Naruto was stretched over the crease of the two pages, the end of his bike blurred by the speed. Obviously the camera man didn't have a multiple shot option to take away the speed lines, but either way it made it all the more impressive still. The dozens of teens were distinguishable from eachother, despite faces and bodies somewhat obscured by the camera's focus on Naruto. One cosplayer, a sweet lolita, had her arm stretched out from the crowd, also blurred from the speed, and a blurred parasol (position, a downward diagonal) was covering Naruto's foot; the overall story of the image was that the girl had thrown her parasol at Naruto. You could definitely see the angry faces on the teens, Naruto's was merely a look of determination heavy with nervousness and self-concern.

Hinata couldn't believe this had been posted in the magazine, she began to worry if it was in other print media as well.

In large diagonal lettering, read the headlines of the two-page picture: _**Delivery Boy's Slurs Create Riot at Harajuku Bridge**_.

"Wait a second..." Kiba mumbled to himself, examining the image further. Suddenly Hinata and Kiba whirled on Naruto at the same time, catching Naruto off gaurd. He jumped in his seat, gulped slightly when he found himself pinned under their blank scrutiny. He couldn't understand why they were staring at him that way. He darted nervously between Hinata and Kiba, both looking at him almost accusatorily, yet just blankly. He stared a bit longer at Hinata, she still looked mad at him, her eyes somewhat narrowed in a stern reproachful look. Then just as soon they had turned to stare at him, they went back to the magazine, talking a bit more vigorously it seemed, and still Naruto could barely hear their conversation.

"Aw, I shoulda stayed longer man! Heheh, missed all the fun." Kiba grinned, talking quietly. Hinata mentally shook her head at him.

"Don't tell me you would've been in on that would you?"

"..eheh...Maybe..?" Kiba replied, chuckling sheepishly.

Hinata sighed derisively at him, thinking to herself _'boys..'_.

"Ne, were you there when this all went down?" Kiba asked her with curious eyes. She shook her head lightly, eyes stuck on the page.

"No. Not really..." She answered softly.

"Not really?" Kiba mimicked, expecting her to explain, but she remained quiet.

She stared at the slightly blurred image of Naruto's face, the world seemed to quieten around her into silence when all she could hear for the moment was the disappointment in her thoughts.

_'Baka..'_

* * *

Hinata finally surrendered to Kurenai-sensei's half-hearted pleadings (along with Kiba's bit of persuasion) that she participate in phys. ed., and now she felt like she was paying for it. She didn't like the handle of the paddle and she could barely get the little ping-pong ball over the net, let alone make it bounce. She always swung too late or too early and never hit the ball. 

"C'mon, Hina-chan! You can do it." Kiba encouraged the flustered Hinata, as she glared bitterly at the ball in her hand. She had this cute look of complete determination on her face, but it didn't help her at all.

"Why did I let you talk me into this?" Hinata whined, missing the ball again. A red-headed classmate a table behind her and teamate Kiba decided to make herself known, a stuck-up grin on her face.

"Haha! This is why you shouldn't deadbeat in gym, Hyuuga-san!" She laughed, getting some scoldings from her friends about her rude comment.

"Oi, Yoshino-san! Leave her alone, c'mon, how many times have you faked out of gym, huh?" Kiba smirked at her indignant expression, as she huffily retorted.

"Hey baka! What I skip, I make up for with skills! Hyuuga-san ain't got no, cuz she's been sitting on her bum the past 6 months!"

Hinata sighed bored and dejectedly, laying the paddle on the table and giving up. Kurenai came around noticing all the back-and-forths and came to put them aside, clapping her hands at them to get their attention back on task.

"Alright, that's enough kiddies. We got fifteen minutes, save your bickering for the classroom." She ordered, the students sighing but obeying reluctantly.

"Here, toss me the ball. I'll serve to you." Kiba smiled reassuringly, as Hinata threw the ball across the table, still not feeling at all interested in the activity. She just could get a hang of it, and if she wasn't good at it, then she should just let it slide and not care. But Kiba managed to snag her into playing with him, he had been saying his usual gym partner Shikamaru skipped school early and he wasn't sure why. So basically she was snagged, and had no other choice but to endure the last fifteen minutes of the stupid little table game.

Naruto didn't care much for the game, it was too easy for him. He lost a couple times, but nothing was competitive, so the scores didn't deem as important to him. Practically all of his attention was on Hinata, every now and then he would glance after hitting the ball to look at her. She was failing miserably at the simple game and he couldn't quiet fathom why but shrugged it off. His main reason for being so focused on her was because the way the morning happened he couldn't get over, it was stuck in his mind and he needed to understand why she acted that way or why that happened. Also he was still annoyed with the other guy, he never saw him hang around or even talk to Hinata when he was around the past month. Sure he hadn't been around for the first 5 months of the school year, but he figured that if the brown haired feral looking boy knew Hinata as well as it looked like he did, then he would've been all over her the past month as he seemed to be now.

But what irked Naruto more was not knowing who this guy was, and why was he 'all over' her?

Maybe they're old childhood friends?

Or maybe he's just some jerk guy that's taken a random interest in Hinata and won't leave her alone?

But then Naruto got a look at his teeth awhile ago, when he had been smiling cheekily at Hinata.

_'Holy hell?! What's wrong with his teeth?!'_

Naruto finally assumed him to be another one of _those_ people at that bridge yesterday morning.

_'Wow.. she likes that kind of guy?'_ Naruto shook his head, now more focused on pushing aside all these new thoughts that wouldn't stop bothering him. Naruto didn't realize how frustrated he became when he hit the ball too hard and it flew past the boy's shoulder. He glanced wide eyes over his shoulder, looking at the rather now dilapidated ping-pong ball then glanced back at Naruto.

"Dude... this isn't tennis."

* * *

Hinata sat at her desk, feeling kinna awful after gym and looking more than forward to her lunch cake. But she didn't want to eat it just yet. 

She looked over at wide open classroom door where Kiba was just entering from. He smiled and waved at her, and she smiled and waved softly back. He was just about to walk towards her with a sweet bun in hand, but a boy from a different classroom stopped him by his shoulder. Hinata couldn't help feel curious and a bit impatient as she waited for Kiba to be done and eat with her, as she expected him to. But instead he started to walk outside with the boy, smiling a bit apologetically to her and waving her goodbye.

Hinata felt disappointed seeing him go, a nagging feeling of hopes being dropped ruining her mood a bit further. She was never going to participate in gym again. Well maybe not.

She sighed to herself, staring at her little pound cake desert without as much interest as she had minutes ago.

She couldn't help it if this time she wanted to have company during lunch, it would've been like an indoor picnic, just without all the fun of a real one.

She barely picked at it with her tiny blue fork, and sighed again.

"Hinata-chan..?"

Hinata's heart suddenly leapt in her throat as is squeezed down hard, refusing to let her speak as her tongue went thick and useless in her mouth. It's not like she forgot he was there, on the contrary, she was still willing herself to put him out of her mind entirely. She had still hoped that eventually he'd ignore her, let the whole thing drop and just ignore her.

But it didn't seem likely.

"Hinata-chan??"

She willed herself to keep her cool, she couldn't respond back anyway, now that her throat was so clenched tight that speechless would have been futile. She kinna hoped that would come across to him and maybe he'd understand that she couldn't talk right now, or didn't want to talk. But that was also a little too hopeful.

Either way she wanted to maintain a moment of status quo, for fear she would have a meltdown in front of him.

The general hurt, confusion and disappointment was still there when it came to him. She just couldn't deal with it right now.

Or ever.

He wasn't meant to see her, no one outside of Harajuku was meant to recognize her. But now her private world was no longer for her eyes only, now that he saw it too.

It started to make her think of Geishas, but luckily for them, everyone knows how forbidden their world is, the confidentionality of their world is kept secret and mysterious.

Hers however, she regrets, is actually very public since it's Harajuku.

Still... out of all the _thousands_ and _thousands_ of people crammed in every 0.7 acres of Tokyo, it was a cruel trick of fate that someone that knew her, even someone vague, saw her and recognized her at Harajuku.

Her world was exposed and she felt sick by it.

And hurt that he was so quick to judge.

She just didn't want to know what he thought of her, because she had a feeling he would just group her with the rest.

She couldn't stand such a thought. It wasn't fair.

"Hinata-chan..?!???"

With shaky hands, she pulled out her cell phone, and placed on her earphones, and began listening to a soft sad piano.

* * *

"You know, you don't have to keep ignoring me like this!" 

Hinata stopped in her tracks. The sounds of the bike stopped behind her as well. She didn't turn around to face him.

"I would have figured after seeing me there, you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me.. let alone talk." She answered back in a solemn quiet voice, glancing very minimally behind her.

They air was still, the streets quiet and empty save for the small banks of snow that stuck close to the sidewalk and wall-like cement fences. Naruto barely moved forward, bringing his foot back, feeling hesitant to approach. He finally got her to talk to him, he didn't want her running off again.

"I've been trying to get you to talk to me since this morning, but you've been avoiding me on purpose..!"

"Because you're the one that wants to talk. I don't." with that Hinata started walking again, her only intentions now were to pick Hanabi up and go home.

"No, wait!" Naruto called out, sighing tiredly under his breath as he hopped up on his bike and started pedalling alongside her slow pace.

_'Just leave me alone please...'_ Hinata sighed dejectedly, walking in small upright steps. The silence stuck for a bare minute before Naruto spoke again, a bit more easy going now.

"Alright.. you don't have to tell my why you're mad..." Naruto started, making Hinata sigh a breath of relief inside. Only to be caught again in her throat. _'Mad?!'_

"So why'd you run anyways?"

Hinata couldn't help but stare at him with wide incredulous eyes, annoyed at his persistence to get her to talk. Didn't he understand that she didn't want to? Right now?

"I didn't want to be late for the bell." She fibbed quietly, eyes glued to the road ahead of her. She didn't want to tell him that she didn't want to be around him.

Naruto scoffed rather quietly to himself, slumping forward on the bike handle as he continued to pedal alongside her. He was never going to get anywhere with her, and all he wanted to get out of the way was why did she hate him now? What did he do?

"Alright... well, who's that wierd guy that kept hanging around you today?"

"What..?!" Hinata shouted hushedly under her breath, startled at the new line of questioning and stared at him red-faced, reluctant to answser that too.

"That guy, with the freaky long teeth.." Naruto explained in a dry voice, still slumped over the handle. Hinata exhaled lightly, somewhat mentally preparing herself to answer.

"He's a vampire."

Naruto fell off his bike.

"He's what?!" Naruto shouted from the ground, trying to get back up on his bike.

"Nevermind..." Hinata muttered, feeling embarrassed, and started walking away huffily without him.

"No wait, hold on!" Naruto called, finally getting on the bike as he caught up with her.

"So.. wait, you don't actually believe that do you? Does he?"

"Does he what?"

"Actually think he's a vampire?"

"No, of course not!"

"Well.. then... what?" Naruto blurted out, clearly confused.

"Nevermind, you don't get it."

"Che, of course I don't. ..Ne, Hinata-chan.. he must be a really wierd guy if he thinks he's a vampire."

"He doesn't think he's a vampire."

"Alright, well whatever it is.. so then you like wierd guys?"

"Would you just stop calling him wierd!"

"Why?! If he is, he is!"

"No he isn't!" Hinata shouted, glaring fiercely at Naruto, all of her frustration from the beginning of the day and even since yesterday afternoon, had finally pushed through the surface. And she hadn't realized that they were right in front of Hanabi's middle school.

"Is that all you've got to say?! Is that what you think of us?!" Hinata shouted, unaware of anything else around her but her indignance. She finally had enough of his unwanted attitude. Was he so clueless that he couldn't fathom how to be considerate? Even just a little bit?

"What?! Who's us?!" Naruto blurted out, his words going unheard by Hinata's tirade. _'Who's us? Is she seriously with that guy?' _Naruto just looked at her with wide eyes, giving a strange look like she had grown another head.

"At the bridge yesterday! And you called everyone there freaks!!"

"Cuz they are! C'mon, I saw freaking guys in rubber skirts and heels there! And you're friends are crazy too!"

"Shut up! What do you know about them?!"

"Well that red-head wouldn't stop screaming at me! She was makin' a scene at the Ichiraku a few days ago too!"

"So what?! Leave Moe-chan alone!"

"Moe-chan? Oh yeah, that's what her name was.. freakin' loud mouth..."

"Whatever, I don't have to take your pre-misconceptions. You don't know a thing about us."

"Aaah, who the hell is 'us'?! Who're talking about?! What is it about that wierd place that you like so much?!"

"That _wierd place_ is where I belong, alright?! It's more than just a hang out for me!" Hinata exhaled deep yet shallow breaths into the cold air, her throat sore from raising her voice more than she ever did in her entire life, she couldn't help it, she never felt this upset before. Other times, sure, she had been deeply upset, but by someone she subconsciously considered a friend... this was a first.

"During the weekdays... I'm not.. I don't feel... alive. I feel like I'm sleepwalking through everything and that nothing real matters. I have to put up with the high expectations of my father.. but he only makes me feel useless, I can't do anything right in his eyes. ..The only time I'm _alive_ is at Harajuku! When I'm a lolita, I'm myself!" Hinata brought her once quiet gaze from the ground to look Naruto in the face with wavery lavender eyes. She felt so vulnerable now, exposing herself further to him, but he asked for it, constantly really. And she felt all her confidence dissipitate from underneath her, like it was sucked out of her lungs and skin and she felt so shaky she couldn't stand for much longer. All she felt like doing was to cry, but she refused to show any more weakness in front of him.

Naruto stared at her with an unreadable blank stare, eyes somewhat solemn and mellow. But no empathy, recognition or even sympathy entered his unusually quiet blue eyes.

"...Well that was melodramatic."

"WHAT?!"

"C'mon Hinata-chan.. I'm sure your life isn't that bad." Was all Naruto said, in a dry voice as he casual shrugged off Hinata's entire speech. He finally got his answers to his questions, didn't he? But then for him to act like it didn't matter at all in the end? What the hell?!

Hinata stared at him with hollow sad eyes, her crestfallen expression going unnoticed by Naruto, she couldn't help but look at him with a disappointed sort of disbelief. She just couldn't believe he could say that, suddenly act like that.. she had been ignoring him all day, now it was as if he had just taken her in warmly, only to be discarded, disregarded.. out into the cold without another care. Alone and empty.

Now he really didn't want to have anything to do with her.

"Your sister's here." Naruto called, his voice painfully piercing through the silence. She felt alone, now she just wished she was. She barely nodded, barely acknowledged Hanabi, though she took her hand and they started their way back home. Naruto soon left without them, pedalling none too fast, and at a casual speed, but either way it he had ditched her.

She just couldn't wait to get to her bedroom.

_

* * *

The rest of the week sped right past me, Naruto-ku--- I mean, Uzumaki-san... we hadn't spoken much since then. Actually he doesn't seem to wait outside anymore. Perhaps it's too awkward now for us to be in mutual prescence. __Then again it's not like I want to be in his presence..._

_I haven't forgiven him. _

_I suppose.. it is too awkward now. _

_Father's been on Hanabi case all week, due to the week-long exams known as 'Exam Hell'. _

_She's lost a bit of weight and I've tried to tell her not to overdo it._

_But it would seem that Father's is always the stronger will in the household. And us the meager mice._

_And the silence between Neji and I has gone unchanged. I realize now how desperate I feel, and I feel pathetic thereafter. I can't take this silent house, I'm finally starting to feel claustrophobic in my own room. I need to get out soon, my whole life.. this past week has just been a dull routine. Just like my life before Naruto entered, a month ago._

_I sit here, as I hum to the words of the lonely phantom, angel of music. _

_I'm wishing I had my own angel sometimes.. but I soon realize how childish that sounds, and I scoff at myself._

_The only bits of significance the past week have been the minutes spent with Kiba. _

_I feel like I can survive through the day with just a look and a smile from him, and my old daydreams of France and the Versailles come back to me as I stare listlessly out the window._

_Still I can't ignore the empty sadness in my heart, underneath all my denial and forced smiles. The only time I feel like I can breathe is with Kiba._

_I've become so grateful towards him._

_Yet I'm still nagged by the blonde-headed boy who sits behind me during classes. _

_It's not so easy for me to ignore him, like I was able to do with the world. I wish I could live blissfully ignorant._

_I should stop wishing though..._

_They never come true, and it's for children._

_I just can't wait for Christmas this Sunday._

_I'm going to spend it with my friends._

* * *

Friday Afternoon... 

Hanabi stood short and restless amongst the throng of seventh graders. It was the end of Exam Hell, and all were crowding around the student listings board, the numbers listed were the ones who passed the exams. Poor Hanabi though was rather short and slight among her peers, and she couldn't see the board at all where she stood.

Every now and then a few boys or girls would yell and shout with delight at their victory over the exams, often glomping and hugging their friends enthusiastically. It made Hanabi a bit more confident but at the same time more nervous.

She glanced at the number that lay written on the crumpled square of paper in her hand, and she took in a deep breath to steel herself.

_'Oh no...'_ She thought to herself, deeply dismayed.

**1444**

Three fours in a row.

_'Bad luck...'_

Hanabi sighed sadly to herself, entirely sure now that she hadn't passed the exams and was entirely certaint her name wouldn't be on the board.

_'Please.. O Buddha and Kami-sama.. let me pass..!'_

Hanabi forced herself to the front, eyes screwed shut in her anticipation, fingers crossed. She looked up, scanned the numbers in search for hers. She couldn't imagine going home without passing, she studied so hard, and her Father--- she felt--- would mostly chew her up and spit her back out. Maybe even disown her.

"Please...!!" Hanabi hissed hopeful under her breath, eyes wide and anxious.

**1096...**

**1267...**

**1435...**

**1443...**

_**1444**_

Hanabi gasped breathlessly to herself, barely any breath leaving her for she was completely speechless.

Well, until she jumped up and let out a big happy squeal.

"I DID IT! I PASSED! I PASSED!" Hanabi shouted excitedly, her face warmed as some classmates who heard her clapped and congratulated her.

"Heyy! Way to go Penny-chan!" came one boy's reply, Hanabi instantly recognizing it to be that perverted arrogant bastard from before, the day of the pictures. She turned around when he was smiling cheekily at her, his hand on her shoulder. She glared at him and was about to hurt him when another voice came around.

"Oi, asswipe. Lay off." Came a boy's voice, one that Hanabi rocognized all to well and made her heart skip. Kanasato-kun stood half hidden in the crowd, his hand twisting the other boys' off of Hanabi's shoulder and told him to 'beat it.' He left, glaring bitterly at the two of them and flicking both of them off before disappearing all together.

Kanasato-kun suddenly smiled at Hanabi, he was about to approach her and say something, but she turned away immediately. Her face felt warm, but she wasn't sure how to act around him. Ever since last month and the pictures several days ago, Hanabi wasn't sure whether to trust him or not. Yet she could not ignore how she truly felt about him, and despite that.. she also couldn't forget how close they used to be as friends. And she deeply missed that.

And she hadn't been able to bring herself to report her troubles to the school. She didn't want to get Kanasato-kun in trouble, no matter how much he hurt and disappointed her. It just wasn't in her to do that to him.

"Hey, Hana-chan.."

"..." She ignored him, not like she was mad at him, but she was nervous and couldn't look him in the eyes just yet.

"Congratulations on passing..." He started out, then trailed off rather awkwardly, like he didn't know if he was getting through to her. She nodded curtly, eyes still glued to the ground.

"Thank you." was all she said. Another shout erupted from the crowd of adolescents.

"WOO-HOO! I PASSED!"

"Ne.. Hanabi-chan, please.. listen to me?" He asked her in a soft pleading voice, if she had looked at his face, she would have seen sincere regret in his eyes, yet still managed to maintain his boyish charm that he had been born with.

"Why.. w-why should I?" Hanabi muttered back, never glancing back at him. He walked up to her, so he was all she could hear and not the crowd. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and leaned in close to her ear.

"I want to make it up to you.. But I want to talk with you outside of this crowd, okay?"

Hanabi felt nervous and warm, and somewhat afraid. She looked around cautiously amongst the crowd. No sight of Yoko or Akina, and everyone else was too busy to notice them. Hanabi took in a deep breath, before answering, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as an excited sort of happiness filled her briefly.

"Alright. But we got to sneak away fast." Hanabi whispered in an almost mischevious voice, glancing back at him and winked. His smile seem to broaden too as he took her hand and led her away. They snuck away swiftly and stealthily away, running down the sidewalks as soon as they were out of the school gate.

* * *

They sat in a cute and quaint little fruit parlor, their blueberry crepes lay on the porcelain plates untouched. Hanabi stared outside the window, nervously and shyly glancing back at Kanasato-kun. She didn't regret her decision to hang out with him, but she couldn't help feeling awkward. 

She picked at her french pancake with her fork, reluctant to find the words to start the conversation.

What was there to talk about anymore?

Yet there was so much to ask.

But Hanabi didn't want to ask those questions now, it was too depressing.

"I'm sorry." Kanasato finally uttered, bringing Hanabi's attention to him, her hand frozen mid-poke to her pancake.

"I didn't imagine anything like that to happen.." He continued.

"What do you mean?" Hanabi asked in a small voice. Kanasato brought his eyes up to meet hers, his softened with guilt and regret. It stopped Hanabi in her tracks, her interest in what he was expressing making her more hopeful than she ever was her entire life.

"I mean.. the pictures.. they were all Yoko's idea."

"Well I knew that."

"But you also thought I set you up.. didn't you?"

"Well didn't you?" Hanabi bit out huffily, glaring him. He sighed, bringing his head to lay in his hand.

"No I didn't.. I mean.. ..it was wierd, how this all happened.." Kanasato seemed to struggle with his words, ashamed of the whole situation and embarrassed at his inarticulateness. Hanabi didn't respond right away, waiting patiently for him to continue what he was trying to get out.

"Remember when were all so close? You, Me, Yoko and Akina?"

Hanabi nodded quietly.

"It was a month before, and Yoko out of the blue asked me if I liked you. I was reluctant to answer because I thought she was just going to make fun of me. I don't know happened to her, she was so pleasant back then. She finally got me to confess, and after that she said she would help me tell you. And I believed her. ...I just didn't think she would've gone 180 on us like that."

"Wait.. then.. Kansato-kun..?" Hanabi muttered, trying to piece his story together.

"I swear I didn't know she was going to do that, I mean.. we already knew Yoko could be a spoiled brat half the time, but.. I swear I meant what I said!" Kanasato declared fiercely, Hanabi all the while looking at him with wide dazed eyes.

"Kanasato-kun.. that day, when I-I.. w-when I.. and in the classr-room.."

"When you were coming onto me.. I was happy that you felt the same way.. (of course I didn't think you would have been so forward, eheh).. I couldn't help myself after that.. because.. Hanabi-chan..." Kanasato trailed off, the suspense in his tone making Hanabi tense up in her seat, her heart beating fast.

"I really do like you. .. I just hope you have it in your heart to forgive me." He finished, a firm and honest look in his eyes, and a sort of hopefulness too.

Hanabi was taken aback, feeling like she hadn't heard the words at all yet her mind was practically yelling at her to believe it. But then another thought soon came to her, to interrupt her mood.

"But.. Yoko-chan.."

"What about that brat? Hanabi-chan, you have to believe me--" Kanasato spat annoyedly, soon getting interrrupted by Hanabi.

"She said... she's spending Christmas Eve with you tomorrow..." Hanabi answered in a small voice, her eyes dulled with a sadness. She was surprised when Kanasato suddenly grabbed at her hand, holding it gently yet firmly in his warm smoother ones. It made her blush.

"C'mon, Hanabi-chan... Tch, you know Yoko by now, right? She was lying, damn girl talks so much crap her teeth should be brown! Hahaha!" Kanasato laughed, though his last comment made Hanabi gasp.

"Kanasato-kun! Ew, that's so gross!" Hanabi berated though she couldn't help but giggle too.

"Heheh, sorry.." He grinned sheepishly.

The bad air between seemed to have vanish all together like a bad spirit that had crossed over, a lilting sort of content filled the atmosphere. Hanabi shyly took notice of how her hand was still in his, and she couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"So.. do... do you really like me? Kanasato-kun?"

"I swear that I do." He answered with the same firmness that made Hanabi's heart so glad, and she smiled.

"So.. tomorrow." Was all he said next with a grin, making Hanabi a bit confused but kinna hopeful, and her insides tickled with a quiet excitement.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Tomorrow!" Kanasato grinned even wider now.

"What about tomorrow?"

"What time tomorrow?" He asked next. He was confusing her so much, but his smile was contagious and so cute, she couldn't help that wonderful feeling inside of her like laughter, and spread from her heart to her toes.

"Kanasato-kun! Heehee, what are you talking about?" Hanabi giggled, pressing her free hand to her lips, feeling shy of her smile.

"You won't?" He suddnely asked poutingly, with puppy dog eyes.

"I won't what?" Hanabi giggled again.

"You won't?! You won't spend Christmas Eve with me tomorrow?!" Kanasato called out, playfully acting broken-hearted and it only made Hanabi laugh more. He suddenly put his head down on the table, pressing his forehead against the soft skin of her hand.

"Please please please, will you?!" He continued his playful banter, every now and then kissing her hand, then going back down to a begging with his head down. Hanabi by now was pink and her tummy tickled so much with mirth, and her eyes were damp with tears at the corners from laughing.

"Hai! I will!" Hanabi answered with a bright smile, soon finding herself glomped by a playful (and currently overly-dramatic) Kanasato-kun.

* * *

Night fell around snowy Tokyo, only the brightest stars were able to wink through the small city pollution, as the moon made a most beautiful sight, as the rabbit greeted a 'Merry Christmas' morning to the sleeping world. But just because it was early morning didn't mean all were asleep. 

Knee deep in snow, a small boy stood breathlessly before the buidling that had caused so much pent up frustration in his life. He glared at it with a dark bitterness, suddenly a look of defeat and desperation overcame him, as he bent down and chucked another rock, shattering a tenth window of the school.

This place was supposed to help him better his life, ensure he'd get a job once he graduated, and help him make his mother proud of him, so that she didn't work to the bone to feed him day to day.

But instead it only caused more grief than he could stand, the guilt and the anger he felt, and the shame swirling dangerously in his mind.

He threw another rock.

"I'M.. I'M NOT A FAILURE!! I'M NOT A F-FAILURE!" The poor boy screamed, tears streaming down his face and a sob ripped through his throat, as he felt backwards onto the snow. He stumbled to get himself back up, and ran for the building.

He had cleaning duty that day, and being the last one at the school, he kept one of the keys to the doors outside and let himself in. He ran through the hallways, reckless and seemingly drunk with his own depression, bitterly and angrily tearing down paper bulletins and kicking random doors, leaving dents. He ran and ran til he made it to the stairwell that led to the roof.

The nippy winter air bit him, the altitude of being three stories up making all the difference. His school uniform was soaked by now from the snow, but he did not care. He walked in lazy strides towards the roof's end, white was the sight as he looked over the edge.

The boy cried more, as he took off his glasses and placed them on the rooftop.

The light layer of snow looked like an empty desert, his toe-dragged footsteps like lonely snakes.

He looked at the stars and the moon in the sky one last time, picturing his mothers face as more tears blurred his red-eyed vision.

"Mother.. I'm sorry.. God... please forgive me.."

The rooftop went out from under his as his foot slipped forward and his body lurched. The frigid wind rushed to meet his face, his eyes glued to the snowy ground, til all he saw was white.

Then it all stopped, and it all went away.

Suddenly..

Surrounded by nothingness...

His world ended.

* * *

_"Yet another adolescent suicide has taken place here in local Shinagawa District, Tokyo. A body of one, Kinosaki Hoshiro, had been discovered earlier this morning..."_

* * *

Star- WOOT!! I'm finally done! Again! I'm finally done! XD Alright so yeah.. y'all prolly think I'm evil or something. ... ...please don't hate me. ToT Yeah totally depressing right there, I had said that Kinosaki had a purpose, and sadly his purpose was to die. Sucks don't it? ;P

* * *

Okay, let's get right into it:

_Liner Notes:_

-Yo, I think I figured out the worse thing Naruto could ever do or say to Hinata-chan. And that's: "I'm sure your life isn't that bad." Anyhoo, sorry for prolly making Naruto look like an ass, but let's analyze this for a minute shall we? In the original, Naruto thought of Hinata as 'Shy, Dark and Wierd.' And right now he finally thinks of her as generally 'wierd'. Now think about this, even someone as cute and usually nice as Naruto would act like that (I'm sure) when totally not understanding something and totally disregarding it as stupid, strange and crap. Just try to understand that Naruto doesn't understand. lol

- Poor Hinata, once again she goes misunderstood and rather unnoticed. Except by Kiba! XD DON'T KILL ME! DON'T WORRY! THIS IS STILL A NARUHINA! TRUST ME, ONE OF THE MOST ZEALOUS NARUHINA FANS EVER, OKAY?! NaruHina forever!!! XD

- Hooray! Hanabi gets her man! XD Woot! Lawlz (I'm sure you NaruHina ppls don't care either way, that Hanabi ends up with an OC. Thing is, I mean I don't mind either way, but I just don't like Hanabi with Konohamaru. He's.. still really dorky lol, I don't see them together as much. That's all.)

-Alright alright, so I literally killed off poor little Kinosaki... sorry but that's just about his purpose, or at least you'll see how it plays out in the next chapter. Don't worry it's not OC-centric, gawsh! lol, But anyways... yeah.. this is just a part of life. Basically Kinosaki failed the exams and it drove him to jump off the roof.

- I came up with a freaky phrase that I wanted to use but wasn't sure how: "Rooftops Are Made For Jumping". Pretty twisted and emo right? Lol, yeah sorry about that. :P

- "LACE", is a ficitonal magazine. I totally made it up, yo. ;D

_

* * *

_

- Okay first things first: Naruto's Past.. is inevitably going to come into light, so don't worry, you will find out in time. Just letting you know that it's going to be a LONG time. Sorry again. Thing is, I have this order that I'm going with so trust me with it. We will figure out his 'past' and it will be all at once but not very soon or right away of course. ;P So, alright? Alright. X3

- Also trust me that this still is a NARUHINA all the way! So stay calm, don't be hatin' if something else happens along the way, it's all for the better. Anyhoo there will not be any form of NaruSaku cuz I can't stand that ugly shit, and if there was NaruSaku.. it'd be the end of the freakin' world okay:3

* * *

That's about it, hope youse wonderful peoples review and no flames. Or flamethrowers.. anyhoo sorry for the uber depressive moments, but at least Hanabi had her moment. (heehee) 

Until next time, have a super day brad! Lol, just kidding, gosh that commercial is kinna annoying. Anyways, as I was saying.. Have a great day minna-chan!

Baibai! X3


	15. Wake on Christmas Eve

Star - I'm sorry this took me so long, or so it feels its been long. But I wanted to make it perfect, of course since there's no such thing as 'perfect' and that it's merely a state of perspective or of one's opinion, etc. etc. There's a definitive chance this could be better still. But that's alright, cuz to me it's as good as it gets without too many altercations. Now, I know you're all dying to know of Naruto's past, and some of you out there have been bored with our dearest Hinata. (sorry guys, that you're forced to deal with the female perspective... anyhoo) This is the only entirely Hina-centric chapter, I do hope you guys don't mind. The main story of Naruto's new life in Tokyo and the progression and conflictions of their undefined relationship will continue ASAP! ;D (And besides, being a NaruHina, it's gotta be HIna-centric every now and then right? and if you look above, she's the first character I put in, while Naruto is secondary Protagonist for once in his life, lawlz. Naw, actually Sasuke kinna took over during the original show, just like Sakura took up too much precious screen time that coulda been potential Hinata scenes, but NOOO! Sheesh! XO Anyhoo, sorry to rant, but on with the show!!!! XD

_Listening to: Fiona Apple "Across the Universe"_

* * *

OMG! I gots 15 reviews for that one chapter!! XDDD That's the most ever at one time, keep it coming! Try to beat the other guys, reach a new goal! Maybe I'll give you cookies! Wuvles! (And this gotta be my longest chapter yet! YES! XD) 

_Hatake Megumi:_ Thank you! X3 Glad to have ya! Teehee! ;P

_Luv Struck Animegirl:_ Hiya, thanks!

_HardxcorePOCKY:_ Hooray for being high, long as it makes you happy! J/K, but thanks a lot! You rock, hope you like this chapter enough:3

_Amazing Anonymous Reviewer:_ Omg! Omg Omg!! What are you talking about, what do you mean?! Do you mean, you agree with Naruto that Hinata's life isn't that bad? Or or.. or.. or... are you agreeing with him that Kiba is probably most likely wierd!?!?! Or or or or or or!! Are you agreeing with Naruto that Harajuku and Hinata's friends are freaks and wierdoes!!????!?!?! (dizzy, swirly eyes) Uwaaa, if it's the first one, that's quite mean. No offense, heehee. (But hey there's always the whole.. 'well it may not be so bad to somebody else, but she's the one living it' thing. Therefore it's as bad as it can possibly be.) ... ..('sides, Naruto doesn't really know her yet, she just gave him the jist of her life. But of course she doesn't know him either. Wont this be fun? Heehee.. oh but either way, it's not a contest of who's got/had the crappier life. And if it was, either Naruto, Gaara or Sasuke would be deh finalists. Obviously, but Kinosaki could count too, he died after alls. ;P)

_Lovelyanime-san:_ Hi!! X3 Um, so yeah.. hope you dig this chaptah! ;D (Man, though.. I'm surprised how much everyone is sooo into needing to know Naruto's AU past n stuff. um.. which is not soon, eheh...)

_Rageofkyubii:_ Naw, the article in deh magazine won't cause any trouble to Naruto, it was very vague and all headlines, just minimally described the incident. Also hope you can survive through the whole story til it gets to the more preferable parts. Heheh, it hurts for me to type ... meh meh.. uhhgrrrrrrawr... NaruSaku. whoo, I made. grrrrawr.. murder... lol, just kidding. But that's because Sakura poses a horrible threat since Naruto already freakin' liked/likes her grrrr... TOT. Otherwise SasuHina is just plain silly. But yah, that's me. Sorry for the deh sillyness. And maybe yah, I'll take a look at your ficcies. :3

_JSai: _Yup, Hina-chan was tutoring him. Thanks for the reviews, hope you dig this chaptah:3

_Chronostorm:_ Ehh.. it's too bad no one cares, I mean I know it's not NaruHina, but sadly unfortunately it makes me feel like I should just omit parts of my story because no one cares about those parts. T.T Oh wells, there's still slightly more of Hanabi's story, I mean.. a person's story doesn't end until they die, just like Kinosaki. And apart from all of that, there's always room for NaruHina or whatever I'm doing, just because I'd be mentioning other characters every now and then, it doesn't mean they are taking the main character's screen time. Cuz if there's a significant scene then I milk that as long as I can, so if there's ever a good NaruHina scene, then totally I'm gunna extend that as much as I can, but of course at the same time keep it smooth and appropiately paced. Eheh, well now I don't know if this gave you an idea or not of what else I'm doing, but dude, thanks for the review. Sorry I rambled. (sweatdrop)

_EL_: Hola, Akuri-chan:3 Thanks for the review, I uhh.. hope you read the rest and review those chapters too. (sweatdrop)

_Kalluwen:_ Avid NaruHina fan? Yush I am! XD Yeah Kinosaki was going down a dark depression spiral, as his creator, I saw it coming, just like psychiatrist or a therapist would see it coming. Sadly no one else did (Well except Xaruel and um Fang.. I think). And yeah, it's kinna common, but at the same time still distressing in Japan. No one wants their children and youngins' to kill themselves and leave bloody messes, too scary. (sigh) Suburban communities, always thinking life is perfect and nothings gunna happen, those poor idiots. Lol.. hope you like this chapter too, later days dude! X3

_Throrine:_ Dude, I've been mispelling your name the whole time, sorry about that. I just finally noticed the first 'R', crazy right? Lol.. Yah, sorry you hate Kiba. But perhaps most important thing is that he **does** treat Hinata right, unless you don't care for her general happiness... huh...well anyways.. Um, no Kiba is not gay or metro. And maybe shoujo manga exaggerates boy characters, but I think Japanese boys are very different from Americans. Cuz everyone in Japan or at least Tokyo is fashionable, so I dunno.. I guess you would call them metro (just without the accent or whatever, j/k), but also.. I'd think that any straight guy would know what the girl they liked would look good in or not. (Even Naruto would, he would just have to think about it really hard, lol) But yeah, Kiba was totally being honest and at the same time flattering her. Okay dat's about it, ain't gunna answer yer other questions lol. Hope you like this though.. perhaps sadly you or some people will think this as a filler. Rawr, cuz it ain't. Sorry this was so long, eheh...

_Kyuubi3000_: You know, I actually didn't give him a bad one, it was actually quite neutral when you think about it. I mean.. Hinata didn't have it any better you know. Alright, I know you're joking, lolz. I just couldn't comply with that, cuz it wouldn't have fit anywhere in the chapter. Well this might be another sad chapter, but I hope you like it anyways. It's more or less likely going to be a bit lighter after this as the fictional year goes on. :3 Enjoy please! X3

_Darkewaken:_ Okay okay, calm downeth, lol. Chillax dude, Naruto's past is inevitable, you'll know when it happens. Just not at all soon right now, ehehe.. sorry. :3 I mean, remember I said this is like... season 1? Heehee, try to guess how many seasons in all I'm doing and where along the lines the Matsue Arc will be? (Lol, seasons.. arcs.. lol, so totally tv show lingo, and dis be a fanfiction. maybe I'm taking this a bit too seriously? ;P) I loved your review though, and free hugs rock, hee hee. Omg, yeah I know, Ai Yazawa is a freaking genius, a one woman miracle. Don't get me started, she's my idol and aspiring to her talent freaks me out, heheheh. :3

_Fang Shinobi:_ Naw, when you first made that review alluding the the exam failures' suicides, I laughed a bit because it was ironic for you to mention that. I had already planned the sad scene back in like... chapter 11.

_Xaruel:_ Omg, hahaha! XD Hiliarious, your review cheered me up and made me happy despite being threatened! XD Thank you though, heehee. And yo, don't worry, it's NaruHina fully all the way, just don't get too upset when something else happens along the way. (kibahina bits aren't the end of the world, narusaku is. Aaah, armageddon! It's raining frogs, kill the pink haired one! No the other one, not Miwako you dolts! The one with the forehead! The one with the annoying Sasuke complex and she's mad self-centered too most of the time! lawlz ;P)

Hope you all dig this chapter please! Sorry if you expect something to move along here, but if you couldn't tell (but JSai-san could. ;P) I've got a laid back rhythm going here, think about it as.. life. Certaint things happen on certaint days in many different ways, and nothing happens so quickly or right away. That'd be a car crash. And dems be ugly sad things. Okay so please don't go thinking this a filler, that'd be an insult to Hinata. I promise promise promise season 1 will continue with mucho drama, action, emotions and little misunderstandings. Oh.. and when you see what happens at the end... PLEASE DON'T EFFING KILL ME!

I love you, baibai! ;D

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch.15 - Wake on Christmas Eve

Hinata had been sitting comfortably by the kotatsu, when Neji turned up the volume on the living room tv.

_"Yet another adolescent suicide has taken place here in local Shinagawa District, Tokyo. A body of one, 13 year old Kinosaki Hoshiro, had been discovered earlier this morning at the Matsushita Normal Middle School." _

The breath left her lungs audibly in a small gasp, her eyes widened yet disbelieving what she was seeing, what she was hearing. Neji glanced at her, somewhat with worry and curiousity. The news report kept going on.

_"Police have assumed his Cause of Death to be from jumping off the school rooftop. His wake.. will be held later this evening."_

_'Kinosaki-kun... no.. h-he..'_ She brought a hand up to her mouth, her eyes wide and wavery. It seemed surreal to hear his name, for them to say that he was dead.

"He is... h-he's d-dead.." Hinata whispered to herself the reality of it finally settling in, bringing Neji's attention to rest on her.

_"Life is all you have. And life belongs not just to you, but to your mother and father who held you when you were born. It maybe be difficult to put things into words, but be sure to share your feelings with someone." That was the speech the Minister of Education gave last Wednesday, after officials found the body of an 11 year old girl floating in the Sumida River. This has now been the __thirteenth __teen suicide to date this year and--- _BLIP!"

Neji turned off the tv, quietly staring at Hinata with a quiet yet earnest worry and curiousity, but remained silent for now. Hinata appeared too absorbed in her thoughts.

_'I can't.. believe it, I told him.. ...He.. he didn't kill himself over the exams... ...did he?'_

"IDIOT! Why'd he have to go do that, why?!" Hinata suddenly shouted, jumping from where she once sat, startling Neji.

"Hinata..?" Neji muttered, staring at her with surprised eyes, as she stood there glaring tearily at the floor. Silence filled the living room, tense and melancholy. The sun filtered through the rice paper shouji into the living room, a sunny Christmas Eve. How unfitting to the swirling dark and blue emotions Hinata was succumbed to feeling at that moment, the way she had been feeling the past week. Hinata slowly sat back down, her legs feeling useless beneath her.

A small sound broke the silence, bringing Hinata and Neji's attention to turn to Hanabi who stood by the living entrance from the hallway that led to their rooms.

Despite the shock and sadness Hinata still felt from the news report, she was surprised when she saw Hanabi, curiousity filling her.

"Hanabi-chan?? Wh-why... why do you look so.. _cute_ today?" Hinata stumbled her words, not really conscious yet. Hanabi smiled briefly.

She stood, her hair braided in wispy tapered pigtails, wearing a cream-colored knitted jacket that was almost knee length, boot-cut sand-blasted blue jeans, and pink knitted knee-high boots, and had on an orange hippy bag. She was about to speak before, shutting her mouth very quickly.

_'Anou.. what do I say??'_ Hanabi thought to herself worriedly, as she thought back to yesterday.

_"Can we keep this a secret?!" _

_"Can we keep this a secret?!" Both Hanabi and Kanasato shouted at the same time, both looking flustered and spazzy._

_"Yes!"_

_"Yes!" _

_"Why?!"_

_"Why?!" _

_"Yoko!"_

_"Yoko!"_

_"..."_

_"..." They stared at eachother, dumbfounded for a moment. Hanabi finally spoke up first._

_"Um.. why do you want to hide us from her?"_

_"Girl's a controlling freak.. ..Why do you want to keep it from her..?" He answered quickly, making Hanabi give him a short wierd look. His answer seemed legit, but had a rather defensive tone. When she felt suspicious like he was omitting something else, she shrugged it off immediately as paranoia. Barely seconds into her first relationship and already she was freaking out._

_"She'll prolly try to screw me over again..." Hanabi answered, also keeping another reason in her head. 'No one at home needs to know... it's not a big deal..'_

Hanabi dug her toe in the carpet for a bit before quickly answering, the whole span of the memory was a mere second in time, and Hanabi seemed quick on her feet to answer, making her inconspicuous.

"I'm going out to Shibuya for Christmas Eve." She told truthfully, just omitting the details.

"Alone?" Hinata asked softly, Neji giving Hanabi a silent questioning look.

"Yeah.. It'll be alright." Hanabi smiled widely, putting on an air of cheery confidence. With that she waved them goodbye and left.

Silence filled the room again, neither a thought nor conscious action filling the room and two cousins.

_'What was he thinking? ... What about his mother? How could he.. he just leave her alone like that...'_

Hinata suddenly stood with a resolve set in her mind, hands fisted loosely beside her. Neji looked at her unsurely and curious. She began to walk around the room, as if looking for something, clearly half of her mind was focused on the boy and of nothing else. It kinna made Neji nervous as he watched her randomly pick up objects on the table, set them back down, and just walk aimlessly around the living room.

"Hinata-chan..?" Neji called out slowly, his voice going unnoticed as Hinata disappeared down the hallway into her bedroom.

_'What is she doing?'_

"Hinata-chan..?!" Neji called out once more, as Hinata emerged from the hallway, a thick winter jacket on (dark blue in color) and a white scarf. She began to pull on her gloves and moved to sit by the genkan.

"I'm going to his wake..." She answered solemnly in a low voice, that asked for no opposition.

"On Christmas Eve?" Neji gave her a derisive look, disagreeing with her sudden decision.

"What's it matter?" Hinata called back, putting on her boots, and barely glancing back at him.

"You barely know him.."

"I talked to him!"

"You're not even a family member.."

"How does that count for anything?!"

"It counts for alot! What sense have you to go to a strangers' funeral?!"

"I knew him! Even if it wasn't for more than an hour, I knew him! How does that not count? What if you knew someone.. what if you had talked to someone for just a second and then found out they died the next day?! Would you not attend their wake?!"

"I don't know why you feel so obligated to do this. Nobody knows you there. This is Christmas Eve, why attend a funeral?"

"You assume I have fun plans later, like Hanabi-chan?" Hinata asked somewhat mockingly, as she looked Neji on with a calm gaze. He remained silent and expression void. Hinata shook her head, shoving her last boot on and opening the shoji, before giving Neji a pointed look.

Then with that she left the house.

Neji sighed tiredly and shook his head, he didn't understand her obligation to do something so depressing for someone she barely knew.

"Whatever.."

* * *

The winter air nipped at her harshly, she was surprised to see everyone else so happy. Then again is was Christmas Eve, basically one of the biggest date nights on the Japanese calendar. Several couples walked hand in hand, arms linked in arms, all smiling and giggling. You probably didn't have to look too far to see lovebirdy couples flittering along the wintery streets like inseparable snowdoves. 

Their happiness did not reach into Hinata's mood, and she could care less. She never really thought about love or falling in love for a long time. Since then she never really bothered with Valentines, Wnite Day, Christmas, etc. Because there was no one in her life to care fully enough about to give affectionate items and thoughts to. And she had long accepted her personal loneliness.

Because she had become so accustomed to the monotony of her life, despite living in Tokyo, every week was the same as the last, as she would wait as patiently as possible for Sunday to come around. It seemed it was all she lived for.

But now what?

A boy just died.

And she was going to his funeral.

It seemed like after this, life would continue the same it always had, and after Christmas she'd just go back to school and life would repeat it's old damn process over and over again til she died from the unfulfillment of her dull dull life.

But she just took it all in stride, not worrying about the future or lack thereof it seemed.

A young married couple smiled warmly as they promenaded through the neighborhood, their three-year-old son walking between them, holding their hands as sometimes they would lift him up and swing him slightly. His childlike giggle almost sang in the frozen air, so happy and carefree.

Hinata finally acknowledged her bittersweet envy of the boy. And yet at the same time an even sadder feeling came over her, thinking back to their cozy picture.

It somewhat reminded her of Neji. And his parents.

_'Neither of us has visited their grave in so long. Maybe I should buy some incense...' _She thought to herself wistfully and rather distractedly.

She suddenly realized she didn't even know where Kinosaki's home was. Even though the wake wouldn't be held til evening, how would she even be able to attend without knowing where it is?

"Baka..." She muttered to herself, pulling her scarf tighter around her head to cover her nose from the cold.

"(sniff).. N-now what?" She asked to no one in particular as she stood cluelessly in the middle of the sidewalk.

* * *

Hanabi walked out of the Shibuya station, massive flows of crowds entered and left through the terminal, and so many idle friends hung around the station where they waited patiently for their friends. A most popular and common place to meet was just outside the station, as Hanabi walked towards the Hachiko-guchi; a bronze statue of a faithful dog. She came to lean against the statue pedestal, almost people watching for a brief while as she waited for sight of Kanasato-kun. She wasn't sure if she was early or if he would be late or what. 

_'Maybe I should call... no no, I don't want to seem clingy... but maybe one call wouldn't hurt... but if he doesn't pick up.. oh what if he doesn't come?'_ Hanabi whipped her head around trying to recognize a face or bit of hair color, but couldn't find him. She sighed sadly to herself, not realizing she was overreacting. But she couldn't help it, she really liked him and didn't want to screw up. She glanced up at the bronze dog, Hachiko.

"Do you think he'll come Hachiko? I don't know if I could ten years like you, though..."

Suddenly she felt a hand grab firmly at her upper arm and pulled her backwards. She gasped when she saw his smiling face.

"Eeee! Kanasato-kun!" Hanabi squealed happily, glomping him.

* * *

Hinata leaned against the window of a clothing store in Kitashinagawa District, a more urban area from where they lived. It was minutes away from central Tokyo from here. 

_"The cell phone user you are trying to reach is unavailable..."_

Hinata sighed, resting her cell phone hand to hang by her side. She stared yet did not see, at the crowds that continued to pace through the fairly busy streets.

_"..Moshimoshi? ..Hello..? Hinata-chan??"_

"Oh!" Hinata jumped slightly where she sat, placing the cell phone to her ear.

"Anou.. Ueno-sensei..." Hinata started out hesitantly. She began to feel rather awkward and unsure of herself, wondering if she was making a random call? Maybe she was interrupting something important?

_"Oh, Hinata-chan? What's with the honorofics? C'mon you know better, haha!"_

"Y-yeah.. I kn-know..." Hinata replied weakly over the phone. _'Oh.. why am I stuttering?'_

_"What's this about? Is everything alright?"_ She asked, Hinata could almost picture her face and began to feel worse about calling her so randomly.

"A-anou.. K-Kinosaki.." was all Hinata muttered through the phone, a dead silence was the only response she got for awhile.

_"...You shouldn't go to a funeral on Christmas Eve, Hina-chan.."_

"Y-you h-heard th-the n-news?"

_"Well yeah, of course. ...This isn't about directions is it sweetie? Haha, wow..."_

"D-don't make f-fun of me... Um, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything.."

_"Oh, no need to worry about that. Ain't doing anything special... But you don't know where you're going do you?"_ Ueno asked again in her usual dry voice, still chuckling over the line. Hinata sighed slightly, feeling rather embarrassed now.

"H-hai.. um d-do you h-have.. the st-tudent directory?"

_"Yeah, hold on lemme find it.. Ne, you live in Shinagawa District.. the residence isn't too far off. You know where the slummers' are right?"_

"Th-the s-slummers..?" Hinata questioned aloud, surprised to believe that Kinosaki had lived in such a bad section of town.

_

* * *

'Of course it's not like I expected him to be well off, I know he said he wasn't.. First you got the suburbs.. then the smaller houses.. then you got the rundown section... walls there look as flimsy as rice paper, yet they're not made of it.'_

Hinata continued to muse to herself, wondering how bad she should expect the area to be. She wasn't afraid necessarily... just that she never walked through the outskirts before. But she began to feel bad for even slightly complaining, she knew she had it better wealth wise. She felt ashamed that she still couldn't appreciate that. That she wasn't particularly happy.

_'Am I so selfish?'_

_"...or if I didn't need a tutor.. I could get a job too and help her with the bills... "_

_"..I d-don't see her anym-more.. b-but passing the exams are all I can do.."_

"Yet he failed.. after I told him he wouldn't... but that doesn't mean he had to throw his life away, just because of that..." Hinata looked up to the sky, in a wistful daze. It was a clear sky, plain blue and devoid of clouds.

"..I wonder if I would've done the same..?"

_

* * *

"Hey! Hinata-chan!"_

_"Nani?" A 13-year-old Hinata turned around to face the voice that called her, naive and unaware that she just set herself up again. A tightly rolled up piece of paper hit against her forehead. Before she knew it a whole barrage of paper and erasers were being thrown at her from the whole class, their jeers and laughter filling the ruckus._

_"Baka! Hina! Kanbetsu! Mono!" The children sing-sang._

_Tears leaked into Hinata's eyes, as she sat curled up in her seat, taking in the words and petty attacks. She was nothing but the quiet little wallflower, defenseless, timid and impotent.. an easy target. She had no idea why they picked on her, other than that they could. She never did anything to them and even if she had... well.. she doubted she even would do anything. She never even thought once if she should, she couldn't even speak above a mumble, and she could barely look a person in the eyes. _

_She was totally hopeless._

_Standing up for herself.. _

_..Finding the words to do so were completely out of her reach._

_She just wished she was as invisible in school as she was at home._

_

* * *

"Itai.." Hinata winced, staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She spread apart her bangs to reveal a reddish sore just behind her hairline. Someone had threw a pen at her during the mess they made. When the next teacher came in, it seemed like he didn't notice a thing. It was obvious that he knew what happened, he just brushed it off. It wasn't as if her classroom was so horrible that everyone was used to it, Daichi-Ebara Junior High was hell. It was a crappy school located on the outskirts of the Shinagawa District, and nowhere on the NHK top school map. _

_The teachers were passive-aggressive or just simply didn't care. Even the more prone to discipline ones couldn't keep up with the truly bad apples, soon enough they would burn out and the board would have to hire more replacements._

_The students there were immature, self-centered; they came from bad homes, so they had no sense of respect, discipline or ambition. No sense of duty nor compassion. It seemed as if everyone was out to get eachother. It was a terrible environment._

_She was truly a wallflower that struggled to bloom, but was easily trampled on countlessly. Each time it was harder to pick up her petals and she felt like she could never reach the sun. _

_She sighed to herself, she wasn't sure what to do about the abrasion in her scalp. She glanced down, leaning slightly on her haunches to examine her knees. They were red and abrased too. A group of girls had pushed her into the ground when the day had ended._

_She sighed again, tears stinging her eyes but never falling. She felt as if she was used to all this now, yet she wished she wasn't. Not quite realizing it, she was just taking it all in stride, just being passive and peaceful. Clearly it shattered her confidence, or whatever shreds ever existed that is._

_She cleaned her knees, and covered them with bandages, not expecting more or less in her life. Not hoping for anything better, unable to imagine what happiness would be to her._

_

* * *

She sat by the kotatsu, Neji sat far off, staring intently almost calculatedly at the news report. Hanabi sat adjacent to her as Hiashi began his announcement._

_"Hanabi-chan.. I'm placing you in the Matsushita Normal Middle School upon passing your entrance exams." Was all he said in a proud tone. This was considered very good news in their household, and Hinata couldn't help but feel slighted when Hanabi smiled brightly. Hiashi sometimes forced the NHK school statistics on them, so both knew Matsushita to be a highly esteemed school district. Word was even, that the high school had very stylish uniforms. _

_'Why does Hanabi-chan get to go to Matsushita, when I'm stuck in D-E?'_

_Clearly her father favorited Hanabi more, in the end Hinata kept quiet as usual about her feelings as she stared emptily at her textbook._

_

* * *

Tokyo was fine and all, but somehow Hinata preferred the countryside. She never got a chance to see more truly natural meadows or gardens, the only thing closest to nature was Ueno Park in Yoyogi, where her mother used to always take her. It was beautiful there though, Hinata admitted to herself wistfully. She wanted to see it again, she wasn't sure when though.. She never had much free time, in fact she didn't have a hobby so to speak. She always hung around the house on Sundays, never having much to do, and was confined to the silence._

_After all, Neji barely spoke a word to her since his parents were murdered. _

_And Hanabi was too busy with her friends, and they weren't exactly close to begin with as sisters._

_Hinata couldn't help but feel like Hiashi's favoritism was keeping them apart._

_'Oh well.. it's not like I'm exactly likeable or cool...' She thought to herself despondently. Her eyes remained glued to the floor of the bullet train, as she held onto the cieling handle, tightly squeezed by all the other passengers. _

_She began to consider going to Yoyogi after school._

_

* * *

Classroom looked a mess as always. She honestly didn't feel like a seventh grader here, she felt like she was still in Primary School. She was surprised the place was still standing, perhaps the only reason why the Board of Education allowed for such a crappy establishment to still exist was for the sake of the poorer community. Except for her, she was clearly Middle Class, so she didn't know why she was forced to attend here. She was afraid where her father would place her for High School, if he were to put her in the adjoined Hitotsu Uehara High School, which was more like a vocational school than a high school._

_Were he to put her there, she wouldn't be meant for more than a secretarian job._

_Either way of it, she didn't see anything good coming her way, and it didn't seem like good futures existed for anyone. It wasn't like she was disillusioned by being here, in fact she was rather naive, she lived so short-sided with a pessimistic kind of hopelessness, that she practically refused to believe in daydreams. She just didn't see things in a rosy way, like children usually do._

_Perhaps nobody liked her because she seemed so dark?_

_She wasn't sure, she thought she was rather soft as a person. But maybe that wasn't a good trait either..._

_The bullying rate seemed to soar within middle schools and elementary these days._

_Not too long ago, on the school rooftop, a slight boy about her age was being held over the edge, the larger scarier looking boys threatening to drop him if he didn't pay them back their 90,000 yen. _

_She still felt her knees go weak at the thought, she was really afraid to see blood spilt all over the school grounds, had he been dropped. Even if the bullies were actually just bluffing. Never was their a peaceful moment, never did anyone get along with eachother._

_"You bitch!" A girl schreeched, shoving aside a desk. Hinata whirled her head at the sudden noise, evidently a fight was about to erupt. Everyone moved against the walls of the classroom, giving space to the expected violence._

_The girl who yelled first, was tall and thin, straight brown hair that hung wisply at shoulders length, was standing up glaring down the girl who sat across from her. She was almost just as tall, slightly more filled out around the hips, pear-shaped, she had mid-length bleached hair, permed wavy._

_"The hell I am, flat ass slut! I ain't done no shit wrong!" The blonde yelled back. It was surprising and a bit scary to see these two fighting, everyone knew they'd been best friends since kindergarten. Hinata was filled with a sickening apprehension._

_"Shut your dirty little mouth, you stole him from me! FURUMORI-KUN IS MINE!"_

_"He was never yours to begin with, bimbo! He said he preferred pears, I gave him what he wanted!"_

_"..No.. n-no, he.. he loves me!"_

_"He tried you once, but you cried before he could even get it in! Nakamushi.." The blonde smirked smugly, pleased with her taunt, but in hindsight was stupid at the same time._

_"Kyaaa! Rotting Tart!"_

_Hinata let out a breathless scream, shaking in her seat at the front corner by the windows, the whole room going in a sudden uproar of horrified screams and yells. The black haired girl suddenly pulled something from her skirt pocket, it glinted fiercely for a brief moment as she swung her arm. The next thing she saw was the blonde girl on the floor, grabbing at her throat, and writhing with a look of terror on her face. There was red draining and pouring out of her, seeping between her fingers._

_A heavy metallic smell filled the room, it wasn't until a second later Hinata realized there was some arterial spray on her socks and shoes._

_

* * *

The police and the ambulance had shown up immediately. It seemed too late to save the cheating best friend, as she was strapped onto the stretcher and hauled away. The lankier girl had been taken in custody, hauled away into the police cars, just like that. Classes somehow managed to continue despite the delay in which the blood had to be cleaned. And despite the smell of bleach, she couldn't get the smell of blood out of her system. Nor the sight of it._

_And going to the cram classes after school hadn't been much use either. Though her tutor, Ueno-sensei, was very nice, warm and kinna quirky, she couldn't help but feel suffocated. She wanted to be home right now more than anything, being here was just like spending useless amounts of time in school, that wretched so-called school. And as it was Exam Hell was taking its toll on her, Hiashi always using his favorite motto: "Five hours of sleep and you fail, four hours and you pass." _

_Even when he wasn't around, she still felt his eye on her like a hawk. _

_She wasn't allowed for failure, not even the simplest of mistakes, she had to be flawless. Yet she knew she was beyond imperfect. Everyone made it clear of that..._

_..That she didn't belong on this earth._

_The house was silent (not a suprise), Neji wasn't home, she didn't know where he was. Hiashi was away on a business trip and Hanabi was still out, most likely with her friends whoever they were. Hinata was forced to study and do her homework, but she decided to take a bath instead._

_She stepped inside the furo, steam instantaneously filling the room. The tiled floors were still cool and moist to the touch, as she went to sit on the little stool and began lathering up._

* * *

Hinata continued to tread through the dry and cold streets. The snow didn't seem to increase, still within range of the city. She passed by stores and little dumpling stands or sweet potatoe venders, yet she barely noticed her surroundings. The sun was heading low, it must be about almost 3 pm now, the sun casting long shadows and saturated colors that made one feel lethargic knowing night was falling so very early. 

The only thing she began to realize... was the resemblance and similiarities she shared with the boy Kinosaki.

The stutter.

The shyness.

The pressure and the expectations.

The almost complete lack of confidence.

Of course there was still so much about him she didn't know, since she had gone to a disorderly middle school, he went to Matsushita.. the question if he had terrorizing peers too or not remained unanswered.

Some part of her still couldn't believe he had chose to die, no matter how weak-hearted he must've been. She still vaguely wondered if she would've died, had she failed the exams...

Had she been so far gone back then?

_

* * *

She rubbed the soap from her eyes, weakly humming a tune that disappeared from her mind as soon as it came. She tried to sing, thinking maybe it would make her feel better, but somehow she choked on the low throaty hums and gave up, every now and then she'd clear her throat._

_She couldn't help it, she still felt like crying._

_It was a prevalent emotion that loved to hang heavy on her heart, til it swelled with so much anguish that she wanted to burst._

_Sometimes she tried analyzing why she felt like this, and almost often she found it hard to express or explain. _

_She said it was the school, nobody liked her nor gave her the chance._

_But then she would think back to the boy who was being harrassed for money, and she would dumb down her problems as 'not as bad'._

_She would say it was her family relations._

_But then she would think about some of the kids that had parents who cared so little, that they would purposely neglect them for their personal lives, even try to drop them off at another spouses' doorstep._

_She would say it was her father's overbearing expectations for her to succeed._

_Then she would kinna consider herself lucky, convincing herself she had a supportive father._

_She wasn't sure if she was fooling herself, that she didn't have a bad life and somehow should live gratefully..._

_Yet how could she, when she was entirely unhappy?_

_Constantly, and never-endingly unhappy?_

_So empty and unfulfilled, she hadn't gotten the chance to realize she was missing something so very important._

_If only she knew, she would realize she was living a wronged life._

_She rinsed the soap from her body, and walked towards the bath. She let herself sink into the tepid water, wet baby locks of short bluish-black hair stuck to her forehead, the rest of her hair messily slicked back. For some reason she imagined it to be raining outside, because she felt like it was raining inside her mind._

_'I'm wierd.. maybe that's why nobody likes me...'_

_'Neji-nii doesn't like me either... I suppose I can understand... maybe if I were him I wouldn't like me either...'_

_'And father definately doesn't like me... I wonder if he'll like me if I pass Exam Hell? It's all I can do, it's all he cares about.. not me..' She remembered a time when her father had been frustrated coming back from work and complaining about never having a 'decent, home-cooked meal'. _

_"O-otou-s-san.. I-I c-can c-cook." A young Hinata offered, in a small voice, hopeful that she would make him proud of her in some little way. Instead he just glanced at her with an incredulous stare, not even putting his newspaper down. He never took her seriously, he never would._

_"Can you now?" He asked in a derisive tone, not believing her._

_"..h-hai..." She squeaked.. _

_"Alright go ahead. Make miso soup." he ordered her, going back to reading the articles. She pushed herself away from the kitchen table and began preparing the food. Minutes later she was struggling under the pressure that she put upon herself, she said she could cook and she knew she could. But she was extremely nervous and didn't want to screw up or else he'd never trust her abilities to do anything._

_If only she knew she had set herself up, she wouldn't have offered to cook in the first place. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, and she could see clearly how much her father took advantage of her, stepped on her, took her for granted without a care. _

_She wondered how different things would be if her mother was still alive._

_'I wonder if Mama ever liked me? I wonder if she would still like me today?'_

_'But I'm worthless today... I'm so weak and inept, she would probably be disappointed in me too...'_

_She imagined the sounds of rain to surround her, drowning out her sorrowful thoughts, her whole body starting to feel warm as she sunk further into the tub. Somehow she felt so calm and warm, like being held in comforting arms, cozy words of happy promise tempting her further into sleep. She kinna liked it._

_'I'm so tired...' was the last tangible thought she had before she closed her eyes, her mind going blank. She hadn't gotten decent sleep in the past 3 weeks, Hiashi's will to have her study study study was stronger than her want to sleep. A breakdown of some sort of inevitable._

_She hadn't realized she fell asleep head first in the water, minutes passing around her. _

_She hadn't noticed the warmth and grip of another stronger hand take hold of her arm and fish her out of the tub. _

_She didn't know how long she had been in there, didn't realize she nearly drowned._

_

* * *

Hinata coughed, her head and throat still feeling uncomfortable due to the water that remained clogged in her sinuses. She pulled the fuzzy bathrobe tighter around her, sniffling all the while._

_Neji had been the one to save her from a cheap anti-climatic death. He had noticed the house was unusually quiet, at least to him it was unusually quiet, easily getting a feeling that something was amiss. When he decided he would take a bath in the furo, it was then he saw Hinata floating in the tub. _

_It had been lucky in a coincidental way, that he had found her when he wasn't looking for her. But at the same time he felt he would've found her anyways, no matter the circumstance._

_"You're such an idiot." He said gruffly, not even looking at her. She sniffled, giving a small apologetic and sheepish smile._

_"I-I kn-know.."_

_"How could you have fallen asleep in the water? You could've died. Or was that you're intent?" He responded back in the same harsh tone, indifferent and unchanging. Hinata perked up a curious gaze at him, with soft eyes._

_"Would you have cared, had I died?"_

_"Not in the least." His answer came without hesitation nor thought, he was forthright, sparing her from fibs and insincere niceties. He had been completely honest. Hinata seemed to smile just a little bit despite the answer, musing to herself Neji's ability to state his mind without concern on another's feelings._

_"Hm, I thought so..." Hinata nodded, sniffling._

_

* * *

'At least I know one thing for sure... Neji wouldn't care if I was gone. Maybe he'd even prefer it... I'm just a burden anyways.. nobody likes me, so maybe I should just run away... maybe I should go live in an adoption center.. if I'm lucky, I could get adopted by a sterile old white couple..! Hee..'_

_Hinata paused her musings, cleaning herself in the bathroom stall. She flushed and stepped out very quietly, almost mouse-like. She was just washing her hands when all of a sudden, two girls; one sitting on a sink and one who was leaning against the wall under the window, walked up to her, the one on the sink putting out her cigarette in the sink._

_Hinata felt her skin crawl for a moment, before finally noticing them; one of the girls, she was taller with pin straight long blonde hair, had placed an arm around Hinata and was grinning secretively, her friend beside her who had short messy blond hair was smirking. They both reeked of 'ulterior motives' that Hinata wasn't aware off._

_"Hey there, Hyuuga-chan." The taller one closest to her said in a syrupy voice that didn't match her looks. Her breath smelled strongly of tobacco and cherry flavoring, and it made Hinata struggle not to wince, her nose schrunching slightly and eyes narrowing uncomfortably. She knew she made a mistake, when the girl stopped smiling and looking sweet, giving her a dangerous flat look._

_"What was that?" She asked in a low voice, threatening._

_"H-huh..??" Hinata blinked, distress and fear crawling through her body, her legs were shaking._

_"That face, why'd you make that face?" The girl asked again, more forcibly._

_"U-um.. uh.." Hinata looked away, she wasn't sure what to do, how to get out of this situation._

_"Do I disgust you? Do I stink?"_

_"N-no.. anou.. n-no.."_

_"Well, what? You gunna explain yourself, little girl?" The other girl threatened, tugging harshly at Hinata's sailor collar._

_"N-no. I-I m-mean.. I didn't m-mean t-to.. anou I didn't.. because of th-that.." Hinata blinked rapidly, practically gulping for air and praying to escape from their wrath. What would they do to her?_

_"Because of "th-that? Because of "th-that" what?" The first girl asked again, clearly mocking her and clearly pissed by now._

_"A-anou.. I w-wasn't.. I.. I'm s-sorry, please forgive me." Hinata pleaded in a soft weak voice, bowing her head._

_"Should we see if she really means it, Koori-chan?" The other girl asked, placing her hand on Hinata's bowed head and keeping it there, with a harsh grip. Tears were starting to leak into her eyes._

_"How do you wish to beg for forgiveness, Hyuuga-chan? Well..?"_

_"A-anou.. a-anou.."_

_"Speak up, now! Do you want repentance for your insult or not!!"_

_"..h-hai..!" Hinata squeaked breathlessly, blinking away tears that fell like raindrops on the bathroom tiles. Suddenly the insulted girl grabbed Hinata by her hair and began dragging her out of the bathroom, small shrieky screams coming from the panicked Hinata, more tears blurring her vision. How did this happen to her, why her?_

_"Then pay with your suffering, worthless chicken shit!" The girl screamed, dragging her across the floor til they came upon the head of the stairs. Her breath was sucked from her throat, her upper body float then go heavy, her feet slipping from underneath her. She began to fall, the taller girl that lead her away had pushed her off the stairs. She her back, elbows, shoulders then head hit the steps several times as she rolled, before gripping quickly onto the rails. She winced, feeling a sore almost popping feeling ache in her shoulder at the force of her sudden inertia. _

_She then realized that there were more girls, all began to run down the stairs, grabbing at her arms and dragging her away on her knees. She couldn't register what was happening after that, just that she was suddenly outside of the school, she tried unsuccessfully to free herself, to yank herself from their grasp, but they were everywhere._

_She couldn't understand why her of all people, had become the unsuspecting victim. What offense had she committed? She barely made a face at the girl, she didn't understand why this had turned so extreme?_

_She began to cry more, trying to yell and scream, her voice just turning into nothing more than awkward whimpers. She was suddenly thrown on the ground, inside the gym supplies closet. The girls outside looked like white figures in dark and glaring outlines, their faces no longer visible but somehow still menacing._

_"Innocent little girls like you make me sick! You act all nice and sweet, and soft-spoken! Grow up, princess! See how you like being locked up in your tower!" One of them yelled, assuming it was the 'leader' from earlier._

_A loud slam was heard, as blackness swallowed her up in the isolation of the supplies closet, a faint clicking sound coming soon after. Hinata's eyes flew open, panick-stricken at the realization..._

_"No.. no no NO! LET ME OUT! PLEASE PLEASE! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!!!"_

_They locked her inside._

_

* * *

'I don't belong on this earth...'_

_Hinata lay on her side, staring a thousand miles into the darkness where she assumed to be the door's direction. She felt like she had been there all night, and she doubted she was ever going to be found. _

_"Would you have cared, had I died?"_

_"Not in least." She replayed the scene in her head._

_"I thought so." She murmured aloud to herself, her voice sounding unusually loud yet calm._

_Suddenly a sound was heard, and blinding light poured into the closet, making Hinata force her eyes shut. She heard an weary sigh, as she tried to peek through squinted eyes at the person that stood in the light._

_"I just don't understand kids these days.." The man said, helping her out and onto her feet. She swayed on her feet, a deep hallowness in her stomach made her double over slightly._

_"C'mon, get up. I'll take you to the nurse's office."_

* * *

Night finally fell over Tokyo, the streets were lit yet becoming more sparse as she walked through the poor section of town. They were relatively clean, it was Tokyo afterall, only a few recent looking trashbags hung outside the homes and the occasional tanuki or pet cat came wandering around. 

She knew she was nearing the Kinosaki residence, when it started to become more lit in a closed area.

There were a few people hanging around outside, most seemed to be adults, not too many classmates. She began to wonder if he had any friends. But if he did, he wouldn't have wanted to kill himself...

She felt the heaviness swell up in her chest again, unfallen tears stuck onto her lashes.

She cried for a night when her mother died, but she was so young that she soon recovered.

Now she was older, more realistic and more feeling.

Yet she was always a sensitive human being, that hadn't changed.

She walked up to the crowd tentatively, nobody giving her a second glance, instantly and vaguely admitted entrance to the home. The adults were talking amongst eachother, sympathetic expressions on their faces, some had small sad smiles. Hinata glanced dim eyes towards the open doorway, taking a peek inside.

She couldn't see much yet, just enough; the clean wooden flooring, flowers on the coffin, candles lit around it, and a picture.

Hinata began to make her way inside, as an older man stepped out of the home, his head hung low and sympathetic. The chilly air soon became replaced with a slightly warmer air as she stepped inside the room, a draft still making its way, and her feet creaking on the floor.

Kinosaki's mother was sitting up against the wall, crying, her legs pulled up against her, her face buried in her knees. Her shoulders shook, and Hinata could almost feel the earthquake of her sobs shake right through her, and she could feel her heart break and sink further into her stomach.

"H-hoshi-ch-chan... H-hoshi-chaaan..." She sobbed faintly, but it was so loud to Hinata's ears.

She knelt down in front of the small ragged woman, and kowtowed, bowing her face to the floor. She rised and faced the coffin, a painful jerk ached in her chest upon seeing the portrait chosen.

Kinosaki Hoshiro, clearly it was a much younger version of him, maybe about 8 or 9 years old. He was smiling brightly, the background was a beach and he had a hermit crab in his other hand, displaying it proudly to whoever was holding the camera.

The tears finally made their way down her cheeks, and she couldn't stop the shaking in her own shoulders when she bowed to the coffin as well.

_'W-why... w-why'd they have to use such a happy picture?'_

Ideally she would've had something to say to him, but there was nothing to say.

What was the point when was already dead?

There was no advice to give, no real unspoken regrets, he was dead.

So she had nothing to say to him.

* * *

She suddenly felt so insignificant. 

He was, in a way, just like her. And yet his life ended so quickly and so recklessly.

She couldn't begin to realize what her purpose in life was, for him to die, what was meant for her in the end?

She could've died the same way back then, no one cared about her and she could've thrown herself against a train if she really felt like it, or try drowning again.

But she didn't.

She hadn't.

Because she passed the exams... he didn't.

He died, fed up with his life as a failure and a weakling. Useless and impotent. Much like her, yet..

..She had been blessed to have passed the exams. The exams, which at the time were the most important thing to her father, had she failed, she would have disgraced him. Seems like the samurai, ninjas and kamikaze pilots of the past, their ideals of 'sepukku' for honour has been permanently integrated in their culture and the mind of students; that to repay for failure, one must die. As if they're used up goods, no longer worth of living, just because they couldn't do a single thing right, just because they can't be useless for the 'common good' of the nation. Honestly there was something wrong and messed up about that...

She honestly wondered why her, and why him?

Why couldn't, whoever it was out there that created souls and controlled life, why didn't they allow Kinosaki Hoshiro to live?

Brahma, Buddha, Demon Lord, God, Allah, Kami-sama...

She didn't care who it was that truly existed or maybe if they're all one in the same, she cursed at them to play such a cruel joke on the living, to leave Kinosaki-san to live with the grief of loss and loneliness.

But as unfair as it seemed, everyone's felt it at least once in their life, and maybe that was their way of making it fair.

She lost her mother long ago, and Kinosaki-san lost her only son.

Maybe in a way they were even.

Yet another difference plagued her, and it glowed like a shining memory, the teary warmth that came from it made Hinata almost smile but made her want to cry all the more.

If she hadn't met them, if she hadn't discovered a place to escape, maybe she would've jump too.

_

* * *

Exam Hell had finally ended. She was so glad, the first time she cried for joy at her passing. She was still slighted when all her father did was nod with acknowledgement, not saying a word, not expressing if he was proud of her or not. It annoyed her, but at the same time.. for once she did not care, she was happy for __**herself**__, and she was proud of __**herself.**_

_And the only way she could think of congratulating her efforts was to go to Ueno Park in Yoyogi._

_She stood squished in between all the passengers on the train, awaiting uncomfortably for her stop. She hated feeling like a sardine._

_The train suddenly came to a halt, the jerky movement made her lose her grip on the cieling handle and she fell backwards for a moment, another body falling into her much the same as she had done._

_"Itai..!" Hinata yelped, the girl's bag hitting her. The train became empty for one second before filling up again, in that brief amount of time, Hinata had barely gotten the chance to pull herself together._

_"Gomen ne, daijobu Imouto-chan?" The girl said, asking Hinata but Hinata was a bit distracted at the moment. She brought her head up to take a better look at the girl in front of her, who was looking at her in friendly interest._

_She had ruddy tan skin, and short reddish-brown hair, with some golden highlights created naturally from the sun and unnaturally from constant dying and bleaching. And she had unusual blue eyes, they were pretty, like a deep carribean blue. She wondered if they were contacts._

_"I-imouto-chan??" Hinata asked cluelessly, pointing a finger to her nose. The girl smiled brightly, nodding._

_"Yeah I lost my balance, and fell into you. You alright though, ne?"_

_"Oiy, Moe-chan.. Stop scaring little children, ahaha!" Came another voice, coming from a boy. He shoved his way past several people before reaching them. Hinata looked up to see a warm skinned boy, with a sheepish grin, boyish face.. and a really bad haircut; choppy, uneven and bleached, ruining his hair even more and giving him split ends. But otherwise, he was kinna good-looking in an average way. He had charming eyes._

_"Oh shush up, cherry boy! Have you asked him out yet, huh? Have you asked him out yet? Have ya, have ya, have ya?" The girl, Moe, asked him energetically in a derisive tone, obviously teasing him. This made him blush, all the while glaring poutily at her._

_"Leave me alone..." He sighed under his breath, dropping the subject. Suddenly Moe whirled around on Hinata, startling her. She stared at her intensely, as if sizing her up. Hinata shrunk away, blinking rapidly and nervously, feeling quite flustered and apprehensive, pressing her index fingers together in a nervous habit. She was afraid she was going to do something to her._

_Instead she just smiled._

_"Heehee, you know.. you're cute! Like, in a plain innocent sort of way." This dumbfounded Hinata, as she stared at her blankly._

_"Huh?"_

_

* * *

Hinata had missed her stop to Yoyogi, but she didn't mind, as she sat outside of the local Frozen Yogurt shop in the company of Moe and Keisuke._

_"Ne, don't call me Keisuke. Call me Robin." He replied congenially with a cheeky grin. Moe just stared at him dryly, Hinata all the while feel new and unusual in their presence._

_"If you're Robin, then I'm Batman."_

_"No way, you can be Batgirl." He shot back dryly. Moe glared at him for a little bit, before getting a mischevious glint in her eyes. Hinata darted nervous eyes between the two, smiling awkward and shyly, feeling rather clueless._

_"Oh, is that Atsushi-chan over there?" Moe asked aloud, looking over Robin's head._

_"Huh?! Where, where?!" Robin shot out of his chair, whipping his head around rapidly, searching for his crush. Moe immediately started cracking up in her chair. Hinata watched on witha clueless nervous smile, she was surprised at their behavior._

_"Kyahahahahaha! Kei-kun, you're so cute! You shoulda seen your face you dork! Kyahahaha!" Moe shrieked giddily, her energy and smile was almost infectious to Hinata, and she felt her sides tickle warmly too. Robin huffily sat back down, glaring swords at his childhood friend, who never seemed to ease up on the teasing._

_"Oh yeah, well your face!"_

_"No, your face!"_

_"Your mom's face!"_

_"Your mom's face is a donkey!" Moe shouted, jumping from her seat and hands planted firmly on the table, grinning zealously. Suddenly the most quiet and introverted of the group finally spoke, in a soft voice._

_"Atushi is a boy's name isn't it?" Hinata spoke up, seeming like a little child who asked a precocious question. It brought the aruguing two back to their senses for a moment, Robin sat blushing slightly and Moe smiled at Hinata._

_"It is." Moe answered, nodding. Hinata put a small hand to her lips, in a thoughtful pose._

_"So then... Robin-kun is gay?" She then asked innocently, looking up at Moe and Robin. It turned into deadpan silence, before Moe started laughing loudly again, Robin blushing horribly with embarrassment._

_"Kyahahahahaha! Imouto-chan, you're awesome!"_

* * *

The stars twinkled above the Tokyo night sky, a wind picked up, brushing snow across the ground. Hinata pulled her scarf tighter around her face, shielding herself from the draft. She rubbed at her dried eyes, feeling sore and uncomfortable from her tears. She began making her way through the well lit park in Yoyogi, she felt she needed to be somewhere familiar right now. 

It was rather populated still; the occasional young family, or couple walking their dog or baby carriage, there were some kids playing in the snow while their mother scolded them, more out of worry than anger.

The lights made the snow glow as if they were a pile of wingless fireflies, the trees were darkened like black silhouettes against the dark sky and brightened snow. The isolation of colors amongst the negative space was strangely comforting an beautiful, it made her feel natural and uninhibited.

She came across a little bridge, a small trickling stream ran below it, glinting moonlight beautifully. Hinata was entranced, letting herself relax in the silence and faded laughter.

_

* * *

She never got to tell them her name, Moe calling her 'Imouto' for the time being. One Sunday morning, Hinata went to Hachiko-guchi to meet up with Moe again. This popular place to meet was located outside of the busiest train stations in Japan, a some million coming to and from the station every 3 seconds, Hinata was unusually optimistic as she waited by the faithful dog Hachiko._

_She wondered what it was that Moe wanted to show her so badly though?_

_Suddenly the whole world disappeared from her sight, under the veil of smooth hands._

_"A-a-anou..." Hinata mumbled nervously, worried about what was going on._

_"Guess who?" Came a playful cheery voice that Hinata happily recognized, a shy smile breaking across her face. Moe took her hands down, as Hinata spun around to face her. Moe winked cutely, her tongue sticking out and a victory sign held beside her face._

_"Tee hee!" The red head giggled._

_"A-anou.. wh-what d-do you w-want t-to n-now?" The shyer girl asked, with a kind smile._

_"Get out of the area really fast, heheh. Robin-chan's been tailing me around." Moe sighed jokingly._

_"Y-you're tr-trying to d-ditch him?" Hinata asked, with naive disbelief._

_"Don't worry, he'll catch up eventually. Let's go!" Moe shouted exuberantly, taking Hinata's hand and dragging her away and through the crowds._

_

* * *

They took the bus to her apartment in Chiba; it was a small three story building, ten rooms per floor. They were still considered in the city, the activity outside noisy and lively, the smells of laundry and chinese sweets and city emissions wafting on the breeze._

_"C'mon, in here." Moe offered congenially, walking into the genkan and throwing down her keys and bag. Hinata stood shyly by the doorway, as Moe took off her shoes. She looked up at her curiously, wondering why she was just standing there._

_"What'd ya need, an invitation? C'mon silly, take your shoes off."_

_"U-um.. okay.." Hinata mumbled, leaning down to untie her shoes._

_Moe immediately headed down the hallway, taking a quick peek inside an empty bedroom before heading to her own. Hinata followed tentatively with. Moe's room was relatively clean, plain white ans several visuel kei rock band posters, PuffyAmiYumi and Skye Sweetnam posters hung around the walls. When she closed the door, Hinata was taken aback when she saw a half naked centerfold of a japanese actor on the door, and she blushed furiously. Moe laughed when she saw her reaction, digging through the bottom of her closet. For what, Hinata wasn't sure of. She moved to sit on her bed, avoiding the centerfold image (even though she admitted to herself, it was very awesome.)_

_"It's so quiet, do you live alone?" Hinata asked after awhile, swinging her legs absentmindedly._

_"Naw, my mom's just never around.. oh I like this one." Moe pulled out a bright punk pink shirt with with black polka dots, and layed it on her lap, still digging through her closet. _

_"Oh.. does she work?" Hinata asked in a soft voice, with sympathetic eyes._

_"Work?! Ha! Right! My.. mom.. is.. a.. selfish lazy child. She says she hates medial work, so she gets money through paid dates. She loves to drink and party, and that's all she knows." Moe ended with a tone of finality, filled with flat disdain, upon pulling out a few more items. She layed down on her back on the floor and looked up at Hinata._

_"So what're your parents like?" The older girl on the carpet asked bluntly, with eyes unabashed._

_"M-my..? A-anou.." Hinata trailed off nervously, bringing a dainty hand up to her chin, mulling over what to say. She stopped swinging her feet, planting them firmly to the floor. The room became quiet with a serious air, Moe lay there patiently._

_"F-father doesn't appreciate me at all... I'm superfluous to him, as if my only purpose or worth is meant to do right by him; b-but I can't.. I'm not c-capable of being an h-honors st-student o-or.. to ha-have the n-nations' top average... I-I.."_

_"Well of course not." Moe interjected matter-of-factly, startling Hinata._

_"H-huh?" Hinata looked on bewildered, unsure what to make from what she had just said._

_"Nation's top average? Those are just his expectations, what do you expect from yourself?" She asked again, never taking her eyes off of her._

_"N-not m-much.." Hinata murmured discontently, staring sadly at her knees._

_"Would you be happier if you were the brightest student in the nation?" Moe perked up, sitting up and leaning on her hands._

_"..I.. I don't know.."_

_"Exactly, see... if you don't know, then in truth you don't care. Whatever your father is making you do, it's not your way. It's his way and from what I can tell Imouto-chan..." Moe trailed off, with a tone of significance._

_"..we seem a lot alike.. it's kinna nice though, isn't it?" Moe grinned, dispersing the melancholy and darkness of their former mood. It brought a slight smile to Hinata's face and she nodded in agreement. They talked for a bit more, Hinata didn't allude to anything more about herself, thinking it uneccesary._

_"Oh by the way, I want to dress you up." Moe giggled, grinning mischeviously with a glint in her eye that meant 'ulterior motives'._

_"H-huh?! Wh-why, wh-what for?!"_

_"Pleease? It'll be fun, promise! 'Sides you need to dress up for where I'm taking you!" She winked, standing up before Hinata, several pieces of clothing slung over her arm. Hinata was of course hesitant and sheepish, but eventually couldn't refuse. She never was good under pressure and persuasion._

_

* * *

Robin walked up the three floors of the apartment complex, walking through Moe's front door without hesitation. It was unlocked, so that meant she was home after all. He sighed to himself, annoyed that she just left him to wait more than an hour in Shibuya, bored and alone. _

_'Tch.. stupid Moe..' _

_He saw the light from her bedroom peek under the creak of the door, knowing she was in there. Afterall the rest of the home was uninhabited. He'd been in her place many times, they were childhood friends after all, and the way they constantly fought made them like 'Onii-chan' and 'Onee-san'. He opened the bedroom door, stepping inside. He was annoyed and frustrated and bummed out at her, it seemed like there was never a time they didn't bicker._

_"..You jerk chicken..! Ah.!" Robin paused, half way inside the doorway, surprised and caught off gaurd at what he was seeing._

_Moe was helping Hinata with a shirt, her entire back exposed, sans bra; soft alabaster skin on a petite body, and slightly curvy back. Hinata's eyes turned unimaginably wide and fearful, a large spread blush turning her face glowing red. Moe's face turning red with annoyance._

_"What're you doing here?! You don't just walk in a girls room, dumbass!"_

_"H-how was I supposed to know you invited Imouto-chan?! "_

_"Kyaaaa!" Hinata shrieked, clutching her arms around her small chest, running for the closet and locked herself inside it's confines. It was the closest place at the moment. Her face was mad warm and burning, and her chest was beating fast yet she felt a heavy feeling at the same time like a wet burden; she was so embarrassed, she didn't think she could face them any time soon._

_"Oh don't worry, Imouto-chan! Remember? He's gay! He only likes---!" Moe shouted, trying to reassure her not to feel embarrassed._

_"Shut up!" Robin shouted at Moe, red-faced and now just as embarrassed._

_"--Bananas." She ended dryly as if it was an improv, giving him a flat look. _

_"You're such a baby, seriously man. You can never take a joke."_

_"Yeah, well your mom's face."_

_"Whatever."_

_

* * *

It took them about twenty to thirty minutes to get Hinata out of the closet. (lol, not that way. ;P) She still blushed and stammered everynow and then, Robin couldn't help but notice how cute she was in the back of his mind. You just don't find many soft, sweet, shy type of girls these days. Especially in the city, if the place where a person grew up made any difference in shaping who they were._

_"I can't wait to take you there, we can always hang there instead of meeting by Hachiko." Moe grinned, as if caught in a dream, having high expectations for conforming her friend to the non-conformity side._

_"Mm." Hinata nodded curtly with a small smile, still wondering where 'there' was. Was she using a code word or something?_

_"Ne, Moe-chan... you got any food?" Robin asked in a weary voice, standing by the wide open fridge._

_"The hell am I supposed to know, dude? I don't have any money for groceries, I doubt Yuri's gone out at all for food stock."_

_"Dude, your mom's damn useless."_

_"You'd like to tell me something new?"_

_

* * *

Before I knew it, we were taking the Yamanote Line, but to where I didn't know. Moe said it was a surprise, she didn't want to tell me. I trusted her, but the suspense was killing me. What could be so special in Tokyo? What was here that I didn't know about, that she thought I would enjoy let alone look forward too?_

_Not in this city, not in this country._

_At one time I thought I was born in the wrong family, now I think I'm born in the wrong country. Maybe even the wrong time period, so what's meant for me now? Anything?_

_"C'mon, we're here!" Moe giggled, taking her by the hand again and dragging her away. Hinata shrieked briefly at being pulled, unsuspecting and caught of gaurd. She was very pushy, but very friendly nonetheless. Hinata felt endeared by it._

_She pulled and dragged her through the station and down the sidewalks til they were outside under the sun. When they finally stopped, Hinata was facing the wrong way, looking cluelessly on at the traffic and street lights, a bus began pulling in. A few cute, colorful and oddly dressed girls emerged from the bus and began walking past her. That's when Moe turned her swiftly around._

_"It's this way silly, check it out! Have you heard of it before?" Moe smiled excitedly, with a hopeful puppy eyes. Hinata was taken aback at the sight; a long bridge that stretched far away to the other end, the bullet trains every now and then bursting underneath it and bringing up rushes of air. _

_Yes, she had heard of it. She never thought about it, just that some girls in her class severly put them down; calling them outcasts, wierdoes. Many people, or so it seemed to her, called them scary looking, strange looking.. ugly dressed... so many things. _

_'Maybe I've been surrounded by all the wrong people?'_

_"Welcome Imouto-chan.. to Harajuku Bridge!" Moe giggled, suddenly letting out an excited shriek and began dragging her through the crowds. Robin yelled after them, saying she wasn't going to ditch him again, not this time._

_"Wh-why were you tr-trying to ditch him in the f-first place?" Hinata asked, struggling to keep up with her. _

_"Atsushi hangs out here all the time, I just didn't want Robin's obsession to get the best of him. He's so close to going totally stalker-ish you know?"_

_"H-he likes him th-that much?!"_

_"Yeah, but it is hella cute though.. heehee!"_

_"I'm not a stalker!" Robin shouted indignantly, flustered and embarassed._

_"But you're close to being one, dude!"_

_"Am not.. it's love!" He pouted, shoving his hands in his pocket. Hinata giggled slightly, blushing to herself._

_"Ha, right!" Moe scoffed._

_She finally stopped dragging her around, stopping to lean against a nice empty spot by the wall. Hinata stood nervously amongst Moe and Robin's prescence. It's not that she was nervous of them, it was being here that put her on edge. There were so many amazing styles, and beautiful faces, and freaky outrageous outfits, but it a was a collage of color and texture that would never be washed of her system. She instantly knew she would love this place, but she felt like an outsider._

_Moe had dressed her up in her old clothes; the bright punk pink shirt with black polka dots, several colored beads, a pair of black skinnies and cherry red, rubber, peep-toe pumps. She had pulled her hair in a messy bun, and decorated her bangs with several cute and colorful barrettes. She said it was called "Decora" style._

_But as she looked on at the girls dressed in full frilly dresses, like porcelain dolls come to life, she felt her esteem slip away once more._

_She would never look as good as them, she wasn't pretty enough. She wasn't worthy enough to be here, she wasn't cool enough, she felt._

_Across the bridge, an elaborately dressed gothic lolita girl with long blong hair and full bangs, strolled down the bridge, her wa-loli twin with natural looks and black hair followed behind her. They'd been regulars for as long as anyone of them could remember, and loved this place. But LaBelle was taken aback when she saw something, or rather, someone new. And though the clothes she wore did not befit her, she didn't look bad at all. She was clearly different from so many street-clothed teens she had seen, her vibe was clear yet fragile like glass._

_LaBelle stood frozen in her spot; a girl in a cute 'Decora' styled outfit, stood in the company of another girl and boy, twiddling her fingers close to her face. She was so awkward looking, and shy. But she was so petite, and she had large innocent eyes._

_"She's... she's..." LaBelle stammered, her sister beside her wondering if she was alright or not. Before either of them knew it, LaBelle had rushed across the bridge in amazing speed, interrupting her conversation with Moe and stole her away from her, holding her possessively to bodice. Hinata's eyes flew open at the suddeness and randomness of her current situation._

_"She's mine!" LaBelle shouted excitedly, at Moe, who stared shocked at her, an accusing finger pointed at her, and her mouth gaping wide open._

_"(GASP!) FRIEND STEALER! I found her first!"_

_"Too bad you Decora disaster! Emiri-chan is better off with me!" LaBelle shot back, Sabelle (twin sister) and Robin looked on bewildered with sweatdrops._

_"E..Emi..ri-ch-chan?" Hinata murmured to herself, rolling the name around her head._

_"Gimme my Imouto-chan back, LaBelle, you stuck-up witch!"_

_"And have you deform this glass doll, into you're own image? Turn her to yaoi, like you? Not a chance! C'mon Emiri-chan, I'll introduce you to the world of the Loli!"_

_"Nooo! Imouto-chaaan! I'm nothing without you, c'mon back to me!!" Was the final thing Moe shouted as the scene began to fade away, Hinata being dragged off by LaBelle's influence. She could still distinctively hear Robin's voice._

_"Hey, what about me Moe-chan?!"_

_"What about you?!"_

_Hinata giggled, but was still a little worried. What if she wouldn't see them for awhile, or if Moe would be mad at her?_

_But soon enough, she didn't regret leaving with LaBelle..._

_'The first time I tried on a dress, it was heavy, tight and and uncomfortable. But I loved it. I didn't think I looked as good as LaBelle or the other girls, well.. they had been doing it longer than me. And my hair was too short at the time, Moe even suggested I should grow it out. She was going to grow hers out as well.'_

_'I have so much fun here, every Sunday I spent here.. was the same as the last yet not quiet the same, like a recurring dream that likes to change. Comforting because you know where you are, where you're going, but still maintains it's excitement and pleasure.'_

_'Eventually I was caught up in daydreams and I ignored the waking world. I didn't look back on the sad little person I once was, I wanted to be something more. '_

_'I'm not sure if I denied the reality around me because life was hard at times, or perhaps I was bored... because it seemed silly, when my life was slowly but surely improving...'_

_Later that night, Neji actually looked at her, and the strangest thing was... his eyes weren't cold, emotionless, they weren't full of hate. She didn't know what happened to make him look so different to her, until he actually said 'good morning' to her the next morning. It took her aback, he was actually being.. friendly. And courteous. His eyes seemed strange and foreign to her, like they were clear and moist, full of emotion and sadness and regret. _

_"I'm sorry." The very words from his mouth, nearly forced the tears from her eyes. She felt her heart slightly freed from a heaviness that burdened her heart and caged it. He apologized, to her and to himself. For the way he had been the past tens years... He.. no longer hated her. He no longer blamed her, for his parents death, he had apologized._

_She was so elated at regaining her friendship with her cousin.._

_Eventually Hanabi became interested in her as a sister, filling Hinata with more of a sense of belonging than ever. The only thing left unchanged and what kept the phrase "Friends; God's "Gomen" for Family" alive and breathing, was Hiashi. Nothing could be said for him, for he had not changed much at all. He stopped hassling her at least, but he still didn't seem to take her seriously, yet she didn't mind it. She somehow felt an improvement in their 'relationship', hoping to herself that he was proud of her, just too proud himself to show it. She even eventually became an honors student. That had to have made him proud, at least._

_She soon began to value herself over others, because if no one was going to love her, then only she could. And if no one would respect her, the only she could. Only her friends respected and appreciated her and her company, and liked her the way she was. She didn't think anybody else in the world would treat her that same special way, and so she ignored other people. She didn't care if it made her aloof, indifferent, snobbish or cold. She didn't need other people to wear her down, and she soon became more confident, and more realistic. Eventually people stayed away from her. And as time past, in the back of her mind she recognized Hiashi for who he was and the fact that he would never view her with respect, and her relationship with Neji grew to more than just speaking basis, he even smiled and joked once in a while. He was looking more human to her than ever, and she began to feel human for once as well._

_And Hanabi was surprisingly childlike or childish, which made her unique amongst all the other brats who grow up too fast or pretend to be grown up. Hanabi seemed like a girl who had a great sense of self-image; something Hinata gradually gained as well._

_Knowing who she was, she accepted herself knowing no one else would, and felt confident by that._

_But what of Naruto?_

_

* * *

But what of Naruto?_

Hinata's eyes grew heavier with sadness, her empty gaze staring into the darkened sparking stream. She inwardly sighed, shrugging her shoulders then sighed again.

What did he think of her now? After seeing her at the bridge, and the way he acted yesterday... she could only be so sure.. that he wouldn't have anything to do with her. Come Monday, would they no longer be on speaking terms?

Clearly she was saddened at the thought, she didn't want to be ignored. But she knew that at the same time, she wouldn't have anything to say to him, therefore she'd be ignoring him as well. She was disappointed in him, he didn't come off as judgemental the first time she met him. He had been so friendly and open. But he was a stranger, and she was somewhat afraid of him. She didn't want him entering her life, but soon his threads find their way around her threads, their strings of fate inextricably intertwined and she had surrendered to the pull of his heart. She soon found herself warmed by him, and enjoyed the moments they had together. Moments like that, she felt could never regained.

Perhaps it was one of those friendships that aren't meant to last... it was like they had irreconcilable differences, she wasn't even sure what was keeping them apart.. and was the way he insulted her friends, her interests, her 'passion' as she liked to call it.. was all that enough to keep them apart? Or was she just being melodramatic?

"It's not fair.." She barely whispered, her slight breath expanded like a steam cloud in the wintery air. Amongst the silence and solitude, Hinata's hand wandered through her bag, feeling around absentmindly, not even aware if she was needing something.

She suddenly came across a bundle of soft woven threads, her fingers carressing across the bumpy fabric. She then came to grasp two smooth handles, they were her knitting needles. She remembered, yet was surprised, that she had left the nearly finished blue scarf inside.

The scarf that was meant for him.

_"C'mon Hinata-chan.. I'm sure your life isn't that bad."_

Maybe it wasn't so bad now, but it used to be. And who was he to pass judgement on her? He didn't know her, he didn't know a damn thing! She practically poured herself out to him after resisting his persistance, she had let him in. Even if it was minimal.

But he didn't care.

He just called her melodramatic.

"Melodramatic..? What am I supposed to do then?! Not complain?!" Hinata cursed under breath, a tightening welling up in her chest. She could feel her face burn, and her eyes felt achy, her throat was so tight and uncomfortable, a scratchy sob resounded in her throat and stuck there. She bit her bottom lip, sadness and indignance, frustration and anger filling her chest, her eyes growing wide and furious. She tugged harder at the blue fabric, the thread was stuck at the bottom caught underneath her books. It refused to let go of her, no matter how hard she tugged. She became so aggravated and bitter inside, she couldn't understand why the thread wouldn't budge. She tugged it so hard and carelessly, an angry scream caught in her throat, til she heard a satisfying rip and threw the scarf over the bridge.

The once soft blue turned dark and murky, only making her sob once more, and cry; light tears falling down. The color, they looked like his eyes, that time when he was looking at her differently. She buried her face in her arms, confusion and sadness and frustration like a coil, were wrapped tightly in her chest and she couldn't take the weakness she felt in her heart.

She was so confused and upset, and when no one would hold her tonight.

"Hinata-chan?"

A voice, one so familiar... it instantly called out to her, taking her string by the hands and tugged her closer to him..

She brought her tear-streaked, ruddy-cheeked face out the meager solace of her sleeves to look up. The boy couldn't help but laugh a little, she looked like a lost little puppy, her eyes glistening prettily.

"Would you like to spend Christmas Eve with me?"

_

* * *

There was no one else I could turn to, so I instantly poured my heart out to the first person there... Kiba. He had been so patient and kind, not once did he judge me, not once did he insult my weakness. Though I wonder if in the back of his mind, does he think me 'melodramatic' as well? I hope not, but maybe weak and whiney girls don't bother him... I don't know, I don't care to ask. He was just so.. understanding of me._

_And why should I be sad over someone who doesn't like me for who I am, when there's someone right here who does?_

_I shouldn't be._

_I shouldn't be._

* * *

Naruto arrived home after working all Christmas Eve at the Ichiraku. He didn't know what he else to do, there wasn't anyone to hang with and he'd rather be around someone familiar in this great big city than spend it alone. 

"Wonder if I should get a hobby.." Naruto let out a long yawn, dropping his stuff by his shoes and collasping on the floor. He closed his eyes, too lazy and tired now to go to his futon that sat barely a foot away. He didn't regret not doing anything special for the holiday, it wasn't even a real holiday to begin with. Just a commercial holiday on the Japanese calender, a two day weekend depending where it fell.

_'Ayame-san sure was disappointed though...'_

_"Mou... I can't believe I'm here on the night of all nights... I DON'T WANT TO TURN INTO A CHRISTMAS CAKE!" The young 22 year old woman bawled, making the small establishment jump._

_"Maa maa, Daughter.. I'm sure you'll find a boyfriend soon enough." Teuchi tried assuringly, with a sweatdrop. Ayame just hung her head gloomily._

_"Noo! Not if I keep spending my life here! You'd think I coulda found someone in one of our customers by now, but no! And college didn't work out either! There's no way some really cool guy is going to eat here! Fate doesn't exist!" Ayame ranted, her whining making her rather amusing to watch._

Naruto chuckled at the memory, his eyes still closed and knowing that sleep would be coming around soon. Yet he couldn't help but feel really uncomfortable. It wasn't that he was sleeping on the floor, he could deal with sleeping outside if he had to.

No, it was something else. Something unexplanable perhaps, then again maybe it had to do with Ayame's whiney statement.

He never thought about it before, but he began to mull over it briefly.

What was meant for him here in Tokyo? Was he even looking for something other than a refreshed start?

Or was he not meant for anything, perhaps there was no love in the future for him.

Well the future seemed far off to him, and he shrugged it off.

He'd just rather sleep right now.

* * *

The Hyuuga home was dark and seemingly empty, until the front door opened and entered a small young girl. Neji had been laying down by the kotatsu, after telling himself he'd go to bed after both Hinata and Hanabi came back. 

"How was your day?" He asked.

"It was great!! Heehee, Merry Christmas!" Hanabi giggled, her voice in a hushed playful tone.

* * *

Star- O! M! G! Happy Halloween my lovelies! I'm so glad I finished this wowza! XD 

Liner Notes:

- "Life is all you have..." The statement at the beginning of the chapter was actually an open letter posted on The Ministery of Education's website, and not a public speech. (work citations: Parry, Richard Lloyd - "School panic over wave of teen suicides" Nov. 15, 2006) (What? I don't want to get in trouble, you know what they say when you're doing those freaking MLA essays and plagarization, sheesh. Unless you guys don't get them, and don't know what I'm talking about. Well whateverm s'alright.)

- So if you haven't noticed.. Hanabi is keeping her love life secret from everyone, ooh la la! XD And I wonder what Kanasato-kun is sorta hiding? O.o

- Genkan: Is the entryway of Japanese homes, that are the same level as outside. There's usually a little space where to put the shoes, like a shelf, called the "Getabako". Naruto's home is very small and cheaply made, so there isn't one. But Hinata's traditional styled house had a getabako. :3

- "Maybe I should buy some incense..." Incense, along with flowers, is placed by grave stones. I saw this in "Tokyo Godfathers" when Gin was praying by a gravestone. (Wiki sucks, it didn't mention incense's purpose, so I can't explain to you guys. But I'm sure some of you know, bet Fang does. Sparty pants. :3) (OMG! I JUST REALIZED! OMG! 'TOKYO GODFATHERS' TAKES PLACE ON CHRISTMAS EVE! WUHAHAHA! XD I just remembered, lawlz! XD I love that movie, btw.)

- Hachiko-guchi: Is a place outside of Shibuya Station, used as a popular meeting point as they wait by the statue of "Faithful dog Hachiko" (hearts)

- Story of Hachiko: In 1924, Hachiko was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesamuroh Ueno, a professor at the University of Tokyo. During his owner's life, Hachiko saw him off from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day nearby Shibuya Station. Even after Ueno's death, May 1925, Hachiko returned every day to the station to wait for him for ten years, dying on March 8, 1935. (sniff, it's so sweet, it makes me want to cry. I want a Hachiko dog, teehee. ;P

- (BTW: OmG, 2008 ppls, got that? 2000-freaking-8!! Hachiko: A Dog's Story is coming out in theatres!! XD (so in love!) I'm so there! And for some reasion Richard Gere is in it. 99 W/E, fine you white actors of Hollywood, take over the asian guy's spot, geez! I don't know who to expect to play Ueno-san, but they coulda done better than Richard, prolly.. Oh well, I can't wait to watch anyways, I hope it'll be good! XD Cuz you know, it's kinna hard to make not-totally childish/lassie looking animal movies in America, you know? Okay, lawlz, I'm done.)

- "Baka, Hinakenbetsumono" : Translates into "Stupid Chicken Sexer"... yah, um... I know it doesn't make much sense unfortunately, but it was supposed to be a play on her name. And it does sound very mean. So maybe that worked out, I dunno.. I couldn't find or think of anything better than that. Uwaaa... ToT

- NHK: Nippon Housou Kyokai (or Japan Broadcasting Corporation), is Japan's public broadcaster. They also advertise School Statistics and listings.

- 90,000 yen: Roughly $900.

- Furo - Is the bathroom without the toilet. Their furo looks just about the same as Naota's furo in FLCL, episode...3. I think, the one about the 'PussNBoots' play, and Ninamori-san (the mayor's daughter) is taking a bath there. Anou.. except, the Hyuuga Furo has paler carribean blue tiles and pearly white tiles, instead of the greenish-blue and white tiles in Naota's furo. Teehee. ;P

- The sun sets around 4 pm, in the winter, if nobody's ever noticed. :3

- Yes... Kinosaki's purpose was to be like little Hinata. :3 (who said it had to be another shy girl? That's bogus man, lol)

- Koori: means "Hail". I don't know, I was looking up japanese for 'Ice' but that's "Hi", anyways hail hurts and its cold, so it does work with mah insignificant OC. :P mleh!

- And the part at the bridge where Hinata throws the scarf away otu of frustration and spite, the "strings" and "strings of fate" and more "strings" are all extended metaphors in the opening of chapter 7. If I must go through it with you: the thread of Naruto's scarf, also also a representation of him, refuses to let go her. Now if she was highly paranoid and superstitious she might have caught that lol, I prolly would.. were I really desperate for some sort of 'sign'.. (sigh). But she forces to rip, cutting off the string that refused to let her go. And now, you guys can make interpretations from there on. ;D teehee!

- "Christmas Cake" : Is a becoming a less-frequently used phrase, that's used to describe single unmarried women above 25. The cute and clever metaphor here, is that Christmas Cake is sold and bought on the 25th (duh). After Christmas, the leftover cakes are unwanted and so nobody buys them. Meaning... if you are a single or unmarried women 25 or older, there's a least likely chance that anybody wants you. I know, that sounds harsh. But like I said earlier, it's becoming less used. It may be used as slang to describe, the the whole 25 age deadline is diminishing and there are luckily women out there considered 'ripe fruit' that can still find love and get married, lolz.

* * *

I hoped you guys liked it, sorry it's so long and sorry it took me so long! HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! XDDDD 


	16. Merry Christmas! Filial Piety Sucks!

Star - Alright, so I didn't win the ShojoBeat 'Beat Girl' contest, I shoulda known I guess.. I didn't expect to, I had just hoped to be one of the 10 runner-ups, but now I don't even know if I am, cuz there wasn't anybody listed in the Magazine. ToT So now what? How am I going to know how much of a failure I am or not? C'mon you CEO guys and Editorial writers, tell me somethin! Well anyways that's about it... feelin' kinna lonely these days, dat's about it..

ALSO, ANOTHER THING... So yah, I'm like.. obsessed with music, it's a part of life and art, so it's totally cool and important to me. So yah, some of y'alls may think I'm obsessed when I start using music in my story, eheh.. and I'm a little embarrassed at admitting that, but yo.. I can't help it, and you know, whatever... I'm not going to hinder myself when I'm so crazy and giddy and obessed, so just letting you know.. I'll be using music everynow and then, as background music and stuff. Deal with it. ;D_

* * *

Kalluwen: _Yays! Thank you so much for.. you did call this art, right? Eheheh..heehee.. :3 Aww but yeah, thanks man! That made me so mushy inside, cuz art rocks and I do try at this story! ;D And as for Kiba, he is sincere, that's what's gunna make this seem like a such a struggle or challenge, cuz if he was insincere.. in a cliche scene, he'd be talking to some random friend not from school about trying to knock boots with a cute girl, and Naruto would unwittingly be there and would know of his intentions and then he'd try to tell Hinata, etc. etc. And since because none of that will happening, lolz, I am having Kiba be sincere. :3 Teehee 

_KnighteWolfe_: Sorry if I disagree to the perfect backstop, but only because of two things: I do have the story figured out, also Naruto's past is like.. it's own Arc, dude. ;D So I can't fit that in one chapter, also if I did just suddenly put that next, everything would be jumbled, and trust me on it. :3 But thanks a bunch for the critique cuz I don't get too many, so it's much appreciated. Hope you continue to review! XD Oh also, Chapter 15 was supposed to be a concentration on Hinata's past, otherwise it wouldn't have turned out that way silly. So thanks again for saying so, that means I did my job. Haha. (Except, how do you know if I got carried away with it or not? I mean, I'm not going to leave anything out, otherwise I would have, but I didn't.) (...so there.)

_Throrine:_ Angry sex? Wow, um.. ew, not hot. Sorry, lawls, that's my opinion. ;;; Anyhoo, not in this universe, and anyways... Hinata was reflecting on her similiarities with Kinosaki, that was his purpose after all. Had he lived, well.. certaint things wouldn't be able to occur without his end.

_Darkewaken:_ Yes Darkewaken, I am a girl... wow. Take a look at my profile once in a while, please. Lol, just kidding dude. ;3

_Rageofkyubii:_ I was fearful at first about your rant, cuz I'm deathly scared of flames.. but I wuv you, hee hee. :3 Don't worry!!! The story gets lighter from here on, I swear! I know, things suck! But it'll be alright, I promise! And I know that seemed like KibaHina, and well... I never even said there wouldn't be any so how could I lie?.. but anyways.. I'm going to actually thank you for the rant, and also that scene wasn't totally KibaHina, I mean if I wasn't making him a guy romantically interested in Hinata, then that scene would just be a friend comforting a friend you know? But no, Kiba digs her. Sorry.. eheh.

_CyberXigbar: _Sorry, I know this is confusing.. but it's a NaruHina because, it's NaruHina when it ends, silly. THINK OF IT AS A TEST OF THEIR LOVE!! Eheh.. TT This sucks, I'm worried people are thinking "'WTF?! I hate you, where is the NaruHina fluff?!?" But it's a story, not really fluff or anything! Sorry practically nothing is happening, sheesh! ToT And anyways, to answer your other questions.. if you must know... no, not really. Everyone is in Matsue, nobody except for just one person is going to be in Tokyo to visit Naruto. Try to trust me please, I know what I'm doing, even if there's people out there who don't think so. T.T This is NaruHina because I won't introducing the regular canons, so there. ;P

_Chronostorm: _Okay sure, so Hinata has parents and Naruto supposedly doesn't/didn't.. But that's not what matters, what I was trying to express is that Hinata's lived without love, Hiashi doesn't love her, doesn't even care, so what difference does it make that she has parents? And Naruto wasn't exactly concerned with that part either, otherwise he would've said it. He just doubted that Hiashi cared that less of her, also her situation is quite common; the whole perfectionist parent thing, and all that, it rather ordinary in Japan, that's pretty much why the suicides revolve around failing exams and school in general. After all, home lives don't exactly make it any easier. Naruto in a way is somewhat lucky he lives alone, because he has no one to bug him at home, he gets to live by his standards.

_NoOne: _Yay! Thank you so much for the nice review:3

_Lyra the Soceress: _Yah, Naruto got wiered out by the people of Harajuku, that's what makes it so conflicting. Cuz Hinata understands and wuvs Harajuku, when Naruto doesn't understand a bit of it and prolly never will. Heheh, I'm glad you remembered a tiny little thing I wrote earlier in the chapter and compared it, also thanks for calling me a possible genius, teehee. X3 But no, Naruto won't get into the Harajuku scene. After what happened, I seriously doubt he'll get into dressing up and stuff, doesn't seem like his thing. I know I know, she threw the scarf away, anou.. who be the poor boy? Naruto or Kinosaki? Cuz it had been meant for our dearest Naruto-kun, teehee. Muhaha, evil ideas? XD

_Lunarangel's Dark Flame:_ Heheh, you seem to always summarize in your reviews, haha it's okay. :3 Yeah, Middle School always sucks, High School ain't great either but more or less it's supposed to be a bit better. :3 Don't worry they'll make up, yup yup.

_Darkewaken:_ I loved your review... but I have no idea how to respond to it. Lawlz...

_Luv Struck Animegirl:_ Kay kay, alrighty then! Here's deh update:3 Keep reviewing, thank you!

_Hatake Megumi-chan:_ Hallo, heehee. :3 Thank you so much for the wonderful review, hope you enjoy this chapter and review too! X3

_

* * *

Listening to: Paramore "Whoa"_

HERE WE GO!!

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch.16 - Merry Christmas! Filial Piety Sucks! First Fight! Hinata Speaks Out!?

Hinata lay cozily in the warmth of her bed, buried under three layers of heavy down blankets and quilts. She was absorbed in an old memory as she stared at a slightly faded image of her mother, back when she was 3 years old and her mother visibly pregnant with Hanabi.

She wished she hadn't forgotten her voice.

_"Father?" A six-year old Hinata approached in a sweet voice. He was busy with his paperwork as always, and barely gave her any acknowledgment._

_"What is it, Hinata-chan?" He said gruffily._

_"Why don't we have a shrine for mommy?" She asked, pointing at an empty corner of the room, where usually a shrine of a loved one would be placed, because that was the design of the house._

_"Because we're not Buddhist." Was all he said, his answer confusing Hinata. She screwed up her face in thought as she tried to understand the validation of the answer. But as an obedient child she let it go easily, as another question came into her mind._

_"Why don't we celebrate Christmas?" She asked in a precocious whisper that brought Hiashi's attention away from his paperwork to actually look at her. His eyes lingered for a bit before shaking his head slightly and going back to his paper, pen and calculator._

_"Because we're not Christian."_

_It's been over 10 years since then, I realize now how stupid I was to accept his pathetic answers. And also how stupid those given answers were._

_Because we're not Buddhist, we don't have a shrine to honor Mother everyday and pray for her._

_We don't get to have a Christmas Tree (just for the sake of having it) and we never eat Christmas Cake._

_Just because we're not "Christian"._

_Yeah, well... niether is 98 of Japan, you stingy old man! We don't have to be anything to celebrate Christmas! We don't have to be anything to honor Mother.._

_Sometimes, restrospectively... I feel like I've been depraved of a life._

* * *

She heard busy noises coming from the living room, as she dragged herself through the hallway, a soft sun-yellow angora blanket pulled tightly around her shoulders and over her head. 

Neji was sitting in front of the news report again, mildly absorbed in an ongoing investigation. Hanabi hadn't risen yet, and Hiashi was packing his briefcase with spreadsheets and business files in manila folders, preparing to leave for work. Hinata decided to sit by the kotatsu for the time being. Hiashi barely looked up, but was soon taken aback by her appearance.

"Hinata-chan.. What do you think you're doing?" He approached flatly yet incredulously, annoyed with her lazy behavior of still being in her pajamas and hiding inside a large blanket, like she was some ten year old. She should still be in bed if she wasn't going to wear normal clothes.

"I'm sitting, Otou-san." Hinata answered simply and innocently, unaware of his meaning.

"I mean what are you doing looking like that? Go. Get dressed." He ordered firmly.

"I'll do it later." Hinata answer back in the same calm tone, staring but not really watching the TV.

"Later?! You will do as I say now! Go get dressed, you look ridiculous!"

"What's the deal?! Who's going to see?!" Hinata turned her hooded head to glare annoyedly at him.

"I am, apparently! And this is my house, I won't allow you to look so lazy!" He ordered once more with finality, as Hinata got up reluctantly to head down the hallway again.

"And wake up your sister, the both of you stayed out far too late last night." He added, making Hinata sigh exasperately to herself.

"Why do I have to put up with this?" She muttered to herself, stopping by her sister's room and opening it slightly.

"Hana-bunni, time to get up." She said, recieving a sleepy moan of affirmation from the younger girl, who just rolled over (tangled up in her sheets), off the side of her bed with a small thump.

Hinata came back out when she was dressed, but found no point in it when she would just go redress for Harajuku later. But she still dragged the sun-yellow blanket around herself, when she returned to the living room.

"Why are you still carrying that blanket?" Hiashi reproached, looking over his things on the table.

"I'm cold. And it's comfortable." She answered plainly.

"If you're cold, put on a sweater. And while I'm out, I want you purchase more coal for the kotatsu. Is you're sister up yet?" Hiashi looked up briefly at Hinata, who gave him a bare glance, before a sleepy Hanabi entered the living room.

"I'm awake." The younger one answered quickly, rubbing her eyes and heading for the fridge and cabinets. Hinata sighed to herself, just waiting for the morning to pass, so Hiashi could leave already and she could head to Harajuku for Christmas.

"Hinata!" Hiashi called abruptly, pulling Hinata out of her thoughts to look at him, startled and annoyed.

"I also want you to talk with the Super of Hikari Juku." He ordered simply. Hinata gave him a strange look that he did not acknowledge, and was curious yet annoyed.

"Why? What for?"

"To get your schedule changed, I want you start working full time and not seasonal." He said firmly, with absolutely no thought of her feelings on the matter. The house was mostly silent save for the low volume on the tv and Hanabi's rustling around the kitchen for food. Hinata finally answered unabashed.

"I quit." Her voice came so clear, it seemed strangely loud to Hiashi, striking a chord, as even the words caught Neji's attention though his eyes remained on the news.

"What?" Hiashi asked, for once with a totally different emotion that they never seen nor heard from him, though his face remained somewhat indifferent, he was surprised; taken aback. And he was looking at her for a moment, not down his nose but at equal eye level, even though she was clearly still sitting; he was taking her seriously for the first time since she was concieved.

"I quit, I quit that job yesterday." Hinata answered, shrugging her blanket around her shoulders, as if shrugging him off.

"H-how did you do that?!"

"I talked to the Super." Her voice came smooth and even once more, though the tone came out rather mockingly.

"Then talk with him again..! Tell him it's a mistake!" He ordered gruffily.

"Mine or yours?" Hinata glanced at him, indifferent and with a derisive tone. Hiashi shot a glare at her, aggravated at her gall to talk so rudely. Neji and Hanabi turned from what they were doing to quietly watch the unusual scene unfold. Neji was mostly surprised at the entirely rude words she uttered without waiver, and it struck him as much as it did Hiashi. Yet it was so ordinary and passive-aggressive sounding, but coming from Hinata, it was bold. Neji soon found himself more interested in the fight than the news, and in Hinata's new attitude. It was, in a way, something to be admired.

"You're getting that job back, don't ever speak to me in such an insolent tone again!" He bellowed out.

"No! I said I quit, I'm never going back there! I don't want to work anytime soon either!" Hinata turned her head swiftly to glare back at him, the veil of the yellow blanket falling off her head, from the speed of her annoyance, and mutinous anger emanating off her petite body. Hiashi was dauntless yet angered at this new attitude of Hinata's. Perhaps in another light, and were it another situation he would be proud of her newly acquired backbone. But not when she was using her newfound courage and selfishness against him. She was his daughter, long as she lived under his roof, she remained under his command. She was unallowed to be any different.

"Nonsense! Nonsense!! You're getting that job back, you've said you wanted to work years ago! How can you cease now?!" The middle-aged man demanded.

"I said I wanted to work at a restuarant or a store! You're the one that forced me to that pointless profession! You just did that to keep me under your thumb!!" Hinata hated the way he was twisting her words around, he knew she wanted to do something he didn't like. He just loved to keep her on a very short leash, and it wasn't fair. She wasn't here to be his submissive little maid, she wasn't meant to do anything for him. But sometimes it's hard to live for yourself without stepping over boundaries, but these were visible and distinguishable lines that she could cross, a weak little river, a trickle of raindrops that she could overcome no matter how hard he decided to come down on her.

"Because it was for you're own good!" He fought back, absolutely confident in himself that he was in the right, about everything.

"The hell it was, what makes you honestly think that?! What makes you think working full-time is for my own good!? I can barely function between dealing with their crap and having to deal with my own, on seasonl!"

"Then you tough it out!"

"No! Screw that! I hate baybsitting and having to teach those brats, when they're just about as arrogant and selfish as you!"

"Don't! Talk back to me that way ever! What's in your head, to act with such disrespect to your father?! Where's your filiel piety?!"

"It died! Alright?! And I'm not some docile little doormat anymore! You can't walk all over me like you've done my whole life!" Fury induced tears glittered in her eyes and lashes, her eyes looking unusually bright and alive. Alive, despite saying something within her died, and she couldn't help but hold the image of a sad little boy in the back of her mind, as she said those words. Perhaps her old pathetic self died with him, with his empty-hearted soul.

"You hold a duty to me, as your father! You will obey and respect my position in this household!" Hiashi shouted, adamant and sure of himself. Hinata couldn't stand his arrogance, he was so damn full of himself, couldn't see pass his nose to understand the kind of father he was. Not that it mattered, he was a control freak and there was no room for change. She didn't care if he were to change, she still despised him deeply. If she wasn't meant to do right by him, and she was certaint she wasn't, then she was meant to live against him.

"Why?! Because it's for my own good?!"

She fought back, not expecting to win the argument and not caring if she did, because she knew there was no competition of wills, because only to him he would think he won even if he actually lost. And she knew she was going to be alright in the end, she would take the leash away from him and make sure he never held it again.

"Yes! Everything I say and do for you is for your own good Hinata-chan!"

"No, it's for your own good! You like patting your back so much to see us at your feet, doing whatever the hell you tell us! I didn't even want to work there in the first place, but it was your decision! It's all in your benefit! Never ours, certaintly not mine!"

"You're just a child, you don't know what you want!"

"I'm grown, you old man! I don't need you tell me that, I'm not some helpless little lamb! I don't need you're so-called guidance--!"

"Hinata-chan! Your mother is gone!! You need me more than you think!!"

"Stop thinking so highly of yourself!!!" Hinata screamed, bringing silence to both their mouths, and all activity in the house stilled. She glared him down, her eyes glistening angrily at him, her chest heaving with emotion. She couldn't stand who him.. she couldn't believe he had even said that... it was so callous of him to mention their mother in such a way, he had no right. It didn't matter to her that he was the head of the household, that their home was governed under his ideals of filiel piety and such. She held no duty to honor and respect him, if she did not feel that way. And she was tired of the way he expected everything to go his way, to go so impeccably perfect and proper, when he could not keep it up himself.

Truth is, he'd be nothing without her; afterall she was the one that cooked, and cleaned, and had brought needless extra money to the table and ace grades as well. She did her best, even when it crippled her, and he could not appreciate that. Not that she expected him to, and she didn't care if he ever started. She wanted to go her own way now, she was tired of his lame selfish expectations, she never felt any accomplishment from it.

And how could she, especially after failing Kinosaki the way she did. Well, that was only part of the reason why she quit. She felt she would have done so, sooner or later, of her own accord and of her own reasons, and when she would be strong enough to speak out.

Hiashi's angered face never waivered, he was in a state of stewing in his own pent-up rage. He pulled his things together, and walked past her to the genkan, taking his shoes from the getabako and putting them on huffily. He did not turn to face her, though he had one last thing to say, as if ignoring all that had happened. He would not lose face against his former weak-hearted daughter, and would remain the king of the castle.

"I have to get to the office. We _will_ continue this conversation when I return." With that he finally left. No emotions of relief escaped from Hinata for she did not feel threatened nor frightened by him this time, she could care less. The room was silent, Neji watching her leave to her room with a startled expression mixed with a bit of awe. Same with Hanabi, whose food layed untouched on the table.

"Don't count on it." She spoke aloud in a quiet voice, though it was a reply meant at him.

Hinata was just glad it was all over with.

* * *

Hinata was just glad to be out of the house. Hair permed in tight curls, she straightened her bonnet and pulled her parasol over her head. She arrived down the streets, onwards to Harajuku Bridge, in a mulberry dress, white roses decorating its edges. 

It was a beautiful day, such a nice and sunny day for Christmas. Small and wind-smeared white clouds flourished the pale skies, the atmosphere was free and light-hearted. The world was in smiles. And the wind was almost non-existent, sparing her from harsher weather.

She came to the entrance of the bridge, lilting footsteps like raindrops gave her an elegant and airy appearance as she walked across the threshold and paused where she was supposed to meet her friends. The crowds moved into and out of eachother like shifting whirlpools of colors, faces and textures. She sighed, something in her feeling unconquerable and unsettling. She didn't want to stay alone with herself for too long, she impatiently began looking for her group.

Suddenly the whole world disappeared from her sight, under the veil of smooth hands.

"Anou?" Hinata blinked though remained unable to see anything, and was clueless to what was going on.

"Teehee, baka... what are you doing looking like that?" Came a familiar playful voice, as Moe removed her hands, smiling all the while.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Hinata asked, very clueless right now. She was taken aback to see the rest of the group wearing normal street clothes.

"Oh, Moe-chan.. you didn't tell her did you?" LaBelle approached, teasing Moe.

"I did too! Emiri-chan, you need to check your e-mails more!" The red head jived, smiling happily and rubbing her cheek against Hinata's like an amourous cat.

"Huh?" Hinata stood there, unsure and confused.

"C'mon, we'll go hunting." Moe grinned.

* * *

_(The OKGo "Do What You Want")_

_So you were born in an electrical storm, took a bite out of the sun, saw your future in a machine built for two..._

There was more to Harajuku to see than just Takeshita Street and Harajuku Bridge; the district was abundent with independent shops, 2 department stores and a few yummy restuarants. They took a stop at the _Freakstore_, a second-hand shop that held a lot of cheap street labels and brand-name clones. It really wasn't freaky like the name implied, but definitely fit the Harajuku spirit.

LaBelle and Moe were having hell of a fun time dressing her up and picking her clothes. Hinata was dismayed when LaBelle undid her tight curls, leaving her hair loose and wavy, in bluish-black ringlets.

"Here, hold on.. tilt your head back a bit.." She ordered slightly, carefully brushing her fingers through every strand. Hinata stood there patiently, sometimes trying to stifle a giggle; the movement of her roots were starting to give her tickling sensations.

"La-san, you look like a total beautician. " Moe commented, raking through the pile of clothes on the changing room chair.

"That's because I work with them everyday." She answered calmly, shaking Hinata's hair from the roots out.

"Seriously? Hot damn." Moe's words made LaBelle chuckle, Hinata smiled despite the quick end to her hard work. Perming wasn't easy with such long hair. She stared at her reflection for a bit; she looked different with wavy hair. It shined it different spots, like she had dew on every curl. Unlike that of straight hair, which looked a little bland on her sometimes. Yet she wasn't sure if she liked it, it was an interesting change.

"Your bangs got a lot longer Emiri-chan.. they brush over your eyes now."

"Oh.. should I get it cut?" Hinata asked touching her bangs, glancing at LaBelle's eyes through the mirror's reflection. Labelle rested her arms on Hinata's half naked shoulders, staring decisively at the mirror with her, resting her head against hers.

"It looks cute now. Give it a couple of weeks, we'll go to _Sophy Babycuts_ when it's too long." The taller girl finished with certainty.

"Hey, you girls done yet?"

"Keep it in your pants, Uke!" Moe shouted through the door, easily managing to agitate Robin the way she always did, his huffy footsteps disappearing from underneath the door.

"How about this one, LaBelle?" Moe held up a black shirt with a cartoon alien on it. LaBelle turned around to look at the old shirt and shrunched her face with distaste.

"Oh, ew.. where'd you get that one?"

"Clearance rack.."

"No, Emiri-chan wouldn't look good in that, baka." LaBelle retorted getting an exasperated and slightly confused expression from Moe.

"Actually I meant for me, but whatever.." She said flatly putting it back down, and looked for something more Hinata's taste.

"Oh well yeah, sure get it if you like it... I don't care, I never like the clothes you wear." LaBelle commented vaguely, laughing to herself at the end, as she placed pale yellow butterfly hair clips by her ears, taming her waves back slightly.

"Ew, you're such a princess, LOL J/K." Moe giggled, despite the sudden agitation that appeared on LaBelle's face.

"No! No online lingo!" She shouted, throwing a shirt at her face, Moe laughing all the while and Hinata giggling lightly.

At the completion of their shopping, Hinata placed all her lolita items and dress inside her shopping bags, carrying it around with her wherever they travelled. They bought her a white shirt with horizontal stripes, dark purple in color. It hung off her shoulders, exposing just her collar bone. Over that she wore a pale peach-cream knitted shirt, sleeveless with buttons down the middle. It had long pockets and went just past her hips. She wores ordinary blue flare jeans that hugged her legs nicely and comfortably. There were flowers embroidered in the right leg, from the edge stopping just below the knee. She walked around in burgundy strappy mules, and LaBelle had her wear several neutral colored beads, and a green knee-length tweed jacket. (btw, she looks fabulous. lawlz.)

Even though she waited every day of the week to go to Harajuku Bridge, she didn't mind it this time. It was wierd, doing something so ordinary yet different, and being in normal clothes.. but it was kinna nice too.

It was like they decided to put down their masks and stop-role playing.

"Mei-chan looks like a marshmallow!" Moe announced randomly like a hyperactive ten-year old.

"What?!" Mei shouted, startled and annoyed, unsure if she was making fun of her or not. But most likely she was. Suddenly Moe took a hold of Mei's snow-coat covered arm and jokingly began chewing on it like a dog.

"Eeeek! Ewww, Moe! Quit it, leave me alone!" The poor shorter girl shrieked and wailed, smacking Moe's head repeatively with her stuffed rabbit purse, which had no affect.

Hinata smiled despite the bickering, they were always fun and cheery company.

They eventually stopped by an Italian cafe, Il Fiore Giallo. It was small, just another corner cafe, the windows reached from floor to cieling leaving barely any room for wall, which were different shades of yellow sponged over goldenrod. Outside light poured through the large windows and hightlighted the yellows on the walls, creating a warm and summery look inside the cafe. Booths took up against the windows, and by the doorway was the counter with the kind of bar chairs that were attached to the wood of the counter, all black. There were a lot of teenagers and young adults here. It smelled wonderfully of pasta, herbs and flowers.

"What do you guys want to get?" LaBelle asked, removing her coat as Hinata scooted close to the window. Moe, Robin and Mei sat opposite of them, in that order. (Mei being by the window.)

"Dunno. It's Italian, so they prolly have big portions." Moe figured, whipping out the menu and accidently hitting Robin in the face. "Hey!"

"Don't stereotype, Moe." LaBelle said flatly with a smirk, recieving a goofy grin from the girl. A thin waitress arrived at their table with a light friendly smile on, the generic restuarant smile.

"Hello, how's everyone doin' this evenin'?" She asked politely in a kansai-ben. (country accent)

"Genki desu." All answered simultaneously.

"Would y'all like to order any drinks?" She asked, sweeping a glance over the table expectantly.

"Hot tea, guys?" LaBelle suggested, making Robin and Moe jump eagerly at the opportunity.

"Jasmine!"

"Earl Grey!"

"Jasmine!"

"Earl Grey, dumbass!" Moe shouted at Robin glaring competitively at him. Hinata, LaBelle, Mei and the waitress stared at them slightly wide-eyed, sweatdrops donning their heads.

"Guys, just pick one!" LaBelle shouted.

"Oolong!" Mei piped up. In a second, Moe and Robin looked at eachother significantly, as if they were discussing and had come to a mutual decision telepathically, then nodded curtly in affirmation.

"Oolong." Both agreed. Mei smiled brightly, proud of herself. The waitress laughed, amused at their antics, before bowing and leaving wtih a 'thank you' with their orders.

"Hey guys, let's get us a big ole Hot Pot dinner." Moe suggested, not even looking at the Menu. Hinata giggled to herself, as LaBelle looked up from her to give Moe and exasperated pointed look.

"Baka, hot pot meals are Chinese."

"Anou, Moe-chan.. I like you're shirt." Hinata giggled, smiling lightly.

"Yah, me too." Mei commented. Suddenly Moe's eyes lit up, sparkling like stars.

"I know, right?! That's because I'm so awesome!" She stood up, displaying her bright orange shirt; it had Winnie the Pooh on the front, a jar of Hunny over his head as he sat there, and underneath him it said: "Because I'm Awesome".

"Yo, speaking of which! I've been playing KH like crrrrrazy! I'm on a total Disney hype!" She grinned widely, humming the 'Halloween Town Theme'. (which basically is "This is Halloween" instrumental).

"Ne, Emiri-chan, sorry you didn't get the message, eheh.." Moe apologized sheepishly, receiving a passive shake of the head from Hinata, who smiled politely.

"It's okay."

"Oh dude, Robin! 'Member the e-mail I sent you?!" Moe asked the boy besider her excitedly, practically jumping her seat now.

"Oh my gosh that was so random!" Robin exclaimed as he remembered what she was talking about, his eyes widened incredulously.

"You sent me a freakin' animation of 'Hard Gay' dancing, saying "There's a party in my pants, and you're invited!"" Robin exclaimed weakly at the end, shaking his head and hiding his face in his hands, chuckling yet blushing all the while. Suddenly Moe started cracking up, holding her stomach as tears leaked from her eyes, she could barely contain her laughter. She soon fell off her seat and onto the floor, still laughing, and LaBelle and Robin were looking at her like "Oh My God...", craning their heads to see her on the ground.

"Moe-chan.. are you okay?" LaBelle asked, trying not to smile, though despite her behavior; Moe was in one of her rare moods where she was actually loveable, and her laughter was easily contagious and charming.

"Hai!" She called from the floor. Suddenly the waitress came to the table, but she hadn't seen Moe down there and nearly tripped.

"A-aahh, wh-whoaaa..!" The waitress shrieked trying to catch her footing, everyone at the table tensing for the worse, even Robin, though being the chivalrous one, he shot up from his seat to grab the woman's wrists and steadying her arms, while LaBelle took the tray of hot tea from her and placed it on their table. Robin realized he was still holding onto the woman's thin wrists and blushed, letting go hastily, muttering "gomen" over and over.

Moe finally got up off the floor, and awkwardly faced the waitress.

"Ehh.. gomen nasai." Moe apologized bowing repeatedly to her. The woman brushed a stray piece of hair aside, and sighed.

"N-no, I'm sorry, I should have looked where I was going." The woman then bowed too, then left, a light embarrassed blush on her face. Hinata took the moment to pour everyone's cups. Suddenly the waitress came back, startling everyone whose nerves were slightly frayed by the near accident. She just remembered she still hadn't gotten their orders.

"I-I'm sorry again, has anyone of y'all made a decision?" She stammered slightly, still embarrassed by the whole thing. LaBelle took a look around, finding her answer.

"Not yet, can you give 5 more minutes?"

"H-hai.." She nodded, bowing then left again. The whole group sighed, LaBelle hiding her face in her hand, elbow on the table.

"That was too close.. we're heading down the road to disaster.. Next thing you know one of the giant Christmas trees in Shibuya catches on fire and it's going to be all Moe's fault." She muttered aloud, seemingly to herself, and as a joke meant for Moe.

"Say what?!" She shrieked, bolting straight up from her seat and glaring.

* * *

The past hour had been fun and wild yet completely pleasant. The group had decided on sharing a large plate of Okonomiyaki, which was wierd to find on an Italian menu, probably the only thing that made sense about it was that it was noodles. And it was kind of funny too, because instead of getting Italian food in an Italian restuarant, they just got something familiar and traditional. 

Earlier LaBelle had mentioned Christmas gifts, which got Moe excited and she spent most of a great ten minutes trying to get her present early. Once she did, Moe let out a hysterically excited giggle and ran into the bathroom.. well, the boys bathroom. The table stared blankly in shock for a moment, seconds later after her immediate departure a yell came from the bathroom causing the whole restuarant to jump.

"KICK ASS!"

Before they knew it, Moe had ran back to their table and was jumping up and down happily with a Jack Skellington plushy doll with bendable arms.

"Thank you so much, Princess LaBelle!"

Hinata had apologized that she hadn't gotten them anything for Christmas.

"Don't worry about it Em-chan. You can just give me whatever is left of your salary, hahaha!" was Moe's sly comment, with a reprimand from LaBelle.

"Actually I quit." Hinata added.

"Really?! How come?! Damn, that place had amazing pay!"

"I know, but.. I never wanted to work there anyways.." Hinata gave a weak soft smile, there was more meaning behind her words but nobody pressed further.

"You know you could always work at the BABY Boutique in Shibuya, maybe we'd even get discounts!" Moe shot an arm in the air, with a wide smile, Robin and Mei shook their heads.

"I seriously doubt that, anyways you don't even like Lolita clothing." LaBelle threw back, making Moe pause slightly and blink.

"Hm..." was all she said.

"No I don't think I want to work anytime soon." Hinata replied smoothly, taking an elegant sip of her tea, full of poise. Just because she wasn't in lolita garb today, didn't mean she wouldn't still act like one.

"Whoa, these girls are cute!" came a voice.

The group looked up, surprised, to see three boys ogling their table. Hinata, Robin and Mei blinked, clueless as to what was going on. The boys had just been leaving the cafe when they stopped by their table and saw them, when they exclaimed. The boys varied in looks; one with shoulder length blonde hair (he looked a bit like a j-rocker or metal head), one other had short spiked up hair in multi-tonal blonde and red roots, the final boy closest to LaBelle and Hinata's end had medium length light brown hair and a friendly smile.

"Oh hey, there's a dude here." The long haired one commented glancing at Robin, finally taking notice of him. The short haired oned seemed more energetic and punky than the rest, quick to respond.

"Hey man, these aren't your girls are they?" He asked Robin with a mischevious goofy grin. Robin blinked cluelessly.

"What?"

"You're not dating them all at once are you?" He asked again, the long haired boy adding in quickly afterwards.

"Yeah, pretty suspicious..!" He laughed.

"WHAT?!" Robin shouted incredulously and embarrassed, eyes shot wide-open and his face blushing scarlet. The boys laughed, soon followed by LaBelle, Moe and Mei, who giggled cutely. The one other boy who hadn't said much yet had been preoccupied since they arrived, his eyes seemingly wide and transfixed. Hinata never noticed, taking small sips of her tea. His friends noticed his idiotic expression where he was just staring at Hinata, a light blush on his cheeks. They smirked beside him without his notice. Suddenly the boy just burst.

"So..! so..! Y-you got a n-name?!" He asked wildly excited, hands fisted up to his chin. His friends burst out laughing, the one with short hair doubled over with loud laughter. LaBelle and Moe stared Hinata to see if she would respond, the excited and goofy boy was waiting patiently with rapt interest, stars in his eyes.

Hinata paused, still in her lolita spirit of elegance, she slowly set her cup down and turned her head to look him straight in the eyes, wavy strands of bluish-black falling and framing around her face. Her opaline lavender eyes paused the breath in his throat.

"Emi." Hinata said with a polite smile.

"YATTA!!" The boy suddenly shouted, all smiles, scaring half the rest except for them, though little Mei jumped with surprise. His friends were still laughing.

"Haha, see ya later girls!" The short haired one called, the group walking away fast, still laughing at their giddy friend.

"SHE TOLD ME HER NAME!" He shouted once more, excited jumping on his friend's back, forcing him to give him a piggy-back out of the restaurant.

"Hey man, get off my back!"

"THAT GIRL WAS SO CUTE!"

LaBelle and Moe laughed out loud, but Hinata blinked cluelessly as the noise and the boys left. She had no idea what just happened.

"Heheh, well that was fun." Moe commented. Robin beside her though was still embarrassed.

"I can't believe they thought I was dating.. all ... man I can't even say it.." He sighed, the whole group smiling sheepishly and awkwardly.

"Teehee, Robin! You're so easy to make blush! Hm, I remember when Emiri-chan used to blush a lot.. I wonder whatever happened with that?" Moe mused aloud, looking at the clueless Hinata.

"Huh?" Hinata blinked. Suddenly Moe took her hand, a dramatic expression on her face.

"Emiri-chan! From the first fateful day on the train, I have been in love with you, my dear!" Moe announced, clearly as a joke for no one in the table took it seriously, knowing Moe and all that. Moe started rubbing her cheek against Hinata's hand, all the while leaving her clueless and reactionless.

"Um.. Moe?" Hinata uttered in a soft confused voice.

"Damn, no affect.. Okay, Blush Tactic Number 2! Drastic Measures!" Moe announced before putting on an abrupt serious expression. The group looked on cautiously, wondering what 'drastic measures' called for.

Hinata remained slightly bent over the table, with Moe still holding her hand. The red headed girl suddenly drew her in a bit closer, and Moe brought her free hand up to cradle Hinata's pale cheeks. Hinata's eyes widened, alongside with LaBelle and Robin's, Mei hid her embarrassed face in her hands, feeling squirmish under Moe's boldness. Hinata's blush grew more when Moe began to draw her face closer to hers, her lips halfway from hers. Everything stilled at their table, an awkward and suspicious silence brought their attention to the window.

The boys from just minutes before were staring at them with wide eyes, their faces and hands pressed against the glass. The boy that had been digging on Hinata was admiring the interesting yet shocking scene before him; Hinata and Moe caught in a teasing and almost compromising position. Suddenly the boy that had been admiring her shouted against the glass, stars and hearts in his eyes, his friends laughing and yelling and tripping over themselves.

"I LOVE YOU EMI-CHAN!!" The boy shouted, sounding loud yet muffled through the glass.

"Get out of here, you bozos!" Moe shouted, despite the wild smile on her lips, secretly laughing her ass off on the inside.

"WE'RE DEAD, SHIT!" The long-haired blonde shouted with a laugh, grabbing his lovestruck friend by the collar and dragging him away.

"Emi-chaaaan! Daisuki!!"

"Haha! RUN AWAY!" The short-haired boy yelled, running down the streets with his arms flailing, laughing and smiling wildy the whole time.

Hinata sat down, flustered, holding a hand closed over her mouth.

* * *

"I can't believe you were hitting on me..." Hinata muttered to herself, the blush still staining her cheeks. She didn't think it would ever leave. They had left he restaurant awhile ago, now coming to a bridge that overlooked a highway, the afternoon sunset making the sky yellow and orange. 

"Yeah but I made you blush, aw-right! Mission accomplished! And you were so cute! Just like ole times!"

"I swear those would the type of guys I'd see you hanging around with Moe-chan!" LaBelle smirked from behind.

"Oh yeah? Hey, should I become a fag hag?" Moe asked innocently, an idiotic smile on her face, though she looked cute in a naive and silly way.

"SAY WHAT?!" LaBelle and Robin shouted, causing bell-like laughter to fly freely from Hinata's lips. It seemed in that moment, the whole day had finally caught up with her and she felt a surge of emotion fill her chest, and a weight fly off her shoulders with the cheery laughter she had let go earlier. She wasn't sure how Christmas was meant to be spent, with a tree, some gifts and a cake or what.. But that was all superfluous. Laughter and lightness filled her heart, and she felt like the birds that flew over the sun's rays, streaks of yellow over orange filling the sky, as she stared at the glaring horizon. Snow and trees and shadows created a sense of completion in the day, and a feeling of fulfillment filled her up. And she smiled.

"Hey, Emiri-chan.." Moe called with a light smile. Hinata turned to face her, peacefulness in her eyes.

"Merry Christmas." She said and she hugged her.

* * *

Hinata sat in the calmness of her room, the silence comfortable this time, for that she felt inside of her mattered, and not outside influence would affect her mood. The sounds of snow falling was the only comforting music she needed, the shouji of her bedroom slightly ajar for the stars to sparkle and the clean cool smells of fresh snow to fill her room. She felt so peaceful, it was welcomed yet unusual to her. Maybe it was what some people call 'Chrismas Spirit'? Well either way, she didn't care. 

She stared thoughtfully at the small perwinkle box, wrapped in a salmon satin ribbon. It was her Christmas gift from LaBelle. She opened it slowly, pulling one end of the ribbon out til the rest of fell apart. When she pushed aside the ribbon, she took off the top of the box and placed it beside her.

She smiled brightly to herself.

There lay a little Lolita doll. It was Blythe brand doll and without a name; She had teal-black hair, bangs cut straight across her eyes, and the rest of her hair was long and pin-straight. The dress she wore was bright red with fluffy white trim; a Christmas themed lolita dress.

Hinata giggled, when she hit her thumb against the switch in the dolls back, her eyes changing colors, from green, to grey, to pink, to amber, to blue.

Blue.

She sighed to herself.

She loved the doll, and the blue eyes...

She decided it was late and moved to close the shouji. She hummed a little Christmas tune to herself, before falling asleep, the blue-eyed doll in her arms.

* * *

It was monday. 

It was time for school.

Suddenly it didn't feel like it was monday, like it was time for school. The effects of a wonderful Christmas remained with her and the lightness in her soul, she did not feel afraid just a tad perturbed at the thought of going back to her old routine. It felt like it had been weeks since she saw or talked with the boy next door, just as long since she had been at school.

Perhaps alot changed, maybe that's what was making it all feel this way to her.

She couldn't explain it nor pin-point a tangible thought to this strangeness, but she pushed it aside. Maybe instead of forcing herself to believe it was monday and a school day, she would just float pleasantly through the rest of the day til she finally felt grounded.

Randoseru and uniform on, she glided down the hallways into the living room, acknowledging Hiashi and Neji whom took a notice of her change, neither of which said anything though she knew both had something they wanted to say. She wouldn't argue with Hiashi today, and she had nothing to say to Neji, their silence since the past month suddenly seemingly void of purpose.

Hanabi followed behind her with a bright and cheery smile, one that hadn't been seen on her face the past month or so.

Hanabi was trying her best to hide her giddyness, less she become suspicious as to why she was so suddenly happy these days, she was apt for optimistic thought on the days events. Hinata however, she didn't expect anything good to happen to her, nor cared if anything bad happened, she was carefree and wanted nothing more than to dream the day away. She was floating in a bubble, exclusive happiness that she did not expect to share with anyone else, the only people that have made her smile so being her friends.

But then she paused when she saw Naruto ahead of her, his back disappearing every second as he peddled away.

The smile seemed to slip away slightly, her eyes still clouded with her inner calmness yet turning serious as she stood there, introverted and lost in wordless thought. Instead she was vaguely thinking with her feelings.

She wasn't sure what was going to happen with her and him today...

She brushed back a bit of wavy hair behind her ear, and continued walking.

* * *

Star - Sorry if this seemed like a filler, it is Christmas and this seemed like a good place to stop as I always say... So I hoped you liked it, By the way... MOE WAS JOKING! Hahahahaha! lawlz... Okay anyways, next chapter should be longer and more NaruHina focus, even though of course Kiba will be there... hey, he's got purposes even though you ppls can't dig. :3 I'm still not sure how Naruto and Hinata are going to make up though... nor do I know what details I'm going to write for... dun-dun-dun... New Years.. episode... dun-dun-dun.. lolz, okay me so silly. 

Anyways.. just to warn you... I failed US History this quarter, so I might either end up seldom on the computer or I'll have to take a break on my own accord... and even if it's not because of either of those things, then it's because I don't have the short-term details set out for the future chapters, I have the whole story set up just not chapter for chapter. But that's what makes this fun for me too. :3

* * *

Liner Notes: 

-Yes, only about 1 percent of Japan is Christian and Other. Christmas and Halloween in Japan are commercial holidays, Christmas Eve being a big date night and on Christmas only the children recieve gifts, parents don't recieve gifts hahaha.

-Hunting: Originally Moe was going to say "cool-hunting" but that didn't sound quite right, even though I like the phrase. :3 Anyways it was her slang for "shopping". Moe's just got a fashionable vocabulary, lolz. And in a place like Harajuku, shopping prolly is like hunting, lol.

-Alright, yes that is the song I chose. Because I dig it, and I like how the scene played in my head with the song. Anyhoo, I did not use full lyrics cuz it ain't a songfic and well... it would've just made the whole structure of the story look wierd. And I know this from experience.. I did the same thing with my really old Rurouni Kenshin fanfics.. ohh bad idea. (sweatdrop)

- _Freakstore:_ Is a real store in Harajuku.

-_ Sophy Babycuts:_ Is not a real hair salon, but a play on words of a real one: Soph. Bapecuts, or perhaps Sophisticated Bapecuts. (Same thing. :P) Also in Harajuku, closest to the entrance of Shinjuku District.

- Kansai-ben: Is a country accent or dialect, first time I mentioned this I said that Atsushi/Atsuko had it. And he does, he originally comes from Shiga in the Kansai Region of Honshu, Japan. :3 He sounds totally cute, but he tries to hide it sometimes and never uses "y'all". Teehee!

-Hot Pot meals: Are both Chinese and Japanese.

-Hard Gay: aka Razon Ramon Hard Gay! XD OMG! He's a gay comedian and he is hilarious! There's stuff on youtube, that's all I can say! XDDD (Masaki-kun, daisuki!!! kyahaha! XD)

-Okonomiyaki: Is a pan-fried dish with various ingredients. (Okonomi means "What you like" or "What you want", and yaki means "grilled/cooked".) Usually associated with the Kansai or Hiroshima areas, but it widely available everywhere. Another name for this dish is "Japanese Pizza" (Btw, if you've read Tsubasa Chronicles, definitely try not to flip the noodle dish yourself unless your at a Okono-stand where you can do that. Otherwise it's insult to the cooks, yo. ;D)

-Christmas Gifts in Japan: When you recieve a present in Japan, you don't open in front of the givers, usually you wait til you get home. But Moe's a rebel, and as a loop hole to that bit, she ran to the bathroom, so that prolly sorta counted. Lawlz.

- BABY Boutique: aka BABY, The Stars Shine Bright! Most awesome-est Lolita brand everrrr!! ever-er-er-er!!! XD The original boutique shop is in fashionable Shibuya. :3

- Lol, slight Yuri moment, teehee! XDDD Ya, sorry got carried. No, that was a fun scene. ;P I like those boys by the way, they were so cute.. (sigh) I'd either date the short haired one or the one that was crushing on Hinata-chan, teehee! XD Sorry, I'm done...

- Blythe: Is the most AMAZING Doll series EVAH!!! XD It's so fashionable and cute and pretty and not freaky at all, and pretty:3 Originally created in 1972, Blythe dolls became uber popular in Japan in 1997-1999, by Junko Wong and amongst other stuff that happened. It's all on wikipedia folks, actually that was my source, you can prolly find a better article on Google. But I like wiki's simplistic format. ;D

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FOR THE LOVE OF UPDATES, REVIEW!! REVIEW!! THE POWER OF NARUHINA COMPELLS YOU!! THE POWER OF NARUHINA COMPELLS YOU!! (And if that doesn't work.. The power of love compells you!! Whoooo, I'm a ghost, whoooo! XD) 


	17. Happy Seventeenth Hinata!

Star - Muahahaha! I'm just a Demon when it comes to Updating! XD Booyah! Alright so my friend is in a Parappa hype and now is I. ;D Omg! The anime is soo damn cute, and I love the characters, and the colors and the creativity.. and the MUSIC!! XD The opening and ending themes rock! ;D It kinna reminds me of my love for "Viewtiful Joe"! XD Cuz SaGa is soo cool! And Bennie K! And Crystal Kay! XD I dig them both, Crystal Kay is THE BEST of J-R&B/J-Pop music.. well along with Ayumi Hamasaki and Utada Hikaru, teehee! ;P Japan just rocks my socks, and Sex Pistols! Woot! XD Lawlz... Ehh but what sucks is that I've gotten frequent "I'm confused" comments, and the only thing I can get from that is either my way with words sucks, or I'm too subtle... or there's holes in my story that I'm not seeing... grawr... ToT 

Oh.. one more thing.. NO!!!! SARA SIDLE!! DON'T LEAVE!!! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO MARRY GRISSOM!!! IT'SNOTFAIR! WHY JORJA WHY?!?! WHY CROW WHY??! (Lolz, the last part was American Dad. ;D)_

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Yasuhei:_ Hey there:3 Umm.. yah sorry for the slowness and the seemingly unfocus-ness of the latter chapters, but I had no other way to do them. Well I just wanted to get a few things out of the way, (BTW It's Harajuku, not Shinjuku. Downtown Shinjuku is Yakuza territory, lolz.) I promise from here on, it'll focus on Naruto and Hinata, even though there's Kiba on the side, but that doesn't mean much in the long run, not even in the short run either really. But it helps with the plot me thinks, and as a challenge of themselves, teehee. And anyways... you do realize it's only been a month in my story right? I mean, how long do you think it takes to gain an extremely personal relationship with someone, to the point of utter self-disclosure? ;P Anyways, I will do my best to make this a focused chapter! Yosh! X3 (Also sorry for my OC's, only reason why I keep them around is because no other canon characters could fit their place without being totally OOC, also most of them are in Matsue anyways. ;D And I love my OC's, they've grown on me. :3 If they didn't have any purpose, I wouldn't being using them, trust me. :3)

_Peach Master Flex:_ Thanks a bunch, Peachy! XD Teehee, I'm a peach too you know! XD Lolz, okay.. well, Hope you enjoy this chapter:3 Please review:3

_Falconrok5: _Neat name, lolz. Thank you so much for the kind review, please continue sending them, heehee. Anou... is Hinata that changey? Perhaps she is, aw man. T.T (anou, can you elaborate perhaps? Just so I don't do it again, I'm trying to keep her as understandable as possibleness. ToT) Mrowr...

_CyberXiggybar:_ Lol, I fixed your name, just kidding. ;D And thank you so much! I'm sorry you're confused though... T.T (sniffle), but at least my story IS different from other ones, lawlz. Haha, I'm not concieted, lolz.(Thank shoujo manga for my love of in-depth romance and stuff, heehee. ;D) Anyways, thank you so much! I don't mind if your sucking up, no one else has! (At least not really, haha, j/k)

_Lunarangel's Dark Flame:_ Whoohoo! Here's a new chapter already, ZOMG! XD Thank you so muchos for another wonderful review, I hope you like this chapter too:3 Take care!

_Hatake Megumi-san:_ Thank you so much, you're reviews are muchos appreciated:3 Hope ya dig this one, take care! Later days! X3

_Sailor Alpha Tomboy: _please go on. please go on. please go on. please go on. please go on. please go on. please go on. You know I don't talk to robots... please go on. please go on. please go on. Do you say that on every review? At least answer me that, so I don't feel so alone out there.. T.T (sniffle)

_Rageofkyubii:_ Hee hee, thank you:3 I saw that episode too, Naruto was so cute everytime he said "Sank Yu!" XD. I enjoyed the episode but it slightly reminded me of the fears I have of NaruSaku (sickening shiver). aka "And Sakura-chan likes eye-candy so he can't be too good-looking." I know I read into things too much, like obessessive compulsively, but I can't help it! What could that simple thing have meant, he doesn't actually still like that girl does he?! It's not fair!! ToT I'm so freaking out, and I want more Hinata screentime! Grawr! Also.. also.. Chapter 355... I don't know if that one is out yet, but that's supposed to be when Naruto, Sakura, whoever else and Kurenai's team (aka Hinata, YAYS!) are going out on a mission and then yay! Hinata is actually on a mission with Naruto-kun!!! XO I'm freaking out, zomg zomg! I'm sorry you had to read this... T.T Haha, now I'm venting too. ;D

_Kalluwen:_ Hullo. :3 Yish.. crazy.. mwehehehehe... j/k. Naruto comes at last and forever now! More NarutoxHinata interaction I say! lawlz, I'm sorry.. that's what he said! Lawlz.. j/k. Cuz that's actually what you said, and you know that.. ehhh.. wowz, I'm like... whatever, I'm blaming this crazy reply on you. XDDD Sorry for Kiba btw. (sweatdrop)

_Throrine:_ Yes I laugh at angry sex, cuz I never heard of it til you said it. But then I saw the FCC episode of Family Guy, which I have seen several times, but I just finally caught the part where Lois says 'angry sex'. And I was like.. "Oh.. so it does exist. ..wierd." And yah, Moe is a such a kidder. ;D Btw, she ain't bi, if she were bi, she wouldn't be a super Yaoi fanatic. Sorry just thought I should point that out. Otherwise I swear, I'm not taking number 2 seriously. (shifty eyes) And yeah I can agree with the white people comment, lolz. ;D And thank you for the compliment. :3 And I know what I did wrong in US History, I forgot to do my homework. Otherwise I'm ace at History and stuff, except freakin'A, we gotta learn government, and that's what I'm really having probs with that. Also the fact that we don't get worksheets but big-ass packets and mostly projects. ToT Sorry I'm done, anyways hope you enjoy this chapter too:3

_NoOne:_ No one? Oh I'm sure you're a somebody at least, lol. :3 Thanks for the review, hope you continue to do so. Also I know what I did wrong in US History, so no worries... (sweatdrop)

_Chronostorm:_ HI! XD You don't know where this story is going, haha! Ain't it great?! Lawlz, I kid. ;D I hope you like this chapter, take care:3

_Listening to: Lost Prophets "Rooftops" Scream your heart out! Scream your heart out! XD luv!_

_ENJOI!_

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Scratch The Surface 

Ch.17 - I Had Hoped For Change, Do You See it in Me? Lucky Number Seventeen

Hinata sat in the middle of Sakio-sensei's lecture on Japan's agriculture. Honestly she had enough with this topic, it was like he would preach about its importance until the day he died. The man was far too ego and ethnocentric to be called an acceptable teacher, he was far too biased.

"Only 13.9 percent of Japan's soil is used for agriculture, our nation's land is otherwise unfertile, unfit to produce enough sustainance to our population. It's a miracle we survive, living off what he can here and from the ocean.." He drone on, enraptured with his own voice. Hinata sighed, seriously doubting he was allowed to be talking this way, he wasn't teaching any longer, he was preaching. Oh well, you got to be passionate about something, she mused.

She pulled out a little heart-shaped compact mirror from her randoseru, discreetly pointing it past her shoulder; Naruto was asleep, head buried lazily over into his arms. She turned her mirror to the right a bit; Kiba looked like he was paying attention, but she could see the headphone wires dicreetly hidden through his shirt and under his hair.

Suddenly a swift rush of wind blew past her shoulders, ending with a loud crack.

"Itai! Ah--wha?" Naruto shot up from his sleep, after being awoken from the piece of chalk Sakio-sensei threw at his. Hinata blinked, surprised yet not looking it. The aging man threw his Social Sciences textbook on his desk, approaching Naruto and Hinata with ill-intent.

"Never sleep in my class!" He shouted at Naruto, as he blinked wide-eyed, finally awake yet clueless to the man's indignation. Sakio-sensei then turned swfitly towards Hinata, leaning in close to her, almost hovering. She tensed.

"And you, Hyuuga-san.. What is with that god-forsaken hairstyle of yours?" The old man demanded in a vicious hiss, seizing tightly at her upper arm. She winced, his bony fingers squeezing harder, her breath hitched slightly at the startle of pain. Naruto's eyes widened with surprise, barely registering in his consciousness the discreet display of domination.

"Wh-what's wrong with it.. sensei?" She asked quietly, her breath hitching again. She could only keep her eyes on her desk, trying to hold amount of calm and control over her trepidation.

He tugged her forcibly, keeping his voice in a deadly hiss, making sure he was the stronger one in the situation. He was her superior afterall, so says filiel piety.

Incredulous anger flashed through Naruto's eyes, his own feelings of indignation and self-righteousness filling him. His chest felt tight with an emotion, a need, his heart beating with a light-headed mixture of fear and anger; he wanted to protect her, subconsciously he knew that. In the back of the room, Kiba saw the whole thing, pulling out his earphones, he glared at the scene yet was disbelieving with shock. His fingers curled inwards into a loose fist yet ready to act if he had to, trying to hold back his animosity. Yet half of him hoped and knew she would be alright.

"It's unnatural--! It's against dress-code policy!" He attested, referring to her slightly wavy hair.

"B-but.." Hinata mumbled, trying to say something. It had been so easy to stand up to her father, because she had personal issues with him. Even though Sakio-sensei wasn't at that kind of level of disdain from her, why couldn't stand up for herself to him? He had no right to be man-handling her like this..

"But what?!!" He suddenly shouted, scaring her and the putting the rest of the class on edge. Hinata's body tensed, unable to surrender, reluctant to fall so easily under his will. He squeezed more tightly on her arm, a breathless shriek of pain coming from Hinata's lips. Naruto and Kiba's bodies tensed and lurched forward in their seats, responding quickly to her affliction, antogonist passion in their faces, yet their minds holding their tempers on a short leash; both knew, as much as they wanted to, they couldn't get involved. Unless she was actually struck.. Both their tongues were stuck in their mouth, voice dead and thier minds so focused on her that they were unable to think of acting.

He began to pull her out of her seat, leading her towards the doorway in a such a manner of menace that one could consider this abuse.

"You are Japanese, you are born with straight hair!" He scolded fiercely, scorn darkening his wrinkled face.

The animosity in the boys' hearts stirred them from theirs seats, standing at attention to see Hinata leave. The old man threw open the class room door, his hand still gripping her arm, only letting go sharply once she was outside of the doorway. He glared at her with cold black eyes.

"Do not return until you have fixed the problem!" He barked, slamming the door closed. She stood there, staring with the same frightened eyes at the door, subconsciously putting her hand to her bruised upper arm. The halls were silent, and she could feel a quiet loneliness fill her.

When Sakio-sensei had closed the door, he saw both Naruto and Kiba standing up like two fools, staring worriedly at the door.

"SIT DOWN!" He roared, slamming his hands repeatively against the chalkboard, scaring the crap out of his students.

Naruto and Kiba sat down instantly, not because they were afraid of him, they weren't. There just wasn't much they could do... just sit there and stew in their hate towards the greying man, hands fisted, their worries left on Hinata; both knew, both felt she was alright, but both were only considering her physical condition.

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Hinata's eyes felt raw and hot. She stood bent over the sink of the girls bathroom, soaking her hair in hot water. Her throat felt watery and tight, she bit on her lower lip to stifle the pathetic sounds that came from deep within her sadness. She couldn't imagine how this happened to her, it was so stupid. Her arm ached everytime she moved it. She was disappointed, over so many things at once yet most of them didn't even apply. But she couldn't help what she felt, no matter how... 

"Melodramatic..." She paused in the silence, picking her head up slightly, the only light sounds coming from the drip-drip of water rolling off her forehead.

"St-stop.. crying.. you're n-not.. y-you shouldn't.. s-still be a cr-crybaby..." She mumbled softly to herself, no amount of encouragement coming from the words. She rubbed at her eyes harshly before moving to squeeze most of the water from her hair. The water from the sink slowly drained with a little gurgle, as she stared at her red-eyed expression in the mirror. Her face was ruddy and puffy from crying and she thought she looked so ugly.

_'Why is it in the movies, all the girls who cry look so pretty and innocent doing it?'_

She sniffled loudly, her line of thoughts going elsewhere. She noticed how easily sensitive she was now and hated it. How was it that she was so confident and happy yesterday, and today she couldn't retain those feelings? She stood up to her father yesterday, she spoke her mind, screamed it. How could she still be such a different person in school, how could she still be so weak? This wasn't Middle School anymore, people stayed away from her this time. Nobody bothered her, nobody talked to her.

And perhaps, because of that.. nobody spoke up in her defense. She knew she had become self-relient over the years and so she wouldn't want to seem weak by needing help.. but it was still disappointing to seemingly have no one there. Naruto had that one girl help him, but not her.. she had been scared of Sakio-sensei then, and she supposed that she still was. She had never been afraid of her own father hurting her because he never has, and he never had to back when he used to get his way. Maybe not much changed after all... and maybe she was back to being sad, quiet and lonely in school.

Before Naruto she always had been, but then she lost him and Kiba had been there. She wondered if he was still there for her.. maybe he didn't notice what happened to her, he had his headphones on afterall... It was lonely, to think that she was so much happier outside of school, with other people, people that she preferred, people she felt she knew and knew her, even when they didn't know her real name. Of course, that's what drew her to Kiba in the first place.. especially when Naruto began ignoring her the past week, just having one person by her side would be enough for her. Not that she would have that type of relationship in the long-run, people come and go... she wondered who was going to leave her next?

Her mother did, then her whole family for awhile before things got better, then Naruto...

She sighed. Maybe she was just being melodramatic again...

Perhaps when she pulled herself together, all previous thoughts and doubts would turn false and disappear.

She sighed, rubbing at her face, brushing aside damp bangs from her puffy eyes.

She would wait til her skin calmed, so she wouldn't be seen looking like a mess.

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It was awkward returning with her classmates, she decided to assimilate back to the world of people during gym and did not care that she had waited alone in the bathroom for over an hour before fifth period started. Not many noticed her, just the way she liked it. She sat against the wall in her usual spot. Kurenai-sensei tried to talk with her again, but Hinata preferred not to, she didn't exactly have her walls up today. She just wished she could've retained some of that confidence that she felt yesterday, why had she been so justified then and not today? What weakened her, aside from the unnecessary physical harm she experienced earlier? 

She ran a hand through her hair; no longer damp, it was back to being straight. She didn't care either way, she would've lost her waves during a bath at home, she just didn't like being mistreated over something that she liked, that he could have ignored. Instead he turned her into some example, like he had to show he was in control, that he had all the power. Damn coot. If ever that man became Emperor or Prime Minister of Japan, he'd start World War III.

When all were returning to room 1-B for lunch, Kiba had been the first to contact her all day. He ran up to her, from the crowd of teens, halting her with a hand on her shoulder. He had this concerned look in his eyes, and brows furrowed slightly, an expression of hesitance. She didn't smile, she wasn't sure what to say.

"Um.. heh, I want to avoid the universal cliche of asking if you're alright.. but, well.. I don't think there's any way around that." He joked with a half smile, trying to lighten the mood, brows still furrowed in that concerned hesitant way.

"And if I felt like being sarcastic, I'd say 'what do you think?'" Hinata replied softly, a ghost of an ironic smile on her lips, it was subtle but he could see it. It was silent for a minute before she answered his original question.

"I'm not sure.. it doesn't matter.." She answered softly, staring at the marble floors move slowly underneath them.

"How come? Hinata-chan.. he _shouldn't_ have been allowed to do tha--!" He restated from his passive question to sounding stern and justified, but only to be quickly interrupted by her soft voice.

"But he did, so it doesn't matter anymore."

Silence returned. The rationale in her words quieted all other passionate words he had once before in defense of her, because she made a clear point. Yet one with hopelessness laced to it. It was as if they should just let it go. But it wasn't right, she shouldn't have been treated that way. Even if it was something expected from old man Sakio. But another part of him was just disappointed, embarrassed and annoyed, that he hadn't done anything to defend her, that he couldn't do anything now, the moment of it seeming stale. Especially if she was more than willing to let it go, that she was just going to be passive.

The only thing that would suffice now, the only thing he could think of doing was to hold her hand. As he did, he held her small hand gently in his, catching her attention. They paused in the hallway, in silence, their classmates walking past them without a second thought or second glance. Kiba smiled gently at her, yet the same hesitant look remained, his eyes quietly apologizing to her. She stared at their hands with quiet eyes, somewhat warmed at the gesture but was unable to appreciate it.

Without their knowledge, Naruto was last coming down the hallway, first seeing Hinata, but then noticed the boy whom remained nameless and strange to him. He noticed the way he was holding her hand, theirs seemingly a cozy image. Naruto didn't acknowledge the very vague sliver of bitterness swim through him, like ice-cold water on his stomach. He brushed it off, walking past them, vaguely convincing himself a thought.. _'If he makes her happy... guess that's alright...' _He said to himself, assuming that's what Hinata wanted.

He made it to the classroom before they did, heading to his seat. Once they arrived by the doorway, Hinata was hesitant to go back inside. She didn't have a lunch today and she didn't want to sit down while everyone else but her had something to do, some friends to talk to. And right now things were kinna awkward and pointless with Kiba, same or more-so with the blonde-headed boy behind her. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Kiba's prescence, she just didn't need it today. At least not really... the day just didn't start out right, had it been different, she would have been eager to talk with him, about fun stuff.

He turned around to glance questioningly at her.

"Hinata-chan?" He asked, concerned. She just stood there, with a sad far away gaze, as if she was detached from him. She blinked, some of the glaze from her eyes disappearing.

"I'm just.. I'm just going to go outside for awhile.." She answered quietly.

"Why? I don't want to leave you alone.." He admitted aloud, not feeling embarrassed or guilty at his boldness, at his honesty. Only thing he admitted to himself, was the urge to hold her; she just seemed so fragile, and he couldn't think of anything else to do but tangible physical comfort. He was starting to seriously regret not stepping up to the plate earlier. He could have stopped that from happening to her, he didn't understand why he let it happen to her, he could have stopped it.

Suppose what he was really feeling was embarrassed shame at his lack of chivalry earlier.

"I'll be alright, it's just for awhile." She reassured, only with the words. Kiba nodded, reaching for her hand again before slipping inside the classroom. Hinata took small steps backwards, absorbing the realization that she was alone again. ...why'd she let that happen? She shook her head and began walking down the hallway for the stairways that led to the rooftop.

Naruto had seen them part at the doorway, had notice Hinata decline to enter the classroom. He didn't understand why she did that, why she was choosing to be alone than return to the classroom. She had been seldom the whole day so far, it just seemed wierd that she was hiding from everyone the way she was.

The brown haired boy just returned to his seat in the back, chatting with a lazy looking boy with a ponytail.

"Have you talked with Sunahara-san yet?" He asked with a light grin. The lazy boy had a disgruntled look come across his face.

"Troublesome girl..." was his response.

Naruto looked down at the two plastic-wrapped anpan rolls on his desk, thoughtfully as if coming to a decision. Convincing himself that this was out of sheer boredom and curiousity, he took the rolls with him and slipped out of the classroom. There was only so many places students could be, to be alone. And his usual pick was always the rooftop.

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Hinata leaned her weight forward against the wire-netted fence, peering down at the ground. She felt a little light-headed before walking away with a shock of panic, frightened at the height, she couldn't help but think how scary it would be to jump. She slid down, til she was kneeling, fingers hooked through the diamond shaped holes of the fence. It was cold, very very cold and she wished she had gotten her coat. Her shoulders shook, her face pressed tiredly against the fence. 

There was nobody on the sidewalks at the moment, she turned her eyes slightly to the side, the boys gym teacher Asuma-sensei was out having a smoke, and the horizon was an organized mess of trees and stacks of buildings, the sun winking in and out between their forms.

A soft silence surrounded the rooftop world around her. She was startled when she heard a sound, turning her head swiftly to her right, eight feet away someone was coming through the doorway. She jumped to her feet, to hide, she didn't want to deal with a stranger. But their voice called out.

"Hinata-chan!"

She halted mid-step, her eyes widening.

Why'd it have to be him?

What was he doing up here?

She brought her foot back, standing firmly yet unsteadily with tense shoulders, hands shaking slightly at her sides. Her voice was caught in her throat, and she tried to pretend that she wasn't there, trying to convince herself that he didn't see her. But his footsteps were getting closer, maybe she should run again... she's run several times from him so far.

She remained still, afraid to speak, eyes fixated to the side of the ground. She saw his shadow creep up behind hers, the length of it blending into hers. She couldn't help the impulse, she took off quickly but did not get far. Naruto immediately grabbed at her right upper arm, not realizing that was the same area she hurt.

"Itai! Let go!" She shouted, whirling around on him, pinning him with a teary glare. She held her bruised arm with her left hand, trying to will away the stinging ache. Naruto blinked startled, before fumbling with a hasty apology.

"I-I'm sorry!" He blurted. Hinata just looked at him, with nothing to say. She glanced off to the side, her voice soft yet upset.

"What is it?"

Naruto just blinked.

"Huh?"

"What is it, what are you doing here?!" She shot back, glaring at the ground.

"I was just--I just wanted to see if you're alright..!" He fessed defensively, waving his hands back and forth. Her expression softened into a quiet face, the tenseness in her body slackening, somewhat relaxed.

"Yeah.. I.. I am." She replied airily, almost so quiet he couldn't hear.

"You hesitated." He said matter-of-factly. Hinata just glanced up at him, giving him a strange annoyed look.

"So?"

"So.. um..." He blinked, trailing off. His apparent lack of words made Hinata sigh, and walk slowly away, moving to stand by the fence.

"Hey wait.. Hinata-chan.." Naruto called lightly, rushing up to her. She kept silent, there truly wasn't much to say. Not after the way things had been between them. He thought she was wierd, like everyone else that he had pissed off at the bridge. And she didn't want to talk with him if there no significance in the moment, if he had no real desire to be around her. If that was right, but then again why else was he here?

"What are you doing here, were you looking for me?" She asked softly, looking at the sunset tinted and shadowy snow below them. She glanced to the right, Asuma-sensei was having another smoke, except this time Kurenai was talking with him.

"Sorta..." Came his hesitant reply, he smiled sheepishly though Hinata did not see it. She merely nodded. She wasn't totally comfortable around him, she didn't know what he wanted. If he was just looking for her, if he was wondering if she was alright, why wasn't he leaving then? She began to sniffle. The sound startled Naruto.

"Are you crying..??" He asked, entirely surprised, he hadn't meant to sound so derisive though. Hinata's head suddenly snapped up, swiftly pinning him again with angry eyes.

"I'm not melodramatic!" She shouted at him.

"...I um.. I didn't say you were.." He blinked, frightened and taken aback by her sudden defensiveness. He sweatdropped slightly, giving her a wary look. An awkward silence filled between the two, his plain-said words upsetting Hinata further. She looked at him with disbelief, shaking her head. She knew she snapped at him, and she knew he hadn't called her melodramatic today. But he still had called her melodramatic, last week; part of her knew she shouldn't expect too much from him, but was still annoyed to think he had forgotten his own words last week. She moved to slump on the ground, leaning her back into the fence, pulling her knees up to her face, not looking at him and hiding her face.

"Go away." She said, muffled. Naruto blinked, suddenly annoyed at her words, yet was unsure if that's what she said.

"What?" He asked her. She shook her head slightly, her shoulders hunched. She hugged at her knees, still shaking her head.

"I w-won't cry in front of you.." She answered, her voice wavery with upset emotion. Naruto sighed quietly, he moved to sit beside her. It stayed that way between them for awhile. Only a few whimpers were elicited by Hinata, he wasn't really sure if she was crying or not, or if she was really trying to hold it back in front of him. It was painful to hear, and somewhat painful not to know. He kind of wondered if things were really so bad for her. When he first met her, she seemed like this quiet, together girl. At other times he did find her wierd, like those kind of people who acted like they were too good for everything else, that maybe she lived in a high-maintainance lifestyle. When she had confessed to him, he felt like it wasn't something he hadn't already heard before. And he felt it was those kind of people, that just whine about everything. As if their life is so horrible, that they can't survive through the day-to-day routine of life. He was surprised she was so fragile.

"Do you hate me?" He asked her quietly, tentatively. She shook her head, sniffling.

"No.. I don't know.." She replied, her voice coming out thick and watery whine. They stayed in silence; Naruto pulled out the plastic-wrapped anpan buns, opening one for himself. He stared thoughtfully at the golden brown bread, a bit of red peeking out of the center. He picked up the other unopened anpan bun, layed it by her feet.

"Here." was all he said, catching her attention. She rubbed hastily at her eyes, picking her head up slightly to see the sweet bread placed beside her. She took it with clumsy fingers, pulling it close to herself, still curled into herself.

"Why?" She asked, her voice slightly scratchy.

"Why what?" Naruto asked back smoothly.

"Why are you keeping me company?" She sniffled.

"I don't know.. cuz I want to, I guess.."

"But why..? Y-you j-just.. think I'm a freak..." She muttered, her voice becoming thick and watery again. Naruto looked at her shocked, wondering where in the world she got that idea.

"What're you talkin' about?"

"You know! You know! It was last week, at the bridge--!" She shot her head up, wide watery eyes on a lost face. Naruto shook his head vehemently.

"I called everybody else there freaks! I didn't call you a freak!" He assured.

"Yes you did! By calling them freaks, you said I was too!" She fought back, fingers curled into little fists.

"No! If I called you a freak, I would have said "Hinata's a freak." But I didn't! There's a difference!" He explained himself, trying to make her understand what was misunderstood between them. Is this why she was saying "us" back then?

"Not much! Y-you... can't insult them without... insulting me.. d-don't you get it yet?" She whispered hollowly, bringing her eyes down to stare faraway at the ground.

"Um.. no." Naruto answered honestly. She sighed tiredly.

"Weren't you.. ever a part of something you were proud of?" She asked, somewhat hopeful. But an ironic smirk came to Naruto's face, a bitterness in his eyes that Hinata did not see.

"Proud of? Nope." He answered matter-of-factly, his answer disappointing Hinata.

"Nevermind then..." She muttered. It was quiet before anyone of them talked again. Naruto took a bite of his anpan roll. Then the bell ringed.

"C'mon, we better go." He said, getting up. This startled Hinata, her eyes widening. She didn't want to go, so soon...

"W-wait..! A-anou.." She blurted hesitantly, eyes filled with worry and trepidation.

"If you don't want to go back to the classroom, I understand.." He told her plainly, catching her off gaurd. She blinked surprised.

"Y-you.. understand?" She mumbled.

"We got that old man eighth period, that's gunna suck.. but it's freezing as hell up here, if you're wanna skip that's alright. Just don't stay up here the rest of the day." He explained with a smirk, heading for the doorway. Hinata stumbled to her feet, still surprised at his sudden change in behavior. It was like.. sometimes he was loud and obnoxious, other times he was so happy and contagious. Sometimes he was the biggest idiot and had been insensitive lately, now she was seeing another side of him that perplexed her. Was he wise? She wasn't sure, maybe it just seemed he was because he was being so mellow and grounded. And she didn't think he'd ever say "...I understand...".

She rushed to meet him at the doorway before he left, sticking her head through the doorway. He stood there smirking congenially at her.

"By the way I didn't call you a freak."

"Y-yes you did..!" She pouted, trying to sound more accusing. He laughed a little.

"Heh, but I do think you're a little wierd." He added honestly, disappointing Hinata and making her indignant.

"Wha..?!" She blurted incoherently, apparently taken aback and shocked.

"But that's alright!" He grinned widely, in his usual fox-like way. It rather annoyed Hinata though, his usual behavior frustrating her.

"H-how is being wierd alright?!" She pouted, annoyed and flustered.

"When I say it is! Haha, later!" He waved her goodbye, running down the steps.

"Ah, wait!" She called after him, but he was already gone. She entered the stairwell, closing the door behind her and collasped exasperately on the steps.

"Mou..."

* * *

She hadn't known what to make from the bit of time she spent with him. What exactly happened anyways? She really wasn't sure, it kind of wierd. It was like... she was sad and upset with him one moment, then the next minute he was laughing and she couldn't stay mad anymore. It was too abrupt for her... 

She had decided to wait the rest of the day off in the RN's office. At first Shizune-san had been reluctant of allowing her to skip, but Tsunade came around and complied with a light smile. Her arm still ached even when Tsunade offered to take a look at it.

"What happened?" The womanly blonde asked with concern, looking at the bruise; it dark and ring-like, she could almost see the finger marks on her skin.

"I was uh.. being difficult." Hinata answered vaguely, making Tsunade look at her strangely. The older woman seriously doubted this little wallflower could be 'difficult'. She applied ointment and bandaged it, letting her spend the rest of the day on one of the beds.

When the bell had rang, signalling the end of the school day, Hinata left with tentative steps, thanking them with a bow. She saw Naruto speed away on the delivery bike, already off for work at the ramen stand. She sighed to herself.

He was so confusing.

* * *

When she and Hanabi got home, it was fairly quiet. Hiashi wasn't going to be around due to a three-day meeting that took him to Kyoto as it always did. The rest of the night went ordinarily well and normal; she cooked, cleaned the dishes, her and Hanabi finishing their schoolwork stuff. Just because she stood up to Hiashi didn't mean she still wouldn't do her duties, she just wouldn't do them if he told her to. She was glad he was out, she wasn't going to argue with him, if he decided to start that with her again. Her decision was made, he knew that. Didn't mean he wouldn't still try to excercise power over her. 

Neji didn't seem reserved to himself and irritable anymore. She wondered why. The silence between them since that one day when she had been afraid of Hiashi being disappointed in her for not cooking dinner; it, the silence, remained... yet seemed as if the now the only keeping them from talking again was just the words.

She hadn't noticed what day tomorrow was.

* * *

Tuesday went along regularly. 

The bad air between her and Naruto vanished, yet was replaced with an awkwardness on her part. She could talk with him, but didn't want to. She didn't admit it to herself, didn't realize it.. but due to the unsurety in which their last talk ended, she was confused and therefore... shy. She was too shy and devoid of topics or questions, to create a conversation with him.

Sakio-sensei didn't bitch out at her today, he yelled a few times at Naruto or some other boys. That was about it. Her arm still felt sore, but she would survive.

Lunch was somewhat pleasant, she hadn't gotten a complete chance to finish her powder-sugared strawberries, when Kiba whisked her away. She wasn't sure what all the fuss was, all he said was "Follow me." with a grin.

She soon found herself hiding behind a tree in the court yard with him, spying on a friend of his talking with an older female. Hinata was surprised to find that she was a 3rd year (12th grade).

"Kiba-kun.. this isn't right.." She mumbled.

"Naw, o'course it is. Shikamaru's such a lazy ass, someone's got to make sure he follows through." He explained.

"Follows through with what?" She asked bewildered and feeling wierd about the whole thing. She didn't know these two people, even if Kiba did, so she had less right to be spying than he did. She shrugged, watching nonetheless.

"...It's about time you noticed I'm here, you two." Came a low quiet voice. Both Kiba and Hinata jumped.

"Ne, who is it--!" Kiba shouted in a hushed voice, trying to keep their positions hidden. The surprised and angry expression left his face when replaced with a frank look. Hinata however was still frightened, when she turned around she was looking at other boy with wide wary eyes.

"Oh, hey there Shino." He greeted plainly like it was no big thing.

"Sh-Shino-kun?" Hinata mumbled.

"You guys didn't notice me.." He commented monotonously, niether of which knew he was actually sulking.

"Yeah, you're pretty stealthy, eheheh..." Kiba replied sheepishly, both him and Hinata sweatdropping.

"I'm going back inside..." Hinata muttered, straightening her skirt and getting up. Kiba hastily stumbled to his feet, with disappointment and frenzy.

"It was nice meeting you by the way, Shino-kun." She said softly, bowing and waving them quickly goodbye before leaving.

"Ne, wait! Iie, Hinata-chan! Don't go!" Kiba called out after her in a hushed voice, still aware of his other friend and the older girl. But she was already gone.

"You shouldn't be spying on the Senator's daughter." Shino pointed out annoyingly.

"I wasn't spying... I was eavesdropping."

"There's not much of a difference."

"Whatever.."

* * *

Night fell when she got home, the end of school ending as pleasantly ordinary as it started out. Naruto had stopped to say goodbye to her this time. She smiled lightly, though was flustered, unsure what to say; just mumbled a goodbye back. 

The day had ended entirely in a comfortable silence, the stars shining brightly in the December sky and the moon no where to be seen, Hinata sat down by the kitchen table, all the lights in the house were out, leaving everything in darkness, only a shade of light coming from the stove light.

Hanabi went to bed awhile ago, when Hinata decided to stay up. She wasn't tired yet. She was startled though when she turn her head to notice Neji walking into the living room/kitchen area from the hallway. She held a hand to her chest.

"Hinata-chan..." He said clearly.

"H-hai?" Hinata blinked wondering what he was going to say. He walked across to stop in front of her, suddenly placing something on the table with a light sound. Yet only problem was, she had no idea what is was.

"..Happy Birthday." He replied with a smile, as he began lighting the candles on the cake.

_'I-is that what Neji-nii had?'_ She mused, surprised. She was amazed at the beauty of the cake, as the candlelight highlighted and revealed the treat in the dark. It was two layers tall, most likely had a fruit filling in the middle. It was covered with white frosting and strawberries, there was a cute little snowman in the middle with an orange wedge, and in red lettering it read "Happy Birthday Hinata". It was a Christmas Cake for sure. Which threw Hinata off at the realization.

"You know nobody buys the leftover Christmas cakes." She commented, with a light smile. At least the sentiment was nice.

"I didn't buy this, I made it." He said, getting more of a kick out of it than her, smirking more broadly than her little smile. Hinata blinked surprised again. Soon her expression turned sad and apologetic.

He made it. He had made her a birthday cake. And it looked delicious too. She felt like a putz.

"Ohh, I-I'm.. I'm really sorry Neji-nii..." She mumbled sadly to herself, apogizing for more than just the cake, but also for when she had willingly thrown away that one dinner he made. Neji smiled nonetheless, nodding.

"It's alright. C'mon, enough moping..." He said lightly. She looked at the cake, the yellow candlelight glowing around them, like they were in their own exclusive world. She smiled watery, a quiet happy sound came from her mouth, a mix of a sob and a half-hearted laugh.

"I'm really sorry Neji-nii..." She laughed, wiping away a tear. She really wondered what brought Neji to forgive her in the first place, but was glad that he did. At first she hadn't cared that he was displeased with the way she acted, she had been caught up in her own problems. But now she was over those petty things, Hiashi wasn't going get his way as much anymore. She had made sure of that.

_'Oh.. then... that's why..' _

She smiled gratefully at him and the cake.

"Do you think I've changed, Neji-nii?" She asked simply.

"I think so."

She smiled, blowing out the candles and leaving them in darkness again.

* * *

Star- Woot! I finished this! Omgawd, can you believe it?! It's been like what?? Not even three days... Haha, coolness. Yah, okay now time for the liner notes! Hope ya dig! Yasuhei! Review please! ;D This was for you, sorta! XDDD

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Liner Notes: 

-Who is Sunahara-san?: Think about it guys..Sunahara... And she's an older girl that has to do with Shikamaru? C'mon, you guys are smart. ;D You ever wonder why they don't have last names, btw?? O.o

-"God-forsaken hairstyle? wtf?": Okay so Hinata is in a semi-strict public school now, and especially with that scary old man Sakio. Anyhoos.. bleached, permed, anything truly unnatural is against school dress-code policy. Only reason why some kogals like Ukue get away with it is because it's expected from them and they're rebels anyways, as for Hinata.. it wasn't expected from her to come into school with her hair permed and it pissed the old man off. He felt he had to stop it immediately before she decided to turn into the other stand-out girls who seem to prefer looking like California girls or something. :3

- Shino: Okay, one... I copied the "It's about time you noticed I'm here, you two." dialogue, from Shippuuden Ep.33. I think a certaint someone would know, that lolz. Naw j/k, I'm sure everyone's keeping up.. not me unfortunately. ToT Anyways.. at first I didn't think I'd have Shino in my story, but then I remember that I did think of him a long time ago. So basically he's just a new acquaintance of Hinata's. He's in a different classroom and is friends with Kiba and Shikamaru as it seems.

-Senator: If you guys know who Sunahara-san is, then you know who the Senator is supposed to be, right? And if anyone of youse ShikaTem fans out there want a bit of ShikaTem action, I will fit that in, cuz I do have their story set up in my head. Of course there's is shorter than NaruHina's and stuff. :3 And it's cute and neat, but Tem's got depressing background and depressing current issues too though.. you'll see why, but only if enough people ask for ShikaTem. Otherwise I won't get into Tem's past. And yes, now you people know who Sunahara-san is. Lawlz, I just ruined the whole thing, heehee. :3 (btw, if anyone want's Tem's past, don't worry.. she won't neccesarily get her own chapter, a couple paragraphs from a second-hand account is what I'll be going for. :3) I'm having too much fun right now, if you haven't noticed. hooray for me! XD Heehee!

- HINATA TURNS SEVENTEEN BY THE WAY! SHE'S PRACTICALLY A WOMAN, WOOT! Dammit, I actually don't wanna turn 17, makes me feel old.. the only thing I've accomplished is nothing, the only thing I've got to show is this fanfic. ToT I need to start my shoujo mangas.. asap... ToT

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FOR THE LOVE OF LOVE AND NARUHINA! REVIEW!! MUAHAHAHA! XDDD AISHITERU MINNA-CHAN! 


	18. Oomisoka in Shibuya Baby!

Star - Hello My Lovlies! XD Okeydokey, so I got inspired by this chapter to create more STS Art, so check out my DeviantArt please:3 Thank you everyone for your time, take care! But, Wow.. I feel like I have no life.. I'm just writing this thing like crazy... ToT I don't even know what the next chapter is, oh my gosh... WTF Momo-chan, get it together baka. Thank you everyone for the reviews! ;D NaruHina fantards unite! Anti-conformists disperse! Lawlz

Also once again, I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm using music in this chapter. And I'm embarrassed only cuz, it's like.. dude, I could prolly help myself and not use it, but I can't because in a way I don't want to.. anyhoo hope it's alright, I just wanna create some more atmosphere to the characters and where they are. :3 Also like.. um... yeah, well usually I'll be using songs that actually work as foreshadowing, so it's all good. :3 Don't tease me for using music, I guess that's what I'm fearing most. So yeah... (sweatdrop)

_

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Lunarangel's Dark Flame: _Yay! Yes I pretty much used the hair thing from Ran in GALS!, amongst other mangas that have stated such unnaturalities to be against school policy and stuff. :3 I wuv Ran-pyon. Hope you like this chapter! Gobble gobble! XD 

_Somebody or aka NoOne:_ Thank you so much for the nice review:3 Heehee! Hope you dig this chapter alright, Happy Thanksgive'n'take! (lol, j/kness)

_Fang Shinobi:_ I've read you're profile twice, and both times I forgot you're a filipino. :3 I'm a half-pina, lawlz. Anyhoo... yay for shikatem! woot! More like accidental fanservice, lolz. Nope! Hinata can't go kogal when she's a lolita! That's hyprocritcal, that's conformity! (gasp!) I like kogals, but nuh-uh... Hina-chan can't go kogal that'd be wierd, pyon. ;P Happy Turkeat Day!

_Clover Cookie:_ Yay! Thank you for reviewing, even if it was an accident and such. :3 Thank you so muchos again for the kind words, and yah I kinna think I should make Moe's shirt a reality, lolz. Happy Holidays! I'm sorry you cried during chapter 15! (sweatdrop) But I guess in a way that's good too, for me that is. ;D Happy Thanksgiveness Day weekend! wOOt! Gobble gobble!

_Peach Mast Flex: _If you're so manly, you'd stop stressing it. Cuz you sound like you're whining there a bit, I mean.. I only called you peachy once, silly. But watev's.. anou... (my compy is busted, if you sent me a PM, I haven't read it.. so yeah... but I'll reply eventually, just letting you know.. sorry if this is gunna sound redundant to whatever I wrote previously in that PM.) Anyhoos! Enough about nicknames! Thanks for having faith in me, to write up ShikaTem, cuz I've nevah done it before!! OMG! XDDD lol Happy Turkey Fried Chicken Weekend!

_Throrine:_ I have not yet... wait yes I have.. I read you're PM. Okay, so I wasn't blaming you for being a guy, though I somewhat disagree on the 'supposed to' bit about your man-ness and admiring womens, only cuz that makes it sound like gays don't count and shit. And don't reply to that if you gots something to say that you think may come out wrong, just to warn ya. ;D BUT I WANT TO DO MY SHOUJO MANGA! GIVE ME SOME SUPPORT MAN! So uncool... (sniffle).. and Naruto's past will come in time, just wait for it. So yeah.. Hope ya like this chapter, later days! Turkeysss!

_Lilstrummrgirl527:_ Hallo back my dear! XD Ahh I'm sorry, I felt bad when you reviewed, cuz I felt like I was making you feel obligated to review... eheh... (sweatdrop). But I'm glad you did, thank you for taking a moment out of your limited time. You're so accomplished-sounding, I'm so proud of you! lol, But anyways hope you're able to chilax this happy Turkey weekend. (and just incase, I will say sorry about the turkey thing, I do not know if you are vegan or not. and sorry for possibly having to think if you are and stuff. wow, I'm like.. neurotic or something. .) Anyhoo! Lawlz, sorry... I always love and appreciate you're reviews! Woot! lawlz, Blazing Saddles. ;D Later days, take care! Hope you like this chapter, whenever you get around to it, deary! XD (ha, I called you deary.. that makes me an old lady, lolz... btw, I'm not though.. that's a bit scary.) O.o

_Xarulel:_ I have yet not read your PM reply if you got mine and replied it. My compy is busted and I cannot read my e-mails. It sucks, so right now there's no way to avoid redundancy. sorry, but anyhoo! I'm sorry I didn't reply last time, I must've thought I did and was rushing. I won't forget, I'll try to be more meticulous from now on. (eheh..) But thank you for the wonderful review as always, I appreciate you! XD Happy Turkfest!

_sailor alpha tomboy: _I'm really sincerely sorry that I've kinna been a jerk to you're redundant counterfeit style reviews... but I do wonder what it would be like if you had something else to say. What if I were to ask you're name and say I'll never go on your profile, because only you can tell me, that way you're actually saying something different and we can finally have a real conversation. Cuz you're missing out, look at all the other people that have stuff to say, it's wonderful:3 When as for you... well.. I dunno, maybe in real life you're actually a very interesting and witty young person and are often the life of the party. I just don't get to know that, though huh? Later, Happy Thanksgivingsness!

_Chronostorm: _I have yet to read your pm if you replied to me, cuz my computer sucks. I can't check my e-mails.. so to avoid redundancy.. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Try to write in complete clear sentences with commas and periods please! I used to be able to understand your reviews, but not lately. Sorry... Happy Turkey Weekend:3

_Darkewaken:_ Hullo! XD Yes, I'm glad to have made your weekend complete, lawlz. ;D I'm a bit excited about ShikaTem too. :3 And Gaara will be mentioned.. question is.. without knowing anything about AU Gaara.. do you want me to write his and shikatem's story unadulterated and without change, or do you want me to lighten up somehow on Gaara's fate? Let me know kay? You're wonderful! XD Ciao! Happy Turkeyness:3 gobble gobble! XD

_Maki-zushi:_ wah wah wah... you're missing out!!! you could always skip the shikatem parts! I don't know what the big deal is! okay Bye... rude much.

_Rageofkyubii:_ Yes! You're that certain someone! Hooray! XD Please enjoy! Happy Let's eat a whole lot of crap and get high on tryptopham day! XD Tryptophanity! It's insanity! XD Lawlz...

_princessPOCKY-chan:_ Fish!! Where?! Gimme some! Gots ta get my fatty acids! XD Lawlz.. oh no wait! I got it! Omega3! Muahaha! Oh my Omega! XD Lawlz.. okay that didn't work out like I though it would but anyways.. ;D Thank you!! You're amazing too! XD (mwa! dramatic blow kiss. lol) Happy get fat off turkey day! XD Hope you enjoy this chaptah, take care:3

_I like angst:_ And so do I! XD Lawls... Thank you for the wonderful review. :3 Heehee, hope you enjoy this chapter! Happy Turks and Fish! XD Random!

_Falconrok5:_ True true, she is unfortunately solidly shy. :3 Yeah actually, I get so annoyed when people think Hinata or people like Hinata, CAN'T get mad! Or else they're OOC or supposedly two-faced or some wierd shit like that. But that's been my experience. (like I'm a quiet person, and people freak out and hate it when I get active and angry when it's justified that I should be angry. I don't go off the handle for no reason, I'm totally smart! ish..) yeah whatever anywaays... But I'm confused by what you meant about our dear Shino-kun. :3 I want a big brother type like him, heehee! X3 Anyways, thank you! You're reviews are greatly appreciated! Like turkeys! Happy Turkey Days!

_Kalluwen:_ Happy belated birthday. I remember the last time I talked with you on myspace, your prof said you were 20. And I was surprised, cuz it seems like you like my story enough, and you sound like a tough cookie on your prof.. but anyhoo.. yay for shikatem! I don't know why I like them, but they are better and make more sense that ShikaIno, cuz I see Ino with either Sai, Chouji or just as a swinger and she sleeps around and stuff. Sorry Ino-chan, I do like you better than Sakura! Keep that in mind! Lawlz.. okay back to you... lol, um.. Hope you enjoy this chapter enough! I tried! Happy Thanks and give Day!

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CHECK OUT MY DEVIANTART! New Image! It's a scene from this chapter! Yays! XD 

Happy Turkey's and Stuffings Day!

SPREAD LOVE! SPREAD IT LIKE BUTTER!

Enjoi!

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Scratch the Surface 

Ch.18 - Goodbye Last Year Memories, Hello My Bright New Tomorrow; Yoi Otoshiwo! Oomisoka in Shibuya Baby!

_The coming of the New Year is an important time, as the end of Shiwasu draws near. _

_Families and Neighbours busy themselves with cleaning their homes and decorating their doorways with shimenawa, shimekazari and kadomatsu._

_The smells of tangerines and pine is everywhere, signaling a rebirth, and I'm filled with a sense of renewal and hope._

_Everyone wishes for a new start, second chances..._

_This is a time to throw out old memories, to destroy former badness and strive for a brighter resolution..._

_"And for us teens, it's just a time to have fun and party our brains out!"_

"Huh?" Hinata blinked, as Moe's words registered over the phone.

_"What? Don't tell me your spending your New Years with family are ya?" _She asked derisively. Hinata shook her head.

"No, I'm not. I don't know, I just haven't thought about it before..."

_"Partying..?"_

"I guess.." Hinata replied vaguely, unsure where their conversation even began, she wondered when she had zoned out.

_"Well we were thinking of heading to Shibuya for the countdown, but that's not definite. Hit me up when you've decided, mmkay?"_

"Hai, I will."

_"Okay I gotta jet, Bai babi! --click!"_

Hinata smiled with a light giggle as she put her cell phone back on her vanity drawer. New Year's Eve wasn't until Saturday night, and so that wasn't for another two days from now. Hinata had always ignored New Years Eve and the coming of the New Year. Back then she never felt too hopeful, never expected much before. She had been pessimistic about the whole thing, so she never went out to celebrate even when her friends had, and she had never stayed up for the sunrise.

But things were different, and had changed swiftly around her; both with and without her notice, sometimes when she reflected on a far away time, she would become startled with unrecognition and confusion. And when she would reflect on something that happened just a couple days ago, she would feel overwhelmed with even more startlement and confusion.

It was so different now than a few years ago, it was so different from even last week...

Sometimes the changes were so subtle, she wasn't sure if it was just the changes in her or if there were changes in the everyday life around her.

It seemed like everything started changing when he moved here to Tokyo... when he entered her life.

And she wondered, what if he hadn't moved to Tokyo? What would today be like if she didn't know him, if she continued to never know he existed? Because she was here, and he would there. But instead he was here now. And she wondered if she would have learned on her own to be different; to have stood up to her father and start to become more conscious of her own life and that she could do what she wanted with it? Or perhaps this was planned from the start by fate...

Had he never come, would she still be an aimless and submissive girl? Would she have been able to stand up for herself, that one sunday? Would the boy still be alive? Then again, perhaps not all events were so interconnected. Or perhaps all of these events, even if dictated by his prescence in her life, would have happened this way, for fate and the strings were part of a bigger picture, therefore knowing the means and ends of their strange little lives?

"Finally finished my philosophy homework." Hinata sighed with relief, closing the textbook and her notes, pushing herself out of her desk to roam around her bedroom. Perhaps if she were to make a New Years Resolution, though an uncommon thing to do in Japan, perhaps she would stop questioning life and actually start living it. And even though they say "An unexamined life is not worth living." perhaps such a life was too cautious for her.

She wanted to let things go and not carry the baggages of the past and of regrets nor dwell on her former pathetic self.

She did believe in hope and renewal.

And that's what she wanted.

She would just let things happen and not fight it, perhaps whatever happens... in the end that is where she is meant to be.

And there she could be happy.

* * *

Today was Thursday. 

Just minutes after Hinata left her bedroom to enter the kitchen, she took a curious glance at the doorway and into the living room. Then wearily she remembered that Hiashi was due to come in late tonight, ten o'clock most likely.

And she had remembered the aggravating phone call she received just last night.. no, more like this morning, 2 am. She had no idea why in the world he was calling the house that late, and why for that matter he was still up. He was always a punctual and predictable man. Such a spontaneous and impromptu call was unlike him. But that observation did not register through her, instead she was for more annoyed at his calling and the very reasons he had even been calling.

_"Moshi-mosh--" She murmured tiredly. _

_He hadn't even given her the polite chance to finish._

_"Hinata-chan!" came his authoritive voice, yet sounding more impatient and anxious. _

_"Nani.. Otou-san?"_

_"Have you cleaned the house?!" He shouted impatiently and somewhat frantic. _

_"Wha... what?"_

_"The house! Have you cleaned the house?!"_

_"..Otou-san.. etoo..."_

_"The coming of the New Year, dear girl! Are you not hearing me?!"_

_"A-anou... you want me to clean the house?" She asked slowly with disbelief, as she made a weird face over the phone. He called because of that?_

_"(aggravated sigh) For the new year, Hinata-chan... we're behind, I need you to repaper the shouji! Recover the tatami! Have you done anything?!" He shouted once more, impatient and frantic over what Hinata saw as the littlest inane thing. She honestly couldn't imagine what motivated this kind of behavior from him. He was so indifferent about everything else unless it had to with some sort of inbred tradtion or rule as it seemed. Not that decorating and cleaning for New Year was much of a rule; but if everyone in the nation was doing it, then certaintly to the old man, they had to do it too. Suppose it would be rather embarrassing if they were the only house without pines and tangerines, straw ropes and bamboo._

_But she had never thought about it, she had forgotten about preparing for the New Year._

_"..When the sun rises, I'll clean." Hinata murmured tiredly. "..after school.." she soon added. _

_"Hinata-chan--!"_

_"Goodnight father."_

_And she hung up._

* * *

Hinata wasn't fast at work to clean the house, but she was doing so anyways. Most of the tatami mats had been replaced with cleaner ones, while Neji busied with the repapering of shouji doors. She shivered as the winter air came in full force now that they had no doors to protect them. 

She didn't understand why they had to get such an old fashion house. A place like this belonged in the historic village, not the suburbs.

Hinata sighed exasperately to herself, throwing her tired body against the newly refurnished floor. Etiquette in such a home does not permit laying on the ground, but Hinata did not care. And Neji smiled half-heartedly.

"Are you going to do anything for News Years Eve, Neji-nii?" Hinata asked airily with eyes closed and arms spread.

"Most likely not." He answered simply.

"Mostly likely not? So there's a chance you could be doing something?" She asked rather precociously, catching Neji off gaurd somewhat.

"Hm? Why are you asking anyways?" He asked with a light chuckle. Hinata sighed lightly through her nose, relaxing herself further onto the mats.

"I was just curious. I mean.. it's going to be lonely here at night, and I would've figured you'd try to have some fun for yourself. What about watching the sunrise?" She assumed, eyes staring at the cieling.

"I don't think so." Came his unchanged answer.

"How come? ..Do you think, you'll ever reconnect with the outside world?" She asked, rolled on her side, her large lavender eyes pinning her unanswered question on him. Her words put a sort of wistful and empty feeling in the home's atmosphere.

Neji had this look, unreadable and empty, yet sad. It was subtle, but the sudden blankness in his eyes permeated into her subconscious and she felt vaguely what he was feeling. It was a silent connection in which only their eyes spoke, yet Neji never answered.

Hanabi's foosteps soon dispelled the quiet air with her cheery brightness.

"Hanabi-chan?" Hinata questioned, as her little sister rushed to the refridgerator.

"Birthday cake! Can I have the rest of it? It's almost gone anyways." the young girl smiled sheepishly, holding the quarter piece of cake.

"That's because you've been the one eating it most." Neji replied, patting her teasingly on the head. She pouted and stuck her tongue out at him. The whole warm scene made Hinata smile and giggle.

"Sure go ahead, maybe then I can have most of your birthday cake, Hana-bunni." Hinata smirked, still laying lazily on her side.

"Nuh-uh. You can't have any of it." Hanabi teased playfully, sticking her tongue out.

"Selfish." Hinata smiled with a giggle, rolling over to lay on her back, eyes closed once more.

* * *

"Oomisoka wa dokutoku no fun'iki ga aru ne?" asked Imahada-sensei with a cheeky grin, the sunlight glaring mischeviously off her oval glasses. 

"So... is anyone going partying tonight?" The older woman smiled, eager to have a conversation with her students. And repsonses were immediate, excited smiles and lively shouts filling the cheery classroom.

"Shibuya!! There's a new club opening up!"

"We're all heading to _The Underground Junkshun_, right guys?!" One girl asked, recieving excited nods from four of her friends.

"Party party! Don't _stop_ til the ball _drops_!!" Ukue shouted, jumping out of her seat. Imahada-sensei laughed heartily.

However next period's teacher had a different approach to the celebration of the New Year...

"So is anyone spending a quiet evening with their family tonight?" the Philosophy/Ethics teacher asked politely with a naive smile. Yet the traditional and conservative Takewa-sensei was only met with an awkward silence. Some of the students had this stuck-up expression on their faces, obviously putting down the teacher's question with big 'noes'. Such a response disturbed the young man with almost frantic concern.

"A-anybody..? ..f-family...?" The poor man tried again only to get the same silence, little comments going around like bad air.

_"My friends are my family.."_

_"..I don't even like my parents."_

_"What a stupid question.."_

"So.. you're all... just going.. to party then?" he muttered to himself as more of a statement than a question, knowing the answer as it was. He sighed disappointedly, greatly discouraged and uneased by what he saw as a 'downward spiral of Japan's youth'. The poor man realized but denied the fact that the world wasn't the same as when he was a kid.

The bell rang on the Saturday class, signaling the end of the half-day. Friends and classmates poured out in a fury of chattery voices and laughter, all motivated at the knowing that they were free to do whatever now.

Hinata was packing her randoseru quietly as class 1-B filed out.

"You gunna do anything?" Naruto asked her, standing up from his seat and slinging his bag over his shoulder, grinning at her.

"Hm?" She blinked at first, caught off gaurd. When the question finally registered, she answered.

"I don't know." She smiled sheepishly and rather shyly. "What about you?" She asked back, getting up from her seat as well. They began to walk out of the classroom together, Naruto's hands behind his head.

"Yeah, I don't know either... I haven't thought about it." His answer made her smile and giggle a little; it was just like her when she had been talking with Moe two days ago. They had just stepped outside the doorway when a rush of brown white and red stopped right in front of Hinata, startling her greatly.

"Hinata-chan, you wanna go to Harajuku with me?!" The boy asked with a wide open mouth grin, panting and slightly out of breath. Hinata blinked cutely.

"K-Kiba-kun..?" She mumbled confusedly, backed slightly into the wall. Naruto stood there, seeing the way the brown-haired boy was acting around Hinata. His eyes narrowed in annoyed scrutiny, suddenly the boys' being there and talking with Hinata made him feel detached from her; and he knew he didn't have the ability to talk with her anymore. He knew they were pretty good friends, but Naruto couldn't help but feel pissed off at times.

_'Whatever..'_ He thought to himself tiredly, walking away.

"So? How about it?" Kiba asked again, hopeful and eager. Hinata had to think about this.

_'Wait... I can go to Harajuku and it's not even Sunday! Then again I could have always gone whenever I felt like... but going alone is no fun._ _I've never gone to Harajuku alone.'_ She reasoned with herself.

She couldn't help but feel excited about it.

"Hai! I'll go with you!" She nodded, smiling giddily, which Kiba thought was so cute and took as a good sign for himself.

"Yes!"

* * *

They took the JR Line from Shinagawa Station stopping in Shibuya and got off from there. They decided they could stop by_The Strawberry Spider_ before hanging around Harajuku for the afternoon. 

The sidewalks were immensely crowded as always; friends, schoolkids and young adults, walked and roamed and caroused and cheered through the streets, hanging around shop windows or taking pictures, having a smoke or simply eating lunch in friendly company. The liveliness would soon become contagious in Hinata, the atmosphere of it all making her anxious; she was looking forward to all of this, yet she did not yet know what she was going to do for fun and celebration.

She still had to call Moe.

They walked inside the familiar pink and bland white store of knock-off items and inexpensive magazines; The usual girl at the front desk today was wearing a 'father hat' like in Azumanga Daioh, wearing the very uniform from the anime. The otaku cashier waved happily at them with greetings, Kiba and Hinata greeting her back pleasantly.

They looked around, Hinata fingering some of the crappy fabric with mild amusement and eyeing the accessories with consideration. She hung around the magazine wall when Kiba tapped her on the shoulder.

"You've ever gone inside the _Web_?" Kiba asked her with a smile. Hinata shook her head, making Kiba grin, as he lead her to the black doorway, decorated with a curtain of shimmering plastic ribbons, purplish-black in color. They stepped inside and suddenly all the light in the world was sucked away as if stepping into a world of black and shadow. As soon as Hinata's eyesight adjusted to the darkness, she could see all around the darkened back room.

Purple glowing blacklights and blue neon lights hung off the walls and cieling, highlighting glow-in-the-dark paint spatter on the black rubber floor and walls and cieling, and making white colored items glow. It was very hypnotizing and rave like, yet still gothic; there were some skull items and chains stacked on a shelf, and an anatomical skeleton stood wearing a top hat and a boy's dandy lolita suit, like a mannequin. Goth rock could be heard vaguely throughout the back room.

Hinata was intrigued at the intricacies of the store and the artful design of the backroom. It was a part of the store, yet was so much better, she wondered why all of this was so secluded and secretive.

She paused mid-step to see a gothic lolita girl browsing black cat items, Hinata didn't mean to stare but the girl noticed her and gave her a discreet look, that Hinata nearly mistook for an annoyed glare. She wasn't totally pretty like a some girls at the bridge, but she was definitely hardcore; white face paint, black and red lipstick, some of the red artfully dripping down her lips like blood, and heavy purplish-black eyeshadow, fake doll-like eyelashes and painted eyebrows, her mouth set in a quiet frown.

Hinata turned her head immediately, blushing embarrassed at herself for being so rude as to stare. She rushed to catch up with Kiba, walking past dark shelves of barely highlighted items, she noticed that her skin was pale enough to glow in the blacklight. She kinna made a wierd surprised face and it made Kiba laugh. She was starting to get nervous here. It was so different from what she was used to, after all she was a sweet-loli and not a goth-loli; all this black and macabre was different from her usual tastes.

They finally came to the cashier desk hidden in the very back, with an old nineties boombox playing, the glass case glowing in the blue and purple lighting, glowing paint spatter making the whole area more lit up than the rest of the store, giving it a sort of eerie appeal.

_I know they suffocate you more than the passing of everyday human events  
And isolation is the oxygen mask you're making children breath into to survive  
But I'm not a slave to god that doesn't exist!  
And I'm not a slave to world that doesn't give a shit! _

And when we were good  
You just close your eyes  
So when we are bad  
We'll scar your minds

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!  
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!... 

"Hoi, Shuhei-san. Ikaga deshita ka?" Kiba asked sociably with a wide grin. The man just gave a smooth nod in response. Hinata took a tentative look at the man.

He was young, appeared to be about 25, 27 perhaps. He was bald, save for a ring-like tattoo on his head. He had thin eyebrows and lips, several piercings on both; three on his bottom lip, 5 on his left eyebrow (including a safety pin piercing, that had a chain to it, that was attached to his left earlobe). He had three piercings on his right brow, ten on his left ear and seven on his right. He even had a nose piercing. His eyes were also lightly defined in black eyeliner, this man was the most hardcore she'd ever seen. His face was smooth and pale, a calm look in his every demeanor and lips set in an indifferent line. A studded collar around his neck and fishnet wifebeater, revealing heavily tattooed arms, and he wore deconstructed pinstripe black pants.

_Just cut our wrists like cheap coupons, And say that "death was on sale today"..._

Kiba took notice to the tattoo that wrapped around the man's head.

"New tattoo?"

"Hai."

"..barb wire?" Kiba guessed with a sweatdrop.

"Crown of thorns." He answered calmly. Kiba nodded, acknowledging it's coolness, when as for Hinata.. she just stood there quietly and awkwardly; should she say hi to the man too or what?

The man, Shuhei, glanced a calm eye at Hinata, making her flinch despite. She hated being under scrutiny. It was always embarrassing and she couldn't help but expect the worse, even when she had no reason to.

"You're a sweet loli?" He said more as a statement than a question. Hinata blinked, she was surprised. How did he know that? Was it that obvious?

"Y-yeah.." She uttered softly. Shuhei nodded again, stepping out from behind the counter to walk towards and stopping in front of a tall shelf of black and white boxes. He pulled out a wooden ladder, stepping up to the top to browse.

"Are you here to shop?" He asked, moving around boxes in his search.

"I-I don't know.." Hinata answered awkwardly again, as the gothic lolita from earlier marched on through, making Hinata stepped hastily and clumsily aside. The girl placed down several accessories on the glass counter, as Shuhei stepped off the ladder nimbly, placing down a box and attending to the girl. He rang up seven items with quick succession and bagged them.

"Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu, Shuhei-san."

"Domo, yoi otoshiwo, Kuroko-chan." and with that, the girl left, leaving Shuhei back to attending with their prescence.

"Take a look at these, see if you like them." Shuhei said, pushing the box towards Hinata. She walked up in soft strides, opening the box to find an adorable pair of rocking horse shoes. They were three-inches platform and four inch heels, black with white decorative trimmings like doilys, and a single white buckle. Hinata flushed lightly at the shoes, bringing a hand up to her lips.

"They're so cute." Hinata gushed.

"They come in black&white, black&red, red&white." Shuhei stated matter-of-factly.

"I like these." Hinata stated happily, pointing at the pair. He nodded in acknowledgement, he opened his mouth about to say something when he heard a noise behind him. He glanced around, the black back door slightly ajar. Hinata and Kiba took notice of a little boy peeking up at them from behind the counter. Hinata looked at the child with interest; he was very small, wore baggy jeans and white shirt with the anarchy symbol on it. His face was soft and innocent, crescent shaped eyes against chubby cheeks. But what stood out the most of course, was his black mohawk. Shuhei craned his body to the side to see the boy.

"Hiro-chan..?" He called, catching the attention of the boy. He bent down low to talk quietly with the child.

"What are you doing here?"

"I want to be here." He answered simply in a childish voice, not knowing that he didn't really answer his father's question. Hinata walked a bit closer, bending down to the boy's eye level as he turned his head to look at her now.

"Ne, nansai desu ka?" She asked in a sweetly with a soft smile. Hiro grinned brightly and eagerly, shoving five fingers in her face.

"Go sai desu!" He answered proudly with a cheeky grin, making Hinata laugh, clasping her hand to her chin.

_'He's so cute!' _She gushed inwardly.

"You're a big boy then, ne?" Hinata giggled happily, but Hiro shook his head.

"I'm naw Taro, I'm Hiro!" He exclaimed, making Hinata giggle again.

"De de, Hiro-chan. Go help mama, okay?" Shuhei told him lightly, tapping his shoulder, but Hiro ran from his island by his father to a dress that was hung on another skeleton.

"I think you'd look good in this one!" The five-year old shouted matter-of-factly to Hinata, pointing at the dress. Hinata and Kiba turned around, blinking cluelessly. Shuhei sighed behind them, as a grin soon broke across Kiba's face.

"Li'l man's got a point, you'd look ace in that." He smirked, making Hinata flush a little unsurely. Hiro's dad got up from the stool behind the counter and approached him.

"Hiro-chan, go help mama okay?" He implored in his calm voice, standing over the boy.

"Mama says you don't want lunch." Hiro stated matter-of-factly yet poutingly, crossing his arms and looking the other way.

"I don't?" Shuhei blinked confused.

"Mama says she asked you hour ago, but you gave her no answer, so now we go have lunch without you." The child explained in the same huffy voice.

"Tell her I'll have whatever's leftover." Shuhei answered calmly, only to be pinned with another look from his son.

"Mama's growing little sister, there's no leftovers." was his reply, making Shuhei sigh again. Suddenly a sound came the back door, Hinata and Kiba turned around to find a young woman with a serene face standing there and looking at her boys expectantly.

"Anata, Hiro-chan.. what's going on?" The woman asked, her voice surprisingly sweet yet smoky sounding. Hinata was taken aback, the wife... she looked barely 25, possibly 23 years old. Her eyes were tired yet dark and beautiful and her chin small and narrow, her face smooth and pale, and large almond shaped eyes against thin high cheek bones. Her attire was simple, clearly she was six months along and she too had piercings, but not as much as her husband. Under the girl shirt that she wore, you could see a butterfly tattoo near her naval, but due to pregancy it was now stretched out and awkward looking.

"Ikuko-chan, do we still have that black catherine dress?" Shuhei asked now that she was here from the back room, which apparently was also the stock room. The young woman paused thoughtfully before leaving the room. Hinata and Kiba looked at eachother questioningly; Hinata hadn't been expecting to buy anything, so now she felt like she was putting them out their way to help her shop. Eventually Ikuko came back, holding a large box, placing it in front of Hinata on the counter.

Kiba approached first, taking the top off the box to reveal a full length black dress, nearly folded. It was made of lustrious taffeta, the corset tight and made of long-thread cotton. The ribbons and lace edgings were white yet shimmered mauve. Hinata carefully pulled the dress from the box, holding it out in front of her. She flushed at it's beauty and quality, her eyes sparkling.

She loved it.

Even though it was black.

But there's a first time for everything.

"Is that what you like sweetie?" Ikuko asked in her sweet and smoky way.

"I'll give you a deal, on the full outfit." Shuhei added, picking up his son in his arms and walking over to the counter with his wife. Hinata glanced at him curiously, tilting her head to the side.

"A deal?" She murmured softly.

"Hai. 5,000 yen, for the dress, shoes and an accessory. You're not going to find this anywhere else." He added with firm finality.

"Certaintly not.." Hinata said to herself, examining the dress further. The quality was so professional, not like that of the crap they have in the main store, and for such a great deal was true; she wouldn't find this anywhere else. Shuhei and his wife seemed so hospitable and down-to-earth, rather than selling a fixed price they were bargaining on an original dress.

"Take this one!" Hiro piped up, holding a black and white cake shaped handbag above his head. Hinata took her eyes away to smile at the boy.

"..thank you, I'm sorry for wasting your time, but I'm not purchasing today.." Hinata smiled apologetically, placing the dress neatly back in the box, disappointing the boy slightly.

"Alright, then I'll pay." Kiba interjected suddenly as he began to pull out his wallet, startling Hinata.

"Ne wait.. Kiba-kun..!" She stammered, placing her hands over his before he gave up several bills of yen.

"It's alright Hinata-chan." He smiled charmingly at her.

"Mou, Kiba-kun.. but it's still so much." Hinata pouted, feeling bad about the whole thing. She never asked him, so he didn't have to.

"It's alright! Relax!" He laughed, placing the bills on the glass counter. Shuhei accepted the money, ringing up the items, as Ikuko bagged them. Hinata smiled, slowly becoming giddy at the realization that she had new stuff.

"Thank you for your patronage." Ikuko smiled, nodding.

As soon though as she took the bag, Ikuko bent in close to her in a mysterious way.

"Oh, and sweetie..." She started out slowly, suspenseful. Hinata looked at her, wondering what she was going to say.

"...welcome to the dark side. Ahaha, I'm just kidding, I've always wanted to say that!" She laughed, as Hinata took her large bag and hugged it to herself, leaving embarrassedly.

"Have a good day you two, come again anytime!"

* * *

Hinata was extremely giddy and full of elation at her new clothes, hugging the rose red bag to herself. She sat beside Kiba on the bullet train, smiling brightly to herself. 

"Thank you so much, Kiba-kun! Heehee!" She giggled, rubbing her cheeks against the box. Kiba laughed, glad to make her really smile.

"No problem."

"Say..." Hinata started, a question on her lips.

"Hm?" He glanced at her.

"Is _The Strawberry Spider_ Shuhei-san's and Ikuko-san's store?"

"Yeah it is." KIba smiled at her. But Hinata still had another question in her mind.

"So.. then.. why is all of the good stuff kept in the back?" She asked him, hugging her stuff closer to herself as her lavender eyes implored him.

"Dunno... store secrets I guess." Kiba grinned, even though his answer was vague, and Hinata wondered if he was just humoring her or what.

* * *

After Naruto walked from Hinata, who had in his opinion.. sorta been cornered and captured by the wierd vampire guy, he had gone straight to the Ichiraku in Shibuya. Partly for lunch, partly because he wanted to help out in shop. 

"No way."

"What?! What are you talking about no way?!" Naruto shouted, after being rejected by Ayame.

"This is New Years Eve, tonight you deserve a day off."

"Yeah but.. Ayame-chan.. you guys are gunna to be swamped, right? I mean soba is popular on New Years."

"True, but we've handled it before. Take some time off, hang with some friends from school. C'mon kiddo, this is Tokyo!" Ayame reasoned cheerfully in a naive way. Well perhaps it was expected of her to assume he had friends by now, it wasn't like he talked about himself.

"Right.. friends..." Naruto muttered to himself, laying his down on counter in a moping manner.

_'And I could give a fuck about Tokyo... stupid new year...'_

* * *

Hinata arrived home after spending a few hours with Kiba in Harajuku. Unfortunately she still hadn't decided and she still hadn't called Moe up. She kinna felt bad about it, like maybe she was standing her friend up or something. She was about to walk inside when a voice stopped her and she turned around. 

"Oi, Hinata-chan!" Naruto called from his porch.

"Nani?" She asked softly, walking towards him a little bit. He hesitated a bit, part of him expected her to say 'no' or that she was probably unavailable.

"You wanna go to the countdown in Shibuya?" He asked her, a bit hopeful but not too hopeful. He was already prepared for that 'no', or a 'no' to him that is. But Hinata just tilted her head to the side a bit, looking thoughtful for a moment.

Thing is, Moe and the group were going to be there... well, were probably going to be there. She really need to call her and ask what was going to happen with them and her tonight. And now Naruto was asking her, but she didn't think he was asking her to go with him like an invitation, so she could only give one answer.

"I might go."

"You.. might? Um.." Naruto blinked at her, not really knowing what to take from that answer. For him, it was either a 'yes' or 'no', if she wanted to going with him or not. Alright, it wasn't that he didn't have any friends at school, since a couple weeks ago his classmates treated him normally and there was no more scrutiny or gossip, and he did hang out that one time with Ukue and her friends, but he didn't see himself hanging out with her always as if he was a part of her group. So otherwise he kinna didn't have any friends yet, at least no one he wanted to stick around with. Hinata was the first person that treated him nicely, even though she hadn't been super sweet from the start, but she was the only person that he mostly talked to, and he did enjoy her company. So to him, asking her was kinna a given at this point, there wasn't anybody else.

"Actually I still need to think about it." Hinata said sweetly with a soft smile that stopped Naruto, as he looked at her, caught off gaurd.. He blinked before collecting himself.

"Yeah alright, um.. just tell me when you're going then.." He said receiving a polite nod from her, that soft smile still on her lips. She waved him before disappearing inside her house.

And Naruto sat down bored on his porch, letting his legs hang off the side.

He realized he actually wanted a quicker more certain answer from her, and was now subject to sit and wait. He sighed tiredly, falling backwards to lay down.

* * *

The house was still under renovations, even by now, but it was almost done. Neji was on the final shouji door, Hanabi busy with a little dry dusting and Hiashi... 

..yeah, he wasn't doing anything.

What kind of control freak wanted a clean home and not doing anything about it?

But Hinata didn't care, she ran as quickly as she could to her bedroom, closing her door and jumped on her bed, letting out a happy squeal.

"Heehee! New dress! New shoes! New year! Teeheehee, happy new year to me!" She giggled hyperly in a way that was so cute yet unlike her, hugging her new dress to herself and rolling on her bed, kicking her legs back and forth excitedly.

She sighed happily to herself, opting for a little nap.

* * *

The sun had set long ago, Naruto looked at the clock on the news channel, it read: 11:01 pm. He wondered what was taking her so long to give him a heads up. 

_'Maybe I should just go on my own..'_ He thought to himself, slightly disappointed. He kinna thought back to a few hours ago, when she had gone inside. He wasn't sure if it was her, but he was pretty sure, he sorta heard her talking with herself and it sounded like she was having a giggle fit.

Rice paper doors really did nothing to keep privacy if you're loud enough.

And he couldn't help but wonder what she was so excited about...

* * *

Hinata called her friends up when she woke up, around 9:23 pm... They were already somewhere in the center, it was going to be hell trying to find them, but she promised she'd hang with them for the night. And she figured she'd tell Naruto that she was going afterall. 

She was still so happy about her dress, she couldn't wait til tomorrow to wear it. And that means she really couldn't, so she was going to wear it tonight.

She permed her hair in glossy waves, yet her bangs still brushed over her eyes like LaBelle had said last week. She looked at her face closely, before picking up a pair of scissors and cut her bangs straight across. Somewhat to her dismay, she realized she may have cut it too short, her porcelain forehead showing. But she knew it was too late and didn't mind it, as she applied dark eyeshadow to accentuate her eyes with her black dress. She applied some rose lip-plumper that she bought at a 100yen store when she was with Kiba earlier, and giggled at the tingle.

She fixed her hair to wear her headress, tying the white ribbons under her chin, and straightened the corset on her waist; it was rather tight, making her seem slimmer, more curvy, and the dress was long enough to stop just above her ankles. She was excited about her new shoes, but opted for her old white platform shoes, walking around Shibuya in three-inch platforms didn't sound like a good idea.

Hinata smiled, twirling around in the mirror. She made a for a soft-looking gothic-lolita, and it didn't look too bad. She was pleased to have pulled it off.

With that she opened her shouji door, stepping carefully down from her elevated bedroom to the slightly snowy ground below.

But once she got to Naruto's door, she paused hesitantly, a sort of fear and cautiousness filling her.

She knew they were back on normal terms, but that still hadn't quelled the doubt she felt, he admitted that he thought she was wierd. But she wasn't going to change, she wasn't even sure what was wierd about her, if it was only the fact that she was a lolita.

She tried to push down her wary fear and just knock.

* * *

Naruto was just about to leave his house, with or without her, not to be rude, but he had a feeling that she actually went without him; that or forgot that he had even asked her. 

He opened the door, but to only to be thrown off by the most unexpected suprise. The face he made, made Hinata feel even worse about this. He looked at her with immensely wide eyes, his mouth open slightly; he looked like he was scared of her or something. It was almost like the time at the bridge when he first saw her, yet this was more exaggerated.

"I um.. I-I'm r-ready.." She mumbled softly, looking up at him, though it pained her to see his reaction unchanged. Naruto look a small step backwards for a moment, still suprised at her outfit.

_'She... she calls that ready?????!'_

* * *

He didn't understand it. 

He just didn't understand it.

Usually teenage girls were into fashion.

Usually teenage girls tried to look cute or sexy (whatever their choice of style).

Usually girls tried to wear clothes that attracted people and made them look attractive.

Usually girls would show a little skin, wear cute shirts or tight jeans.

But not Hinata.

Naruto felt so awkward around her right now. He couldn't help it, he just did.

And he didn't know she was a goth. (haha, she's not though. ;P)

The dark make-up...

Frills...

The black dress... which by the way, looked more like something you wear at funeral than for New Years Eve of all things.

He glanced hesitantly at her, as they sat apart on the train to Shibuya.

She was fiddling with the handle of her cake-shaped bag, this sad shy look on her face. She was hiding from him now, unable to keep eye contact with him.

This was such a bad idea.

She didn't want to believe that her dress was the problem, she wanted to wear it, so if he didn't like it.. well then too bad. But it was knowing that he didn't like it, that bummed her out. She just felt so sensitive about his opinion and she wasn't entirely sure why. Just that, were it anybody else she could care less. But for some reason with him, she wished he didn't think her so strange.

Naruto sighed rather loudly, laying his head against the hard plastic seats, just waiting for the train to stop so they could get there already.

_

* * *

(Ketchup Mania "Welcome to Paradise" greendaycover)_

_Dear Mother  
Can't you hear me whining?  
It's been 3 whole weeks  
Since I have left your home  
This sudden fear has left me trembling  
Cuz now it seems that I am out here on my own  
& I'm feelin so alone _

Pay attention to the cracked streets & the broken homes  
Some call it slums some call it nice  
I wanna take you through a wasteland I like to call my home  


_Welcome to paradise..._

Neon lights and billboard televisions lit up the Shibuya streets, flashing their ads in an array of electricity and glowing colors. The excitement no longer filled Hinata, as she walked awkwardly beside Naruto. What was she doing, what was she doing this for? She wasn't hanging out with him the rest of the night was she? And could she?

She didn't feel like she could. It was too awkward and tense, she wouldn't be able to loosen up even if someone slipped her something.

And Naruto pretty much felt the same, he wasn't sure how to act around her. Especially with her looking like... he wasn't sure, like some goth doll or something. It wasn't like he thought she looked ugly, she didn't, and it wasn't like he thought she looked bad. ...he wasn't sure what to think, he just didn't expect her to arrive at his door and pretty much say 'I'm going to Shibuya looking like this.' But if she liked it that much, he knew it wasn't his place to judge her, but he still couldn't get over it.

He glanced down at her, then looked away.

She glanced unsurely up at him, then turned away.

There was no way around this.

Absolutely no way.

Naruto shoved his hand in his pocket, bringing another to run through his hair. He was trying to think of something to say, just to get rid of this stupid silence. But he couldn't think of anything.

Music and a din of thousand voices crowded the atmosphere, the further they walked through the millions of bustling bodies; It was going to be midnight soon, he could almost hear several voices counting down the numbers already.

_**GO-JU-GO!**_

_**GO-JU-SHI!**_

_**GO-JU-SAN! ...**_

Naruto looked around for Hinata, realizing he lost her.

"Shit..!" He cursed, trying to look over the top of peoples heads, but couldn't see her anywhere, the crowd was too thick.

Hinata turned around, realizing she had been separated from the blonde fox. Panicked and anxious, she hesitantly stood where she was, people shoving to-and-fro, she couldn't find him. She tried looking through the crowds, but she was too scared and worried now to move; she didn't want to get more lost.

"Ohh... what do I do now?" She mumbled sadly to herself, a small hand to her lips.

_**SAN-JU-NI!**_

_**SAN-JU-ICHI!**_

_**SAN-JU!...**_

"Hinata-chan!! ..Hinata-chan!!" Naruto shouted, shoving hastily through the crowds, a hand over his mouth.

"Hinataaa-chaaan!!"

_**NI-JU-SHI!**_

_**NI-JU-SAN!**_

_**NI-JU-NI!...**_

Naruto shouted her name, but it was barely able to make it through the roar, and Hinata had no idea he was looking for her, she couldn't hear him at all. She sighed disheartened, left alone on the New Year. She didn't even know where to find her friends either.

"Hinata-chan!"

Hinata whipped her head around at the voice, as a hand layed on her shoulder, turning her around.

_**JU-SHI!**_

_**JU-SAN!**_

_**JU-NI!...**_

"Dammit.. Hinata-chan!!!" Naruto yelled, getting so pissed off he couldn't find her. He was already aggravated that he had actually lost her.

_**KYU!**_

_**HACHI!**_

_**NANA!...**_

"Come to a party with me, please?" Kiba asked, taking her hand in his. Hinata flushed unsure... She looked away shyly, hesitantly..

"I.. I dunno.."

_**SHI!**_

"HINATAAA-CHAAN?!" Naruto still couldn't find her.

_**SAN!**_

"Please?" Kiba asked sweetly, leaning in close to her, kissing her on the cheek.

_**NI!**_

"Hinata-chan..!" Naruto shouted, and Hinata vaguely heard it this time. She blushed at the closeness of Kiba, his lips still on her soft cheek, her eyes closed... never having been touched before...

_**ICHI!!!!**_

"A-alright..." Hinata stammered shyly, flustered and her heart beating fast.

_**HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!**_

_Kanpeki na keisan de tsukurareta rakuen de (In a paradise made of perfect calculation)  
hitotsu dake uso janai aishiteru (The only thing that's real is that "I love you")_

_doushite nee computer konna ni kurushii no (Hey, computer, why do I have this pain?)  
a-- doushite okashi no computer city (What should I do in this odd computer city?)_

"Hinata-chan!!" Came Naruto's final yell, as Hinata finally heard him.

"I'm right here!!" She called over the crowd as loudly as she could; her hands felt shaky and nervous, as she wrapped her fingers lightly around Kiba's. Naruto heard her, a grateful relieved and happy smile on his lips. He saw her hand sticking out through the crowd and he reached for it.

_kumo to kumo no aida wo tsuki nukete (Pierce through the clouds)  
daremo mita koto no nai basho he (To a place where no one can be seen)  
yume no naka de egaite ita basho he (To a place I saw in a dream)  
arifureta speed wo koete (Exceed the usual speed)_

_mou sugu kawaru yo sekai ga (The world will soon change)  
mou sugu bokura no nani ka ga... (Something about us will soon change...)_

She grabbed his hand tightly, her cold fingers feeling very warm against his skin. She saw his smiling face, a sort of brightness in his eyes that she rarely seen before. But as soon as she was reunited with him, his smile dropped.

Naruto saw him as soon as he pulled Hinata out of the crowd. When he was looking for Hinata, he hadn't expected her to bring a freaking 'friend' with her. Why was she with this guy?!

Hinata stood there holding two different hands, hesitant and anxious, as she looked between Kiba's face then Naruto's. But as soon as she did, Naruto let go of her hand, shoving his in his pockets and glaring at the other boy, not realizing that his put off behavior was making Hinata unhappy, especially when he just let go of her hand like that, like he didn't care about her anymore.

What the hell was that vampire doing with Hinata-chan, anyways?!

"Hey, I'm taking her to a party." Kiba stated, smiling rather smugly, pissing Naruto off further.

"What..?!" Naruto growled, yet his incensed behavior went over Kiba's head.

"Don't worry, I'll return her home safe and sound." Kiba smiled lightly, tugging at Hinata's hand to signal her attention back to earth. She nodded softly, following him out of the crowd and away from Naruto. She wasn't sure why he was so angry, what had she done? And was it her fault? She doubted he could be mad at her, for leaving him. He never asked if she wanted to spend the New Year with him, also she doubted he could be upset if he was left alone.

It's not like he really needed her.

"Emiri-chan!! There you are, my god, we didn't know if we lost you or what!" Moe laughed giddily, seeing her smiling face made the muddled feelings and doubt disappear from Hinata and smiled happily to, letting go of Kiba and running up to her friends.

When LaBelle saw Hinata running up to them, she thrust her palm forward and V8-slapped her forehead.

"Uwaa? L-LaBelle-san..?! Doushite?!" Hinata whined sadly, holding her now pink forehead.

"You cut your bangs!" LaBelle shouted, more surprised than angry, but she was still otherwise upset.

"Um.. yeah.?" Hinata mumbled unsurely, wondering what the problem was.

"We were going to get them cut professionally! Now we have to wait til it grows out again so we can get it cut better this time, and that's going to take soooo long, and you better not cut it again when it does finally grows out, and it's too short!" The tall blonde continued huffily, ...and rather neurotically, crossing her arms and muttering to herself. Kiba and Moe just gave her a blank look, like they didn't understand what the big deal was either.

"I think she looks great, LaBelle-san.." Kiba added.

"Yeah pyon. You need to lighten up, pyon." Moe said matter-of-factly. LaBelle sighed, finally getting herself together and turned to Kiba with a mild smile.

"Hey, Kiba-kun. Thanks alot for finding her." She said simply, while she noogied Hinata playfully like she was a wayward child.

"Yeah pyon, would pochi like a pochi snak, pyon?" Moe asked idiotically, actually holding a random bag of puppy chow.

"Why do you have those?" Kiba asked incredulously, giving her a wierd look.

"I think she's been planning that joke for awhile now.." LaBelle stated back dryly, as Moe giggled at her own silliness.

They started to walk away, talking in loud and friendly chatter, Hinata smiling, happy to be with her friends. It was probably for the best, she thought, as she glanced over to see a bare glimpse of Naruto watching her, before he soon walked away as well. She had been surprised to find a sort of look in his eyes, one that she recognized yet had not been able to name; had she been able to see it long enough, had he not turned away, she would have known what he was really feeling.

* * *

With a sort of bitterness, envy mixed with loneliness, Naruto walked away. He had seen the bright smile on her face when she saw her friends, he never saw her smile so much before. He wondered what was so special about them to her. 

There was that obnoxious wild child, Moe. He remembered, she was the crazy red-head from two weeks ago. She seemed possibly wierder than Hinata-chan, cuz she was wearing Mickey Mouse ears and was walking around in a corset tank top when it was seriously 30-something degrees out.

Then there was that queer boy, but his name escaped him. And a tall blonde he didn't recognize.

Then there was that damn vampire.

He was annoyed at how easily Hinata ditched him, even when he hadn't done anything to push her away, right? Or did he?

But he didn't care anymore, or tried not to that is...

At least she was going to have fun, he wasn't sure what he was going to do for the rest of the night. She probably would have been bored with him.

He didn't know what there was to do in Tokyo.

_The world will change soon  
Something about us will change soon _

This town was made with perfect calculation  
I want to escape, I want to break down  
I wonder if the truth exists  
In a paradise made of perfect calculation  
The only thing that's real is that "I love you"

Hey, computer, why do I have this pain?  
What should I do in this odd Computer City?

It's a complete breakdown, or should I say, it isn't likely  
I won't be worried thanks to what you said...

* * *

Hinata thought Moe looked so funny in her Mickey Mouse ears, yet somehow they suited her and she giggled. She also took notice to Robin's new look. 

"I spiked his hair!" Moe announced proudly.

"I didn't want you to though.." Robin muttered to himself. Hinata smiled.

"I like it, Robin-kun." She said sweetly, as he lightened up at her words, a large smile on his face.

"Really?" He asked happily, as she nodded.

"Guys, guys! It's down here!" Moe shouted escatically, running down a fleet of stairs that led to a graffiti covered metal door. And inside was the party.

* * *

Naruto wandered aimlessly around, he didn't know where he was anymore. He figured he was still in Shibuya, but he wasn't sure. Maybe he was in a downtown part of the district. 

He took notice of the theatres that were closed for the night. He saw the men of Host Clubs trying to seduce women's money and usually becoming successful. He saw the sultry women doing the same for their bars, and was vaguely reminded of certaint white-haired sucker.

He saw the nightclubs with their doors closed, and the bouncers standing at the front with their arms crossed, their faces hardened and glaring.

He saw the love hotels, and turned away with embarrassment.

He didn't realize he wandered far from Shibuya where he last saw Hinata, and that he had wandered into the "Sleepless Town" of Tokyo.

He sighed, feeling bored and stupid about this whole thing.

He should have known she had better things to do than hang with him, part of him should've have known that she did have plans. But why put him under the impression that she didn't? Or was it just his bad? Maybe he just misinterpreted the whole damn thing.

The bright lights disappeared and reappeared on the sidewalks as the worn concrete rolled underneath his feet. He stopped tiredly and turned his head. The cold weather was getting to him a bit, as he shrugged in his orange and brown snow jacket.

He took a look inside the store that he stopped in front of; it was a Pachinko Parlour, pathetic old men inside were smoking, trying their luck at getting some prizes or money. It was a form of pinball gambling that Naruto always wanted to try.

"Maybe just a few rounds..." Naruto said to himself, pushing through the glass doors into the bright and garish parlour design.

* * *

It wasn't a private party, anyone could wander in and hang out; but so far it was just Hinata and her group and a few other guys. 

"Alright! It's time for the strange face contest!" This boy announced into his microphone.

Moe took two straws, sticking one side in her nose and the other end in her mouth, another straw was in her nose as well at the end of it was a random grape, as she crossed her eyes. Robin just spread his mouth apart with his fingers and stuck his tongue out. Kiba was participating, two straws tenting his mouth, and trying to look like he was preying on Hinata, whom tried to do something silly but she couldn't, blushing and cutely sticking her tongue out, flashing a victory sign. One of the boys took a picture of their hilarious faces, everyone in the room laughing, except for LaBelle who was embarrassed by the whole thing.

"Oh my god! Kiba-kun looks possessed! Hahaha!" Moe laughed, throwing around the polaroid.

"Moe-chan wins the contest!" The boy announced, making Moe squeal delightfully.

"What'd I get?!" She shouted, jumping up and down excitedly. Just then the boy pulled out an inflatable plastic banana, like the ones that would be used in pools and such. Moe squealed, already in love with the toy and creating fun ideas in her head of how she was going to play with it.

"Yay! My banana!"

"Oh no.." LaBelle muttered, seeing what was bound to happen hours from now.

* * *

The smell of cigarettes filled the pachinko parlour, a light haze circulating around the store. Naruto took no mind to it, very used to the stale smell. He sat in the eighth chair of the third row closest to the wall, his hand on the yellow throttle, as he tried to play through normal payout mode. 

But he wasn't getting anywhere, and it wasn't doing much for his current temper.

"Damn... thing.. c'mon, you stupid.." Naruto swore, watching the ball move swiftly around.

_Pin!_

_Pon!_

_Pin!_

"Da-aaaamn, you stupid fu--!" Naruto stopped when he saw the looks the other players were giving him, and sighed tiredly to himself. Naruto added another ball to the pachinko, somewhat determined to win or at least get rapid payout mode.

Bells, music and lights went off on other machines, not yet his. Naruto sighed when he finally got some more pachinko balls, adding them to his green bowl. Only to add another ball to the machine to play again.

* * *

The party was getting crazy, due to the 'Moe factor'. 

"Hey wait, haha, look!" Moe said exuberantly, holding her mickey mouse ears over the bottom of the banana curved upwards. Clueless silence rang for a moment before it all registered in everyone's brains.

"Ohmygod, Moe you're such a pervert!"

"Haha, oh but wait! Okay, wait, look.. this is Robin." She flipped the banana upsidedown, getting the same reaction and got everyone laughing raucously. Hinata blushed hiding her face, while Robin glared up at Moe pissily.

"That is.. that's Robin when he's not thinking of Atsuko." Then she flipped it back upwards.

"Alright now it's Robin when he's thinking about Atsuko! Hahaha!" She laughed, some of the other nameless boys laughing on the ground.

"Shut your face, Moe!"

"No your face!"

"Don't start this again!" LaBelle shouted, remembering how badly they used to do that when they were middle school kids. Hinata was still blushing, giggling every now and then against her palm. Kiba took notice of her trying to to stifle her laughter, and smiled still thinking she looked so cute.

* * *

Naruto's luck at the pinball game changed, he had three bowls of pachinko balls. He wasn't really thinking about when he was going to stop to play, he was bored, and he didn't feel like going to some party. But his earlier bursts of anger took notice by a few men hanging in the parlour. One was an attendent, dressed in black uniform and white dress shirt; but he didn't quite look right in that uniform, his long face hardened and serious, black hair slicked back, you could see the tip of a tattoo on his neck hidden under all his clothes. 

The man walked over to two other men who were watching Naruto more than the rest of the sad old men, and whispered something to the men. They nodded as the questionable parlour attendent walked away, the two men talking amongst themselves.

"Should we do something?" Asked the second man, looking to his friend.

Naruto in the mean time was concentrating on the pinball, and focused on nothing else.

He won again, the music going off and 75 more pachinko balls spilling out.

"The brats not going to stop playing.. C'mon." He ushered with his head, holding his cigarette and exhaling a long drag of smoke. The two of them walked towards the unsuspecting Naruto.

"Oi, brat... how old are you?" The second man asked. Naruto heard him, but didn't take whatever he had to say seriously, eyes fixed on the machine.

"I'm over twenty." Naruto lied vaguely. But the men saw right through his straight faced answer, and were pissed at his gall to lie to them.

"Okay gaki, you're done here!" The second man said boorishly, grabbing at Naruto's arm and trying to pull him away from the machine.

"Get lost, assrats! I didn't do shit!" Naruto shouted indignantly at the men, ripping his arm out of the man's grip.

"Fucking brat!" The second man shouted, grabbing at Naruto's shoulders and yanking him out of the chair, kicking and screaming.

"Piss off, lemme go!!" Naruto tried twisting out of their grip, but they weren't letting up. The first man grabbed harshly at his collar, yanking him off his feet and shoving his face intimidatingly into his. Naruto glared furiously at the man, part of him pissed off at himself for getting caught, and part of him nervous.

"You're in my town kid... don't fuck around if you still wish to see the sunrise, got that?" The first man threatened in a deadly hiss, his eyes in darkened slits, his breath reeking of tobacco. Naruto remained silent, at first not taking the man seriously, but then he glanced at the crook of his neck; there was a bit of tattoo peaking out.

_'Shit..'_ Naruto swore realizing what he may have gotten himself into, swallowing discreetly. He took a deep breath before collecting himself, still glaring at the aggressor.

Naruto slowly curled his fingers into a fist, steadying himself to do this. The second man saw his movements, but reacted to late.

"Freeze!" The second man shouted in warning to his friend, but Naruto had already broken the man's grip on him, and slugged him in the face, pushing him backwards. Naruto spun around and tore through, the second man taking a firm hold on Naruto's hood, choking him slightly.

"You're mine brat!"

"Leave me alone!" Naruto yelled, twisting around and kicking the man in the stomach, making him gasp in pain and release him. Naruto ran through, trying to escape; he grabbed a handful of pachinko balls from some poor man's bowl and threw them on the ground, which was kinna lame because it didn't work to slow them down.

The sketchy attendent from earlier came out of nowhere with a cart of pachinko bowls, and threw it in front of Naruto's path. It was a good try, but Naruto planted a hand on the cart, swinging his body over the cart. But just before he could plant his feet on the carpet and run again, the cart went out from under his hand, when the attendent swiftly twisted it away.

Naruto collasped to the ground, the back of his head and shoulder hitting the collasped metal cart. Sharp pain stung in his scalp, grabbing desperately at his head, curled on the ground. He felt himself get lifted up again, the sketchy attendent grabbing him from the shoulder of his jacket and dragging him on his feet. The other men came from around the machines, the second man rushing up to him with menace and the smoking man approaching slowly, a cold sadistic look across his face.

"What do you think you're doing, huh?!" The second man roared, grabbing roughly at Naruto's head and slamming his knee into his stomach, almost like Naruto had done to him. Naruto lurched painfully forward, an aching sore and a constricting pain filling him. He tore himself out of the attendent's grasp, and pushed the furious man number two into the pachinko chairs as he fell gracelessly to the ground. He tore past the smoking man, whom for some reason stood there cooly, letting Naruto run out of the pachinko parlour, into the dark city morning.

"Get back here, you little shit!" The second man yelled pissily. But Naruto was already gone.

"Hold it, Kojiro-san... did you see the uniform on that brat?" The first man asked somewhat rhetorically, in a low voice.

"Uniform? A highschool kid?" The second man stated questioningly, his friend nodding.

"Yeah.. I think I know what school he goes to." He said smiling ominously.

* * *

Naruto kept running through the cold streets, shoving through crowds of pedestrians, the only thing motivating his frenzied escape was the panic and adrenaline from the altercation. The winter wind rushed through him, his only concern now was to get far away as fast as he could. He wasn't sure if they were still following him or not, but he couldn't stop running now. 

He didn't know where he was going, his feet just led him through sidewalks, taking a turn into an alleyway. He ran dizzily and frantically down the alley, finding a door and opening it when perhaps he shouldn't have.

He made a move to hide inside, but he quickly ran into a large body. Naruto gasped when the large man picked him up by his collar, to be faced by large white teeth sticking out of a large snarling black face. Naruto took a quick glance past the man's shoulder to see a smoky dim-lit red room, with garish decor and sad little women were looking outside at him. Naruto was scared at seeing their despair, the depressing mood inside filling in him for a brief second, before the Nigerian bouncer threw him out of the doorway against a brick wall, and slammed the door loudly.

Naruto sat there in the damp alleyway, his chest heaving deeply and slowly at the rush of sudden events, slumped tensely against the brick wall and his eyes wide.

What just happened?

What was that room?

He was freaking out right now.

He knew he saw something he shouldn't have.

"You stupid brat! What do you think yer doing?!" A man shouted in the alleyway, making Naruto's heart jump painfully out of his chest. He realized he was sitting on a crushed stack of wet cardboard boxes, he didn't know what use they were to the skel, but he knew that's what he was pissed off about. The slovenly old man in brown-filthed rags snarled stormly at Naruto, broken wooden cane in hand, he got up from his spot in a snowy puddle intent on violence.

Naruto quickly dusted himself off, adrenaline fueling his blood, his chest hurting with confusion and panic. He heard the man still yelling obscenities at him, his only concern now was to get back to sanity.

* * *

Hinata laughed in the noise and high energy of the party, leaning comfortably in the sofa. Moe was singing a Gackt song very off key, making everyone laugh. 

"Kimi wa seijitsu na moralist kirei na yubi de boku o nazoru, Boku wa junsui na terrorist kimi no omou ga mama ni kakumei ga okiru!!" She shouted into the mic, overly emotional, standing on the couches.

"Ahhh, this song is so perverted! Kyahahaha!" LaBelle laughed, pressing a hand to mouth, trying not to show her teeth. Moe stopped to take a large swig of Asahi beer, shaking her head afterwards with a wide smile.

"Kuruoshii kurai ni nareta koshi tsuki ga tokeau hodo ni, Kimi wa… boku no… bannin da..."

"Girl's gunna have a hangover come tomorrow..." commented one of the guys, making Robin sweatdrop in weary agreement.

Moe dropped her mic on the couch, walking over to sit beside Hinata, and begun whispering in her ear.

"Let's get Robin-chan really drunk, so when he p-passes out we can write all over his face. heehee!" Moe said mischeviously, recieving a laugh from Kiba who heard and a wide-eyed look from Hinata.

"No, that's so mean Moe-chan!" Hinata said in a small voice. Suddenly Robin came from across the room with the inflatable banana.

"I heard that!" He shouted irritably, whacking Moe across the head with the banana.

"Ah! Kimochi Robin-chan!" The drunken and hyper red-head moaned orgasmically, teasing him and sending the other boys in fits of laughter. Robin had this look of utter horror on his face and dropped the banana as if it burned him.

"Ah, gosh! You're a such a freak!" He shouted walking away from her, blushing furiously. She picked up the banana, giving him a sly look.

"You wanna hit me with your banana again?"

"No!"

* * *

Naruto wasn't sure where he was right now, it looked different, still brightly lit and crowded, but it didn't look like Shibuya. Suppose it didn't matter, Ichiraku was closed by now he assumed. Parties were still raging, some of the later ones would end sometime around five am. 

Maybe in a way Ayame was right.

This was Tokyo.

It's kind of sad to think that he's the only one not doing anything to have fun, or that he didn't want to do anything. He was a small town boy lost in an ocean of faceless people; nothing he did here would be of any significance. They had their shit to deal with, their own lives. And he had his secrets and problems too. Nobody knew him and he knew nobody.

He felt like he was unable to truly belong here.

This city was too big for him, it was easy to feel lonely.

This city was too busy for him, it was easy to feel useless.

What was he even doing here in the first place?

He passed by a small snowy park, a village of blue tents nestled in between the trees, some dirty folks gathered around a garbage drum fire. He was somewhat relieved that wasn't him, moving here.. it would have been so easy, he could have become like them.

At one point he vaguely wondered what it would have been like...

What if he tried to find that party that Hinata was in, with her friends?

Yeah that'd be wierd!

Naruto sighed, a wisp of moisture hung in the air before disappearing.

He finally decided he'd just go home and wait for the sunrise.

* * *

"..mou sugu kawaru yo sekai ga, mou sugu bokura no nani ka ga.." Hinata sang in her delicate voice, getting cheers from those who were still awake and breathing. 

"Whoo, Emiri-chan!" LaBelle cheered.

Moe had passed out long ago, leaving Robin dismayed at the thought that he had to babysit her or try to drag her back home. LaBelle hadn't had a sip, saying she only liked wine. Moe had tried to get Hinata to have some, but Kiba stopped her drunken encouragements, and had just the one can.

It'd been a blast, leaving those with wild memories and polaroid pictures to remember the times with.

It was still dark out when the party ended, a minimum of stars sparkling brightly. Everyone said their 'goodbyes' and 'happy new years'.

"See you guys in a few hours, haha!"

"Later!"

"You guys going to be okay?" LaBelle asked worriedly. Hinata was practically asleep, leaning sleepily into Kiba, who held her for fear she'd collapse.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Kiba chuckled.

"G'night.. La..belle-san.." Hinata smiled sleepily, her eyes half-open.

"It's morning sweetie, don't forget to watch the sunrise silly." LaBelle laughed, waving them off.

"Later!" Kiba called, leading the sleepy Hinata for the train station.

* * *

Hinata was sure she was sleepwalking when she arrived home. She had taken a nap on the train home and told Kiba she'd be fine on her own. But now it was starting to get lighter out, she could see blue shadows in the ground and stemming from her feet. 

The stars were fading away slowly and she could still hear the Joya-no-kane bells ring in the new year.

_Gonnnn!_

_Gonnnn!_

Home was just ahead, the sun barely peeking up from the skyline or horizon of trees and rooftops. But when she finally arrived, she paused to look up.

Naruto sat on his rooftop, staring a thousand miles into the horizon. He had this quiet, somewhat serious look on his face that Hinata vaguely found interesting.

"Naruto-kun?" She called, letting him know she was there. He glanced down, surprised to see her yet his eyes still held that quiet way. He didn't feel very talkative right now, maybe he was just tired.

"What are you doing up there?" Hinata asked, craning her head to the side.

"..waiting for the sunrise." He stated simply. Normally he would have asked her if she wanted to watch it, but he figured she had something better to do. Hinata nodded a soft smile on her lips. She moved softly to sit on the engawa of her house. Several feet apart, they watched in comfortable silence as the sun began to rise, breathing life into the wintery suburbia.

White and golden light lit up the grapefruit sky, and the world glowed in the suns welcome.

_Nakitsukaretetanda  
Toikakeru basho mo naku  
Mayoinagara tsumazuitemo  
Tachidomarenai  
Kimi ga kureta egao  
Otoshita namida wa  
Boku no mune no fukai kizu ni furete kieta  
I feel my soul, take me your way  
Soo tatta hitotsu o  
Kitto daremo ga zutto sagashiteiruno..._

Hinata glanced up at Naruto, a clear emotion washing through her heart and she felt simple and content in the fresh morning light; Naruto, still so quiet and serious looking, glowed in the pure sunshine, and she wondered what was going to happen now.

It was a new year.

In the ring of buddhist bells and silence of the snow...

the future looked bright and uncertain.

* * *

Star- Haha, I just realized... this is the second time I pretty much have Naruto-kun spend New Years alone. O.o (aka, my first fanfic; YAMS. PS! Don't read it!! It's not finished and I will be rewriting it.. eventually... probably eventually... yes, eventually.. gah.)

* * *

Song Liner Notes: (Translations at waaaaay bottom) 

- Marilyn Manson "Fight Song": I'm far far far from goth, but I'm starting to dig on Marilyn Manson. I think his songs are pretty cool. But I am starting to like macabre, I even like deh word, lawlz. But I'm no good with horror flicks. ToT But I am curious about: Phantasmagoria: Visions of Lewis Carroll, but I seriously doubt I'll ever be able to see that, cuz I'm wimpywimpywimpy. lawlz.

- Ketchup Mania "Welcome to Paradise": I love how it just worked with Perfume "Computer City", cuz both are describing a sort of paradise. :3

- Perfume "Computer City": Love this song, but Electro World pwns more, probably. ;P Anyhow, I like how it actually worked with what was going on, yays. And then Hinata was singing the part "..the world will soon change, something about us will soon change..". If you haven't noticed, this is the song in which I'm using FORESHADOWING!! Lolz. XD

- GACKT "Vanilla": OMG! The most hawt yet perverse song I've ever heard from Japan!

- YUI "Feel My Soul": (I'm probably gunna end up using this song again, but it worked well with the hopefulness and pureness of the sunrise moment, I think.) ;P Also, there is an english translation of the lyrics, if you think you need it, but you'll need to find it yourself. It's really not that difficult. I was going to use it.. but I'm not. (sweatdrop)

* * *

Liner Notes: 

- Does liner notes even make any sense? I feel like I made the word up, how wierd...

- Shiwasu: December, also roughly means "Teachers Run Around". But Shiwasu sound more poetic, heehee.

- Shimenawa: Braided rice straw rope, used for ritual purification in Shinto Religion. And is hung on Oomisoka.

- Shimekazari: I uh.. couldn't find a clear defination on what this is. I think it's a paper design. That or braided rice straw rope again. (weary sweatdrop)

- Kadomatsu: Bamboo pots, usually placed by doorways and are like temporary homes to Kami.

- Haha, I think I made Hiashi kinna neurotic there, lawlz. You prolly think he's being wierd, but whatever, cuz basically everyone in the nation cleans their homes and throws out old things in order to start the new year with a clean slate. But Hiashi's busy and lazy (sorta, more like a spoiled brat), so he was freaking out about not getting the house clean before the deadline like everyone else and stuff. :3

- "Oomisoka wa dokutoku no fun'iki ga aru ne?" : means "New Year's Eve puts people in a special mood." :3

- Sadly... I have no real idea how new year's eve is really done in Japan; I know that people party and stuff, but I'm sure they countdown, like in the beginning of Othello (gawd I freaking love that manga! XD), anyhoo... I'm pretty sure however that they don't drop the ball like us. But I'm sure it's okay that I guessed around with this thing... meh..

- Traditional New Years Eve/ New Years Day: You spend it comfortably with family. But city life is different; either kids are becoming brattier, or simply parents are overworked like over here, or you know.. schoolkids just prefer their friends and fun over family anyday. I'd be like that too, if only I lived in the freaking city, damn burbs. (mrawr)

- _The Underground Junkshun:_ Fictional bar/club/party joint.

- "Ikaga deshita ka?": "How've you been?" (Kiba's a regular, and Hinata's a noob. lawlz... and she's not goth.. lawlz.. but Naruto thought she was becuz she wore the black dress instead of her white or pink ones and stuff... lawlz.)

- Shuhei is 27

- Ikuko is 23

- Hiro is kawaii! XD (He's 5!)

- "Crown of thorns": Christianity reference? duh.. sometimes people make it badass you know. :P people like Shuhei, lawlz.

- Oomisoka: New Year's Eve

- Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu: Happy New Year

- Yoi Otoshiwo: Have a great year passing, Happy New Year (I think this version is more casual)

- "Nansai desu ka?": "How old are you?"

- "Go sai desu!": 5 years old!

- "You're a big boy?": Big boy in japanese is Taro. But he's naw Taro! He's Hiro! XD

- Just because a cute little boy who's parents own and run a fashion variety store, and the fact that he can randomly pick out stuff for Hinata to wear or look good in, does NOT make him potential metro or gay, mmkay? Wow, stop with the stereotypes, seriously ppls, lolz. Kiba can tell Hinata looks good in something while still be straight, wow he's not going off like LaBelle you know? (meh)

- "De de..": It's like "Ne..." but more informal and stuff. Said a website at least...

- Ara ara! OH no! Kiba bought her a new dress! And Naruto sorta ruined her other one, lawlz.

- Naruto is a small town boy, he's not into the Urban scene yet. He doesn't care if he'd in Osaka or Kyoto. But dude, he'd hate it more in Osaka, believe me! XDDD random old guys naked in the streets and doing cartwells down the crosswalk, lawlz.. or or... the fact that they are "Number 1 in Japan! (For littering and pickpocketing! yay!)" lawlz, my source for that was in Abenobashi: DVD volume 1.. or maybe 2.. can't remembah. T.T

- 100yen store: equivalent to a dollar store yo! ;D

- Ara ara! OH no! Kiba beat Naruto to the punch! or kiss on the cheek... or whatever. I'm sorry Naruto-kun.. here have some delicious ramen. ;D (smooch) Muahahaha! XD

- V8-SLAP!!! WHACK! YOU SHOULDA HAD A V8!!! Hahahaha, lawlz... XD

- Wow.. I think Naruto really really dislikes Moe. Well anyways, he actually doesn't like super crazy girls or kogals. And no! Hinata is SOOOOO not going kogal! Helloh!! She's a lolita?! Remembah?! Anyhoo... yah, he probably wouldn't go for someone who acts like him at his worst time 3! And Sakura was fairly normal, damn girl. ToT I don't like her, but I kinna like her character design, and for Hinata's sake I feel threatened you know??! Like.. is Sakura still prettier than Hinata or what? Does looks not matter to Naruto in Shippuuden?! Please please please let him see the light! And I mean the sunlight! Hinata-chaaaaaan! Daisuki!! ToT But then again, I'm certain that Hinata is prettier than Sakura in Shippuuden. But sadly there's still the question of tastes: Like perhaps it doesn't matter how pretty Hinata gets, she may never be his type looks-wise. ToT Dammit!

- "Sleepless Town": Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku. Commonly thought to be Yakuza Territory. (wink wink, nudge nudge)

- Supposedly gambling and age laws in Japan with pachinko are the same in Las Vegas, and you can play a little bit. But I am unsure, cuz wikipedia is only like.. 80-92 percent right. Anyhoo... Naruto basically still is underaged. Lawlz... "I'm over twenty." I thought that was so hawt. Kyahahaha! XD

- Strange Face Contest: Apparently Japan likes poop jokes and immaturity, especially goofing up your face. Ehh.. well I got that idea from the christmas eve chapter of GALS! manga. (Man! I wish Ran went with Yuya and Tatsuki! Oh wells.. some things are not meant to be. ToT NARUHINA IS MEANT TO BE, DON'T TELL ME OTHERWISE! Achmed says: "Shut up! I kill you!")

- All hail the "Moe Factor" lawlz. ;D

- Okay... the thing about the red room and Nigerian bouncer...: Apparently Tokyo serves as one of many worldwide posts for human trafficking. If I were Naruto-kun, I would have been scared out of my mind that moment too! O.o Those poor depressed women... and the thing about the man being Nigerian... I read an article that someone posted online, it was tips on how to avoid such sleazy bars and the GHB blue drink, or else they rape your wallet! O.o yeah, it totally sucks. (sweatdrop) anyhoo the man pretty much mentioned a Nigerian bouncer, so yeah...

- Joya-no-kane: 108 buddhist bell rings, to dispel the 108 attachments of our ego and start with a clean slate! XD

* * *

Song Translations: 

GACKT "Vanilla" : "Kimi wa seijitsu na moralist kirei na yubi de boku o nazoru, Boku wa junsui na terrorist kimi no omou ga mama ni kakumei ga okiru" (You're an honest moralist, you trace me with your pretty finger. I'm a naive terrorist, I awaken a revolution just as you wish."

"Kuruoshii kurai ni nareta koshi tsuki ga tokeau hodo ni, Kimi wa… boku no… bannin da..." (Insanely skilled pelvises seem to melt together. You are.. my.. keeper.)

I had fun! But this has been a pain! Please review! Happy Turkey Weekend, Minna!


	19. Naruto Faces a Distraction

Star - Aaaah! Why'd you people hafta like my fanfic so much?! I can't take the pressure! XD LOL, Jodanyo! I'm just joking! X3 Anyways, for now on I'll just PM you guys, instead of having the review reply section, just to get rid of long-chapter illusions and all of that. I'll miss the format but oh well I guess... and I've never needed to use a legend before, But I'll be using just one recently. Also.. um... I might still use some.. of random Japanese, I'll just try to make it seem less random, and lastly.. oh yeah the 'disclaimers'. (rolls eyes)

**Legend (of zelda, j/k):**(ShikaTem scene) - basic codeword (haha, not even a codeword), for Maki-Zushi who is being a good sport to read this story, but only on one condition; She'd prefer to skip the scenes.

**THE DISCLAIMER TO PWN ALL DISCLAIMERS: I do not own nor will I ever own anything I have mentioned or may mention in future chapters, that are: Real and Existing, Products, Establishments or Character names. **But obviously you readers and the propietors know this, so I really don't understand the point of this. And don't explain it to me, because I do know why, it's just sounds so silly. X3 And there, Now I don't have to put in disclaimers in the next several chapters, hahaha, loop holes. I'm just a lazy sod. (wink)

Anyways, dunno if anyone is reading this too or if y'all are just skipping ahead, But I'm sorry for my moment of weakness and I thank you all for sticking by and for your super awesome words and support! I'll do my best for you! Also I deeply apologize to all fanfiction writers.. I w-wasn't calling your stories lame or crappy, I swear! That was someone else's general words, don't lynch me! You're all winners, Dattebayo! If anything, _MY_ story is the one that sucks, because... because I said so. Also.. I kinna just wing it sometimes...Eheheheh...

So.. yeah.. here's the next chapter.. hope it's okay. (...)

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch.19 - Risk of Expulsion?! Don't be Intimidated! Naruto Faces a Distraction

Hinata smiled.

Kiba sat to give her company during lunch, sharing a box of _Poifull_ candy, as they reminisced about the past weekend. Her little fingers fought with his to get the peach and apple flavored jelly beans, and she laughed at the funny things she remembered.

"Hey wait--!"

"I call the pink ones!"

"You're hogging all my candy!"

"I want that one, and that one, and that's mine...and that's mine too." Hinata smiled proudly at her pile of pink, green and yellow jelly beans, leaving Kiba with a fourth of his original amount.

"..You took all my candy..." Kiba whined half-heartedly though was amused at her playful antics.

"Not all of it." She giggled lightly, eating one.

Naruto lay his head tiredly against the wood of his desk. He was half-asleep yet fully awake, as if faking sleep. He began to wish he was alseep, he was getting annoyed at the conversation just ahead of him. For some reason Hinata's giggles didn't sound so sweet right now...

Across the room, a tall girl stood outside the open classroom door, looking in and knocking on the walls for someone's attention. Shikamaru in the back got up from his seat to approach her, sighing wearily at the pissy annoyance on the girl's face.

They exchanged a few words, then the girl suddenly got really mad and grabbed his collar, taking him out of the classroom. Kiba took notice of the whole thing, at moment when Shikamaru got 'kidnapped', Shino stepped inside with a bemused look on his otherwise monotonous face.

"Oi Shino.. Do you know what happened with Shikamaru?" Kiba asked, Hinata also giving the taller boy an inquisitive look. Shino remained cool about it.

"I wasn't pay attention." He replied, refusing to help initiate gossip.

"Yeah right, you were right there." Kiba smirked good-naturedly at his friend, as he sighed tiredly, giving in.

"Temari-san hasn't been in school lately. Ichigo-san came in to demand Shikamaru if he knew where she was."

"Again?" Kiba asked surprised at the news, the conversation taking on a whole new level for Hinata that --- as a newbie and bystander-- had no idea what they were talking about. Shino nodded simply.

"It's unsure why she used to skip before, but ever since the Senator's murder.. I doubt life's been easy these days." Shino finished with a sad note, Kiba nodding solemnly. For Hinata, a lightbulb lit up in recognition.

"Ohh! The Senator's murder... that was.." Hinata trailed off, trying to remember.

"Two years ago." Shino helped, recieving a nod from Hinata.

"Yeah, that's right. My cousin.. he's obsessed with the news." Hinata smiled lightly despite the unhappy topic at hand. Hinata paused to peek at the pile of jelly beans and saw that there was one more pink one in Kiba's pile. With a cheeky smile she grabbed it under his nose.

"Hey!" Kiba shouted his indignance accusatorily, though smiling mirthfully, as Hinata ate it and shot him a victory sign.

Naruto sighed tiredly in his seat, sitting up from his desk only to slump lazily in his chair. His unusually irritable behavior caught notice of a certain kogal classmate, as Ukue gave him a curious look and stepped away from her slightly one-sided conversation with her boyfriend, to approach Naruto.

"Ne, Naru-chan? Daijobu?" She asked innocently in her clever little voice. Naruto glanced up at her indifferently, letting out a low sigh.

"Anou.. what part of Tokyo has pachinko parlours?" He asked airily, staring at nothing, Hinata's voice filtering in and out of his attention.

"Alot of the downtown sections have 'em. ..why do you ask?" Ukue craned her head to the side to give him a puzzled look, more curious now. Was he planning on gambling?

"What about the ones that have Host clubs and rundown theatres..?" Naruto vaguely asked, glancing back up at her, only to find an expression of disbelief.

"You're kidding right?" She asked in a rather insulting tone, though meaning none, but couldn't help the implications that this was putting in her head.

"What, what is it?" Naruto asked her, somewhat anxiously.

"That's Kabuki-cho. ...you went to Kabuki-cho?! Why?!" Ukue suddenly shouted, waving her hands around making Naruto more jumpy than need be.

"I didn't know! I was just wandering around!" Naruto threw back, wondering what was so riling about his being in Kabuki-cho.. well aside from the incident at the pachinko parlour, that he hadn't disclosed to anyone yet.

"And how do you not know?! You've been here at least a month!"

"I don't get around, I don't know where everything is!" He shot back huffily, hitting his palm against the desk with frustration.

"Geez, Naru-chan.. you're such a 'tard." The petite kogal muttered exasperately under her breath at him.

"Haha, Narutard!" The ugly chubby Masabo laughed in his face, as Naruto glared pissily at him.

"Shut up, fatass!" And Masabo quieted down, partly apathetic, partly defeated.

"So what's this about a pachinko parlour in Kabuki-cho?" Ukue pryed curiously, and partly concerned, wondering what was concerning or draining Naruto into this.. not so cheery version of him. Normally people were full of energy after New Year's Day, hopeful and untroubled; but she had a feeling Naruto was bugging over something.

"You went to Kabuki-cho? When?" Masabo asked, standing beside Ukue.

"New Year's Eve, and I wasn't talking to you." Naruto said dryly, apathetic and annoyed.

"Too bad, sucka." The chubby boy smirked, leaving Ukue to roll her eyes discreetly at him. Sometimes he was like a bored ten year old.

"You know you could have gone to party with us." Ukue added in matter-of-factly, but Naruto just shrugged.

"S'alright." He declined boredly. It was a bit silent for a moment, Naruto left to say nor think nothing and Ukue absorbed in her own thoughts. Suddenly Masabo smirked to himself.

"..Narutard." He snickered.

"Shut up I said!" Naruto shot from his seat, and grabbed at Masabo's dress shirt collar then pushed him, not realizing he made Masabo hit someone.

"Ow---hey..!" Hinata whirled around in her chair, to pin an annoyed glare on Masabo then Naruto, knowing he done it.

"G-gomen.. Hinata-chan." Naruto muttered lightly, her expression softening as she turned back to whatever she was doing, but Naruto caught the little look Kiba gave him before it disappeared; all of this doing nothing to put his irritation at ease.

When Naruto sat down, Ukue and him took notice of their homeroom teacher Harada-sensei standing anxiously in the doorway, staring at him expectantly.

"Uzumaki-san." She called, beckoning him with a slender hand to see her. He got up tentatively from his seat, receiving curious looks from several classmates. Ukue looked after him somewhat worriedly. Naruto barely noticed in the corner of his eye the worried and puzzled look on Hinata's face as she watched him leave, distracted from her conversation with Kiba and Shino; whom also stopped to watch.

The attention only made him more nervous, but he didn't let it show, as he stepped out of the room with her.

"What do you think he did this time?" A girl asked.

"Who knows..." A boy muttered.

Hinata stared concerned eyes at the door, worried if he actually had done something again.

_'...Naruto-kun?'_

* * *

"What is it, sensei?" He asked curiously. She walked ahead of him, in small quiet footsteps, like she was walking on eggshells. 

"I needed to sneak you out of the classroom, before Sakio-san got the chance to find you." She answered back smoothly, stopping at the end of a hallway, and peeking her head over the corner to see if anyone was there. When the close was clear, she started walking again.

"Why? What's going on?" Naruto called after her, as she slowed to another stop. She turned around to give him a knowing look, her large frameless glasses reflecting light.

"You have visitors... looking for you in the office."

* * *

"Wh-who did you s-say you were looking for ag-gain?" The principal stammered unconfidently, standing politely from his seat, his face a little blue. The two men that stood before him in the office were of about early to late thirties; the first man standing coolly in a laid back posture, yet had ice in his eyes and a slick way about him; dark and professional. He was tall and lanky, his shoulders wide and rigid. His black hair was slicked back, a narrow and clean face displaying slits for eyes. He stood there, hands in his pockets, in a suit and tie, but minus the suit jacket; it seemed he wasn't the true leader, for he dressed a bit more casually in his suit and tie uniform. 

He cocked his chin up to look down his nose at the shorter man before him, the ice in his eyes causing the principal to shake and shiver where he stood.

"A student of yours." He answered simply, indifferently.

"We-we h-have s-so many st-students here..." The principal started out with, his answer coming off as stupid and indirect to the men whose prescence demanded complete and competent cooperation.

"A boy. With blonde hair and whiskers." The man added with a hard icy look.

"Wh-whiskers? ..like stubble?" The prinicpal asked dumbly, though more as a facade; he knew who they were after, and he was pissed off about it. But mostly right now he was scared shitless.

"No you cowardly fool!! Like tattoos or something, except on his face!" The second man shouted, pulling out a carton of _BLACK _cigarettes and lighter. The principal blanched nervously at this, reaching a hand out as a stopping gesture.

"A-anou.. there's no smoking in here.." He bit out weakly, recieving a hard look; The second man, who seemed a bit younger than his friend in charge, stood with more arrogance and impatience, his clothes much more casual than that of his friends; similar suit and tie, yet the dress shirt was wrinkled and the tie worn loose, the jacket he wore a mere windbreaker. His reddish-brown hair was lazily slicked back, longer strands falling away and into his face. He glared impatient eyes with a stretched frown, lips pursed in a snarl like that of the generic yet effective Yakuza scary face.

"Whad'ju say?" He fought back vehemently, the cigarette half way to his mouth as he glared at him, causing the principal to change his mind and smile weakly.

"Except for today! T-today is d-different!" The poor man laughed with fake mirth, thinking to himself... _'Damn that wretched boy! Look what he's gotten the school into! What has he been doing since the last incident?!'_

The principled coughed uncomfortably, clearing his throat before cautiously approaching the men with a question.

"S-so.. wh-what harm has the boy done to you?" He asked weakly, his palms starting to sweat in their clasped position. The icy man tilted his chin up again, relaxing his shoulders slightly and turned to look out the window before pinning him with another icy stare.

"He disturbed my business." Was all he said, leaving the principal with more questions and unpleasant possibilities running in his head. _'Okiya? Gambling Underground? Drug runs?! What business is he stating?! What is our youth coming to?!'_ Inside his head he was on his knees and pounding on the ground like a sad man. His outward appearance of submissive weakness and feigned yet forced hospitality remained unchanged.

"A boy with blond hair and whiskers. It is unusual to imagine. Such a boy does not attend here however." The principal lied smoothly, though weakly.

"White dress shirts and red plaid. That is your Matushita's uniform." The ice man pointed out matter-of-factly, intent on proving his point that he was not mistaken, that he was firm on this.

"That is also the St. Mary's school uniform..." The principal added, hoping his lame answer would work as a distraction, yet to no luck. The ice man gave him a cold hard look, freezing him in his place before the impatient friend marched up to the principal's desk, and grabbed him by his collar, forcing his face and lit cigarette intimidatingly into his face.

"Are you mocking us, eh baka-ka?!" He yelled in his scrappy voice.

"N-n-n-n-no!! O-of c-c-course n-not! Ahahaha..!" The poor sheltered man cried inside, laughed weakly on the outside.

_'Why me? I should have just been a kindergarten principal... Why me?'_

* * *

"So far so good. We'll see if the nurse will accept you." Harada said in her soft warm voice, leading Naruto inside the RN's office. Naruto looked around scrupulously, wondering if this was going to work or if it was worth the trouble. It seemed kinna random and childish of Harada-sensei even though he appreciated the intentions. 

"What, I'm supposed to hide in here?" Naruto asked aloud, instantly his voice catching the attention of Tsunade, her heels clacking loudly as she strolled in, an angry and distressed expression on her face.

"Hide?! What do you need to hide from?!" She shouted, confronting Naruto, already thinking the worse. Naruto took a nervous step back from the tempermental woman, raising his hands up and smiling sheepishly at her.

"What have you done this time?!" She shot back, demanding answers, hands on her hips.

"Maa maa, Obaa-chan! I.. I didn't do anything, it's no big deal." He answered back complacently, trying to feign innocence. It was the half-truth to him anyways, he felt that whatever was going on was being blown out of proportion or was misunderstood. Okay so he went to a pachinko parlour.. gambled a little.. ran into a little trouble. Not like it was anything new to him, no big deal. He doubted it was important to explain himself, that they should just let it slide. Especially with Tsunade, who knew him so well by now.

But Tsunade didn't buy it. She didn't care what excuses he used or planned to use, he wasn't getting out of this so easily.

"If it's no big deal, why do you need to hide?!" Tsunade fought back. She just didn't believe him, she never really did. There was a past and pattern of behavior to Naruto that Tsunade knew by heart after the years she spent with him back in their hometown in Matsue, yet this lead to a biased opinion of him, leaving no room for her give him any slack nor believe him when he called himself without fault. She knew that no one was that guiltless, he must have done something.

"I swear it's nothing! I just need to hide..! In case that old man finds me.." Naruto put his hands in his pockets, poking a shoed toe into the floor. This, his stubborness, was getting on Tsunade's nerves. Why couldn't he just be straight with her?

"And why would he be looking for you if you've done nothing wrong?" Tsunade pointed out matter-of-factly, eyes narrowed with aggravation and suspicion. Naruto just shrugged lazily.

"Cuz.. he's a bastard like that?" He grinned sheepishly at her, yet Tsunade was uncovinced, and furthermore focused only on getting the truth from him, a fieryness entering her eyes; scaring Harada-sensei momentarily and catching Naruto off guard.

She was going to yell.

"Naruto! What did you do?!!" She demanded vehemently, hands angrily on her hips and glaring furius honey brown eyes at him.

"I didn't do shit, I just said that!" He shot back, getting upset. He didn't understand why she was getting so pissed, why so serious? He told her it was no big deal, couldn't she just drop it? He wasn't even going to bother her if he just stayed and skipped a class or two; it was her own fault if she was going to get pissed off about nothing, at least that's the way he saw it. All would be fine if she just chilled out, just let it go and chill out.

Tsunade shook her head at him, a stress vein slowly appearing on the side of her head.

"You've done something, you always do something! What is it this time?!" She glared harshly at him, refusing to let up. It was tough love in her perspective, and it didn't matter if he didn't like it. She never treated him any differently.

And maybe it was that, that bothered Naruto so much.

"What do you mean '_always'_?!" Naruto fought back, incense at her words, at the way she said it. _'I __**always**__ do something? It's __**always**__ my fault? What the hell?!'_ Naruto couldn't help acting defensive on this, but he couldn't understand the fairness in any of this. Why was she so intense about this? Why the hell did she blame him so easily, whatever is going on, obviously he's the victim. Whatever happened to 'Let me hear your side of the story?'. Even though Naruto doubted he would tell her what really happened, he felt it was enough that he said he was innocent. Even if that was more or less an exaggeration on a half-truth. And hiding here, it wasn't like he was asking for much right? It probably wasn't even going to be more than two periods stay anyways.

Tsunade tried again, ignoring his indignant protest.

"Naruto!"

"I went gambling alright?! In a stupid little pachinko parlour, alright?!" He shouted at her, just waiting for her to be cool about this, it really wasn't that big a deal.

Tsunade looked at him with angered disbelief.

"Pachinko?! Why, what for?!" Tsunade was more than aggravated at the thought of him playing at the adult machines, pachinko was just a way around gambling, which is illegal and highly looked down upon. He could have been arrested if he didn't do it right. If he got caught. Tsunade felt her heart grow upset at this, when was he going to learn already?

"What for?! Because I felt like it, what'd you think?!" Naruto hated the look Tsunade was giving him, even now as the words flowed through her head. _'Because he felt like it?! That's why?! That's his reason??!'_

"You're fifteen Naruto!!" She threw confidently, not missing the livid expression pass across his suddenly wide eyes.

"I'm seventeen ya hag!" He shot harshly, he couldn't believe just called him fifteen. That was how old he was when she left! Did she care so less that she forgot to his age?!

Tsunade let out an upset sigh that sounded like a breathy growl. She noticed he was becoming more insolent, making her only more determined to get through his thick skull. He wasn't learning, he wasn't growing up if he was acting like this. She was starting think, that he hadn't changed at all...

"I don't care! You shouldn't go hanging around Pachinko! It's a bad vice!"

..She didn't really know what she expected out of him anyways, when she left.. she couldn't help but doubt if he would ever amount to anything.

And Naruto was getting the horrible impression that she still felt that way.

"Are you kidding me?! It was a one time thing! 'Sides, you're one to talk, Legendary Sucker!" Naruto was really starting to resent her right now. First she doesn't listen to him, then she gets his age wrong, then she flat out says she doesn't care and starts imposing hyprocrital preachings to him. Like she had a right to tell him gambling was bad, when she herself gambled like an addict, even when she knew she had the worse luck! So who had less right here? Naruto wasn't understanding her one bit, she barely took his side the whole time he knew her, but back then it was valid. But he said he changed, he told her he was different, so what the hell? Why was she acting like such a bitch about a little innocent gambling? (Aside from not knowing that he had a scuffled with a few small time Yakuza.. he didn't plan on telling her that..) If she had been pissed about that instead of pachinko, then he'd get it! Otherwise she, to him, was flying off the handle!

"Naruto!" She wanted to shake the sense into him, he just wouldn't listen. Why couldn't he just be straight about this, he wasn't taking any of this seriously!

"Shut up! Just keep your self-righteous crap to yourself, will ya!" Naruto glared at her furiously. He felt no guilt, he didn't give a damn about what he did. What was so bad about it anways? It wasn't as bad as other things, why was she so intense about this? She was never going to believe that wasn't some wayward kid anymore, why did she still see him as that boy from Matsue? Why wasn't she seeing him as he was now? He believed he changed... maybe it wasn't as obvious as a catepillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly, and if he was still inside the cocoon, then wasn't that at least good enough? It wasn't fair for her to pass such quick and biased judgement, she should be taking his side. That's how he was seeing it.

Tsunade shook her head, sighing tiredly to herself.

"You listen to me Naruto.. whatever you've done.." She started out quietly yet firmly, trying to reason with him, yet somehow sounding like a warning or threat.

"I said I didn't do shit!" Naruto was getting fed up with this pointless fight. When was she going to understand that he didn't anythign this time?! The other times weren't half as bad, so why was he blamed for those too?! Just because he was there?! What was he, everyone's favorite scapegoat? Just blame the boy with blonde hair, he's an outcast! It's so easy, everyone does it! Even Tsunade, who's supposed to be on **his side**! Naruto just help his resentment, he thought he was done with this crap, that Tsunade wouldn't bitch at him like this anymore. It was so stupid, why did this always happen?!

Tsunade was just about having it, she wouldn't deal with this if he couldn't start being grown up about his bad decisions. She always tried with him, but eventually she just wouldn't anymore.

"If you're going to keep up this attitude of yours, what will you be left with, huh?! You don't wanna listen?!" She meant well, she really did. But perhaps that couldn't be seen. She wasnt' trying to hurt him, he was always hurting himself. But it didn't seem like he learned from anything he did. What was inside of his mind that made him think he was so invincible? Why do teenagers always feels so damn invincible?

She tried, but she grew tired of trying. She left, without the intention of abandoning him, but with the little bit of hope that whenever they would see eachother again that he would have grown. Perhaps they met too soon. She always tried, but eventually she just wouldn't anymore.

And perhaps it was that attitude of hers, that made Naruto feel like she cared so less of him, that she had left him with relief, as if she was rid of a burden. And maybe that's why was she just acting like this, so tempemental and moralistic. It never changed, just when he hoped it would have. She didn't want him here, she wanted him to leave.

And that's just what he would do, he didn't care anymore.

If he was going to give up... then Tsunade felt she was left with nothing more than the same option.

"Fuck this.." Naruto muttered darkly, tuning his back on Tsunade, who remained irate and disappointed in him, and about how he treated the whole thing.

Harada had stayed quiet beside the argument, looking awkwardly between the two, hesitant and feeling bad for letting things happen like this. She could only guess their relationship and looked sadly after Naruto as he opened the door.

"Anou, Uzumaki-san..!" She called softly after him, as Tsunade interjected under breath at him.

"I swear you haven't changed a bit.." Tsunade said derisively.

He heard every word clearly, his hand on the door, he skulked outside before slamming the door harshly.

* * *

The sun hid behind a haze of lavender-grey clouds, sounds of birds and voices echoed around the chilly school grounds, cars passing down the street every now and then. 

Sixth period lunch was still going, several student spread out across campus. Two girls from room 1-B were chatting pleasantly as they hung by the shoe lockers; one with long black hair, and one with strawberry blonde hair.

It'd been awhile since Naruto left the classroom, Hinata noted absentmindedly, as she stared outside the window straying from the conversation with Kiba and Shino.

"Hinata-chan? ..Hinata-chan!" Kiba called out, snapping her out of her sudden absorption. She pulled away to face him with a light smile.

"Gomen.." She giggled lightly.

She couldn't help but wonder where he was right now, or what happened. This was practically the fourth time he got pulled out of class due to something kept secret.

Why was he always getting into trouble?

* * *

Just beyond the school gates, two men waited patiently against the white brick wall, one adding another cigarette butt to a pile of them on the ground. His friend beside him sighed disapprovingly. 

"Be sure to clean that up. It is impolite to mother earth to litter her with your cigarettes." The ice man replied, only to recieve an insolent grunt from his comrade.

"Che, what do I care?" He said gruffly, offering another cigarette to his friend.

"Would you throw cigarettes at your own mother?" He pointed out nobley, lighting up his cigarette, taking a langorous inhale. The impatient man Kojiro just snorted insolently again.

"I threw lit fags at stray cats." He then smirked cheekily at the icy man beside him, his eyes black and empty. Clearly he had no compassion, and was purely self-centered, that unlike of his sempai Aomori, who was a mystery at times when he would spur out chivalrous words and buddhist proverbs.

"Just clean up after yourself Kojiro-san." He told him cooly.

"Whatever." The impatient Kojiro scoffed, tapping the ashes off his cigarette and swept a glance towards the school gates. He tapped his comrade Aomori on the shoulder, signaling with a nod, as a vicious smile on his lips told him everything, soon turning into a zealous snarl.

"Oi man, there he is." He smirked toothily, flicking his cigarette onto the ground, not even stepping on it to put it out. Aomori sighed tiredly at his friend before taking the lead.

* * *

Naruto walked a gloomy path out of the school entrance, passing by the two girls; He didn't notice them, but they noticed him, yet stayed away. He was annoyed, he was frustrated, school just wasn't worth his time today. 

_'Stupid bitch.. stupid old hag..'_ He cursed in his brain like a bad cycle, his eyes on the ground yet not seeing where he was going. He just planned to leave, maybe he'd just go back home and sleep. Naruto didn't care, just staying here only spelled death; There were "visitors" waiting for him at the office, the old bastard was probably stalking the hallways looking for him, Tsunade was on his case, and there was something else bugging him. But that last one he shrugged off, deeming it insignificant.

He pushed aside the school gates, but as soon as he took a foot outside school walls, he didn't know what was happening until he found himself pinned against the white bricks.

"Hello brat."

* * *

Tsunade slumped down in one of the chairs by the door, staring wavery upset eyes at the tiled floor. It was aggravating, yet it hurt her to have to deal with him like this. She didn't like fighting him, but she felt like she had to. 

She didn't know how else to handle him.

"You can't always set the bar too high." Came a warm sweet voice. Tsunade perked to attention at Harada's words, looking up at her bewildered. Harada continued at this.

"Just because one makes mistakes, doesn't mean they haven't learned." She explained in her good-natured way. Then she smiled, stating with complete warmth and confidence.

"I'm sure Naruto-san will do the right thing."

* * *

Naruto glared at the men, recognizing the awful tobacco smell. 

"Stupid punk.. told you not to fuck around." Aomori snarled, holding Naruto by the lapels of his uniform, his ice cold stare keeping him in place. Naruto scoffed lightly.

"I didn't do shit.." He said clearly, before shooting him a smartass smirk.

"..fucking gangbanger." He finished, still with that smug smirk, one that was known in another town to get him in lots of trouble. Naruto winced when the man gripped his hair, painfully forcing his head back, so he could barely look at him through one glaring eye.

"Run that by me again..." Aomori started out slowly, with no emotion, as he took his lit cigarette from his lips and held the burning end close to Naruto's face. Naruto winced at the heat, jerking his head away but to no avail.

"..and I'll fuck up your face." He finished in a chilling monotonous tone, eliciting boorish snide laughter from Kojiro, who looked like he was itching for violence.

"And what do you want, huh?!" Naruto demanded clumsily, partly out of desperation, partly out of his own anger and aggravation.

"You made a fool of us, gaki!" Kojiro spat, pointing a rigid finger accusingly at him.

"What'd I do?!" Naruto yelled, struggling to get out of the older man's grasp, but stopped when he threatened the cigarette closer.

"You were cheating at the machines, you little shit!" The impatient Kojiro accused, shaking him by the shoulder of his sleeve roughly.

"Cheating?! Are you stupid?! I was winning, you morons! How da hell do you cheat at pachinko?!" Naruto shot out brusquely, getting his head forced back again.

"You were hitting the damn thing pretty hard before you started winning!" The boorish Kojiro fought, before Aomori interjected.

"After you ran, the police came in to search the premises. We had to pay a bribe out of _our_ pockets, so they wouldn't expose our entire family." He told in a calm and cool voice shadowing over an underlying threat.

"So what?!" Naruto was getting aggravated, he knew he pissed them off, but whatever the hell was going on, he couldn't see much connection. Did they expect him to do something for them? _'Yeah that's probably it..'_

"So what?! You owe us!! Ya lil' basturd!" Kojiro stated fiercely, as Naruto inwardly rolled his eyes yet glared at them. _'Yeah, that's it alright.'_

"Che! The hell I do!" Naruto shouted, kicking at Kojiro while he remained pinned between the brick wall and a 700 degree celsius burning cigarette.

"Why you little--!!" The impatient and self-serving man cursed, a cokced fist aimed for Naruto's face when Aomori's cool voice halted his fervored intentions.

"Stop, Kojiro-san. We'll just take him to the Kumicho. Show him we mean every yen." The ice man smirked dangereously, throwing his cigarette on the ground and dragging Naruto away from the school grounds, not before throwing over his shoulder to Kojiro.

"Clean up the cigarettes while you're there, Kojiro-san."

And recieved an irritated growl, as he bent down and picked them up.

* * *

Naruto found himself being led down the same sidewalks he wandered two nights ago. Everything looked a little bit different during the day; the host clubs were inactive, the night clubs weren't open, most of the rundown theatres actually turned out to be out-of-business peep shows or ero-film theatres. It was still a pretty shady place to be, but there were more ordinary people walking down the streets and sidewalks now; there were rows of chained bikes, parked cars, a few taxis drove down the one lane street, there was a stray dog wandering around, with a curled stubby tail; it looked like it was out of luck and slightly abused, it's fur a faded unhealthly color. Large orange traffic cones were lined up along the sidewalks, neon signs look dim in the daylight. Young men hung around by doorways and caroused, older women walked in pairs giggling, restaurant workers moved about cleaning their shops or were disposing white trash bags. 

It was starting to get darker now, Naruto assumed it must be almost three or four in the evening, school wasn't going to end for another hour.

Naruto looked up to find the same pachinko parlour that he had gone into, with more customers filling the machines; sad old men and bored old housewives, and that trademark haze of cigarette smoke filled up to the cieling. Naruto glared when the man Aomori tugged hard at his arm, leading them around the parlour and down an alleyway.

It wasn't much of a headquarters, Naruto thought, having had expected yakuza families to occupy traditional styled Japanese homes, like in all those movies he used to watch, and not in some drab building above the parlour. Naruto assumed that this was no large group he messed with as he looked up at the sign hung on the door, reading "Matsuraba-kai". But just because they weren't big didn't mean they couldn't be dangerous though...

"Quit dawdling kid." Aomori bit out, pushing him inside, recieving an annoyed glare from the blonde.

It was dark at first, before Naruto stepped a few feet further into the building, he heard the ringing of the pachinko machines ahead of him, a shadow of light ahead.

"Oi, are you stupid?!" Kojiro spat, dragging him from where he stood and pushed him towards the direction of stairs leading up and to another door. Aomori was just ahead, and pushed the door open, letting a dim light pour through and light up the stairwell if only for a moment.

Naruto walked through with the annoying proddings of the impatient Kojiro as Aomori led the way.

There was a light sound of the koto playing in the dim lit, smoke filled room. This place was just as, if not more, smoke hazed than the parlour below them, and Naruto couldn't but wince a little at the smell, a sudden inhale making his senses feel fogged up.

He saw tall men in formal suits, their hair slicked back, as they talked in low voices, radiating a dangerous aura. They gave him these silent glares, as if sizing him up or looking him down. It didn't bother Naruto, he wasn't intimidated; if anything he was used to this kind of thing and he was more than sure of himself if anything went wrong.

To his left were two younger men by a low table, one with his hand layed out on a small clean cloth on the mahogany table, his superior holding down his wrist, while his other hand held a tantō short sword against his pinky. Naruto walked on past, last thing he saw was the man flinching before he let out a cry of pain.

"Hooooooly shit! Aaaaaah, shitshitshitshitshit!"

"Shut up you weakling! It's just a pinky! You wanna lose more fingers!?!"

Naruto sweated slighty; this was nothing like in the movies.

"You're lucky.." Aomori started, glancing cooly over his shoulder at Naruto, down the dark hallway. "..we were considering _yubitsume_ as your punishment."

Naruto remained silent, putting on a wary but ready defense, as he shoved his fists in his pockets.

They finally came to the door at the end of the hall, where Naruto assumed was the boss's office. He was about to walk inside to follow Aomori, when Kojiro pushed him aside and closed the door on him.

_'Guess I'm not allowed inside... wonder if I can run?'_ Naruto mused boredly, taking a glance down the long hallway; there were Yakuza everywhere when he walked in, right now he could see a few hanging by the doorway to freedom.

_'..Guess not. Che, even if I could, they'd probably just kill me on the spot.'_

Naruto sighed tiredly, craning his back to lay against the wall that he slouched against. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, it was silent for a moment, voices raised momentarily behind the door before quietening down again. It was stupid to wonder how he got in this situation and more intelligent to wonder how he could get out.

Skipping out on Tsunade, skipping out on school was easier than this.

It was most likely they were discussing his fate right now. ..damn secrecy. It didn't seem like there was much of a choice, he would just have to roll with this for awhile until he found an opening. He knew how to fight, he wasn't scared. Just a little aggravated and a little impatient.

Naruto started banging his head lightly against the wall, all this waiting making him feel stupid.

"Che, fuck this..!" Naruto ran up to the door, fiercely turning the knob and through open the door. Next thing he knew, he was staring up at the wooden hilt of a cane sword hitting against his forehead, and Aomori was glaring coldly at him, holding the sword halfway drawn, the metal of it gleaming like water.

"From now on, you work for us."

* * *

School ended, the bells ringing and the students filing out in a carefree manner. 

Hinata noticed that Naruto never came back since Harada pulled him out of lunch, and she wondered what happened to him. She was worried, as she pulled on her scarf around her neck. She shrugged on her snowcoat when she noticed that Naruto's brown and orange snow jacket and schoolbag were still here by his desk. What would happen, she should just leave them there? Was he coming back? She thought back to earlier in the past couple months when Sakio had been bent on getting rid of him, and she had been so worried that he was going to leave. So what happened to Naruto now? He didn't get expelled did he? Sakio didn't succeed did he?

She had been so relieved when he came back that day, lighting up the room with his cheery smile. It was dark and hazy outside, what if he wasn't coming back, what if he wasn't going to light up the room anymore?

She sighed softly, deciding to take his things with her, she had no idea if or when he was coming back, if she just left it, he wouldn't be able to get it back til the next morning.

"Oi, Hinata-chan!" She perked up at the call of her name, hugging Naruto's things to her chest, turning around to find Kiba running up to greet her.

"You wanna grab some lunch?" He asked warmly in his own charming way.

"Lunch? It's five and we just had lunch." She smiled lightly, shaking her head at his mistake.

"Alright, dinner then!" Kiba offered energetically.

"Anou, maybe another night." Hinata shook her head, declining politely with the same light smile. Kiba drooped a bit at her decline but held hope for the 'next time'. There was always a next time, and then a next time after that, and another one, and another one. He'd treat her to anything anytime, and he looked more than forward to it, he just wanted to spend time with her.

"..Alright, another night! Definitely!" Kiba smiled half-heartedly, waving her goodbye as he ran out of the school gates. Hinata shook her head, chuckling lightly to herself. When she walked past the shoe lockers and out onto the school yard, a breeze hit her and she recoiled at the cold. Gingeringly opening her eyes against the cold, she noticed a single dark red bike parked inside the bike rack, recognizing it almost immediately.

"That's Naruto-kun's bicycle.." She mumbled to herself, the school grounds empty and silent. She wondered what it ws still doing here. If it was still here, then Naruto couldn't have gone home or didn't. Unless he forgot it, like he forgot all of this things inside the classroom.

Hinata strode towards the bike, still deep in airy contemplation. Naruto hadn't chained up his bike. Though the crime rate was considered to be relatively low, there was still a chance it could be stolen, and she knew she wouldn't want that on Naruto.

How could he have forgotten his bike, why was he pulled out of class? Was he in trouble again? It seemed as so, that's what the rest of the class plainly assumed, and it seemed just as likely; all the other times, Naruto was at the center of bad attention, and Sakio was just itching to get rid of him. But why? He seemed a fairly nice boy, a little close-minded at times, a little loud at times, a little clueless at times, but there was nothing wrong with that. He never really put anyone or her down, he never really said anything against anyone else. He seemed to be getting along with the class these days, the fickle gossip died down long ago. She had never payed much attention to it, yet there was the one time that a smaller girl called him a 'yanki'. That was the only time she ever heard the word used, and she wasn't entirely sure anymore if they had been referring to him. She didn't even know much about yanki's at all, and what was there to discriminate? To look down upon? Was there something she had missed or didn't know about? Something she wasn't seeing, that everyone else was? It was like an inside joke or subtle secret that was kept from her, and in a way because of that, she didn't want to ask Naruto these questions she had.

And where was he now? That he forgot his schoolbag, his snow jacket and bicycle? Was he really in trouble? Did he get expelled without anyone's knowing?

Then again, it didn't seem likely, that he did get expelled. Sakio-sensei was stewing today, a behavior not seen before and didn't want to provoke. If he was smug and smiling, then he hadn't won, he didn't get to Naruto. And since because he wasn't smug and smiling, then Naruto must be in some sort of trouble that the old man wanted to exploit and take advantage of.

She didn't regret ignoring those petty comments and ill-words against Naruto back when he had been a noob, but she didn't like being in the dark like this. She looked up to find the stars twinkling out against the light haze of clouds and blackened sky; the streets lights illuminating the snow, sidewalks and streets.

She was alone in the dark, just her and the bike.

She moved to sit down beside it, laying her scarf bundled head against the bike rack, and soon fell asleep.

* * *

Naruto had no idea what time it was, several hours having had passed by him. This had been too wierd a day, he couldn't even imagine that this morning he was mostly carefree, only a nagging feeling in the back of his head that something was going to bite him in the ass. But now.. he didn't know how long this was going to last; he was a hostage to the Yakuza. The debt he owed was over his head, and he couldn't believe any man or official would hold so high a price for a bribe; 100,000 yen. Naruto had to pay back 100,000 yen. He was lucky they didn't give him a deadline, afterall his purpose now was to run odd jobs for them, and he felt tired and disgusted upon his first day. 

He didn't really want to think about it, he couldn't believe how many of the girls there were just about his age. Some of them were plain and average looking, a lot of them were really pretty; these guys were selling them around to other houses, a lot of the girls going about it with a polite and humble smile, were they really alright with this? They must be, they didn't complain at all, they laughed at the simplest things, not many of them looking sad or regretful; perhaps more of them were grateful to be put into a pleasurable job, but it just seemed gross to him. And some of the girls that seemed about his age, were kogals, now turned call-gals; they deliberately became prostitutes for the expensive brand-name bags they so craved, becoming slaves to trends and materialistic items.

Kojiro had followed him around the darkened streets, forcing him to associate and consort with shady characters, scouting for desperate or willing new girls, either the barely legals still in high school but were deprived of allowances or the chance at jobs (at parents ushering for them to only study), or the prostitutes who were tired of just slow and steady paid dates, but wanted to sell themselves at higher prices; Kojiro had made sure he participated in every aspect of the job, in the end earning a good 20,000 yen payed back. So now he had 80,000 yen left to repay. Though it disturbed him, Naruto didn't care, at least.. long as he didn't have to aid in the selling of women anymore, then he didn't care. It just didn't sit right with him, it wasn't like him to do that kind of thing, to be a part of it.

And if that was his only complaint, what worse would he possibly have to deal with? Only thing that Naruto felt secured with, was that he would never get caught.

If he was benefitting the Yakuza, then they would never let him get caught; if he did, so would they. The police would eventually trace him back to them. And if he did, then they would never be able to get their money back like they wanted. He was now their responsibility, even if only in a selfish way. Like a stolen weapon; it's not yours, but you could still use it for your benefit and the downfall of others. He was a discardable asset, as soon as he got this distraction over with, they would throw him away and never speak of this again.

Naruto yawned, feeling weary and physically numb. He couldn't believe he forgot his snow jacket in the classroom. Actually he couldn't believe he decided to skip school without it, he was freezing his ass off in only his dress shirt and red plaid uniform, frozen fingers tucked beneath his folded arms. They couldn't even give him a freaking jacket, those bastards. Not that he even expected them too, but still it would be nice, better than freezing obviously.

Naruto decided he would just break into the school for his stuff, he wasn't going to wait til the morning to get them, absolutely not.

The black school gate was closed, but not locked. Which luckily for him made it easier; climbing or jumping over would have been difficult, and squeezing through the bars seemed stupid and juvenile of a strategy.

When Naruto crossed halfway through the frozen yard of the school, He was suprised to see a shadow of a person sitting on the ground, propped against the bike rack. Was the person dead or homeless? Who slept on school grounds in freezing night weather?

Naruto slowly walked over to the body that layed close to his utility bike, the moonlight slowly highlighting what he could not see, until he stood right in front of the sleeping person, a bare shadow casting over their face.

"..the hell??" Naruto blurted out, dropping onto his haunches and peering over the sleeping person, his eyes slowly adjusting to the shadows as he tried to really see the person. He could vaguely see long bluish-black hair and pale skin, he became unsure if the person was really asleep or in need of help. And it had to be the latter, if the person was sleeping outside of all places.

"Wait a second..." Naruto squinted his eyes in deep scrutiny, the machinations in his brain slowly turning. He cautiously brought his hand out to brush away the person's bangs, revealing an all too familiar soft face.

"Shit! Hinata-chan?! Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted, freaking out as he shook her shoulders, tapping his fingertips at her cheeks to wake her up. Black lashes fluttered opened, sleepy lavender eyes greeting him with a sort of cluelessness yet mild warmth, a lazy gentle smile appearing on her lips.

"Oh.. good night, Naruto-kun." She said softly, eliciting a wierd look from Naruto, still taken aback at finding her like this.

"Good night? What the hell kind of response is that?"

* * *

"It's nighttime now isn't it?" Hinata asked him simply, her voice slightly muffled by her scarf. 

"Actually I think it's morning.." came Naruto incredulous reply.

They were walking side by side, on their way home. Naruto was so glad to be inside his snow jacket, he had been interested yet baffled when he found Hinata lying there with his stuff in her arms, she had expressed that she didn't want his bike to suddenly go missing if he didn't go back for it. He couldn't believe she had just slept there the whole time, what if she never woke up or what if she woke up when school was just starting? That would be pretty awkward..

"Morning?" Hinata asked aloud, digging through her schoolbag for her cell phone. When she finally fished it out, the flip screen stated, "..It's 1:36 am." she said softly, making Naruto feel disappointed.

"That fuckin' sucks..." He sighed to himself, missing the look he got from Hinata when he swore so easily, and in her opinion, unnecessarily.

"What happened to you today? You didn't get expelled, did you?" Hinata asked airily, partly out of concern, partly out of curiousity. Pushing his bike along the cold and frozen sidewalks, Naruto sighed a large cloud of moisture dissipitating into the winter air.

"Naw, I decided to skip." He told her simply, more concerned now with the time and want of sleep. He began to think that he should just skip tomorrow too or sleep in. Either way of it, he had bigger priorities now even though they weren't his own to deal with.

"So you're not in trouble then?" She asked, almost sounding hopeful, while maintaining a simplistic friendliness and impersonal way of speaking. She was actually hopeful just as she was curious.

Naruto almost wished he could answer that truthfully but decided against it. He just grinned, let out a little laugh, as if trying to reassure her or reassure himself.

"Of course not! Hahaha!" He laughed loudly, scaring Hinata slightly, more like suprising her; it was dead silent out and everyone was asleep, she blanched and tried to quiet him down, though couldn't help but laugh a little herself.

"N-Naruto-kun..! Shh! You'll wake everyone up!" She whispered, holding a finger to her smiling lips. Naruto just grinned at her, in that way that made her feel like everything would be alright; a warm and comforting smile, one that seemed to assure strength in another person's being. The grin that lit up the room as she always put it.

"Eheh, sorry." He chuckled sheepishly, walking a bit faster with more purpose in his step.

"Well that's good.." She nodded curtly. "..I mean, that you're not in trouble. I was worried that you were going to leave." Hinata smiled wistfully at him, feeling a little embarrassed with herself at her admission. Naruto blinked, taking in her words quickly.

"Really?" He asked straight out and vaguely, making Hinata shy away from her own words and approach just as vaguely, but hoping to still portray the same feelings she had.

"Well... this is supposed to be a good school..." She replied sheepishly, bringing her hands to fiddle with her scarf.

"Ohh that's what you're worried about." Naruto dragged out in a teasing tone, hopping on his bike and pedalling a bit ahead of her, catching her off gaurd. She jumped at attention to they way he spoke, as he began to move farther away from her, unable to keep up with his pace.

"Anou, wait! N-Naruto-kun..!" She whined, trying to run up to him, but he just laughed, moving farther ahead.

"You know..!" He called out, a few feet ahead of her. "You don't need to worry about me!"

"Huh?" She blinked, slowing her steps as they came up to their neighbourhood.

"Don't worry about me, I can't be beat!" He grinned from atop his bike, a sudden wind pushing the clouds in the sky to reveal the moon, and Hinata was filled with a sense of foreboding, perplexed by his words.

What did he mean by that?

* * *

Star- I think at one point I had said it would get lighter from here on, this was probably after chapter 15.. but now with what's going on with the Yakuza and our dearest Naruto, I don't think that's going to be possible for another while. So for those of you that like angst and violence, well then.. Happy Birthday, lol. X3 In the mean time, I suppose things won't get back on the lighter track for another another while, but not too long. I'm just going to approximate 2-3 chapters, depending on the length of them. So I hope this was good enough for you wonderful guys, after all this time, heheh. ...Has anyone ever noticed the moment of Alliteration in my chapters? "..complete and competent cooperation." See! That's 3 C's! lol, seas.. sees... c's... homonyms... lawlz.

* * *

Liner Notes: 

- Senator's Murder?: Okay so in the original Naruto-verse, The Kazekage is discovered murdered by Orochimaru.. (except I don't think I'll have Orochimaru in here, he's just too wierd and he'd prolly end up being a pedo-psycho serial killer or something murderous and nihilistic...) Anyways! So yeah, now we know that Temari's Dad is dead, like in the original verse. The rest of that story will be explained in awhile:3

- "For some reason Hinata's giggles didn't sound so sweet right now.." : A subtle sign of jealously! Hinata was not giggling in a fake obnoxious way, it's not that literal! XD And to you Throrine-kun, don't freak out like last time. I'm sorry if maybe I've exaggerated Naruto's emotions when it comes to Hinata so far or whatever, but he doesn't yet like her that way, and vice versa. But he was feeling that way, even if he doesn't yet like her that way. ...and stuff.

- Poifull: Is a Japanese Jelly Bean candy. It looks yummy! X3 (But Jelly Belly still pwns! XD)

- Hinata isn't ignoring Naruto! Kiba is keeping her entertained, Throrine-kun don't freak out! LOL (Sorry, just though maybe I should point that out or something... O.o)

- BLACK cigarettes: Don't exist! At least I'm sure they don't exist! Heh heh..

- St. Mary's?? That doesn't sound Japanese: Apparently there are some Catholic schools in Japan, I'm pretty sure they're all private schools. :3

- Matsushita Uniform!: I've never described their uniforms before! 19 chapters later, and now you guys know what they wear every 5 and a half days! XD If you check out my deviantart, I gots a screenshot pic of chapter 18, cuz it was fun to draw. And accurate to the chapter, I have Naruto wearing his highschool uniform pants: Classic red plaid! Super hawt! XD Hahaha!

- Okiya: Traditionally is the lodging house for Maiko's and Geisha's. But sometimes the word Okiya can refer to whorehouses. I think... eh, just roll with it. It's all a matter of context really. ..okay right now I'm like wikipedia.. I'm about 70 - 92.4 percent right, otherwise take what I say with a grain of sugar. (cuz it's better than salt! lawlz)

- "Baka-ka!" : Dumbass!

- I'm terribly sorry for the fight between Tsunade and Naruto, I hope that it didn't seem OOC? O.o

- Apparently Yakuza work with government officials, police officials, etc. And yes, Police do take bribes from the Yakuza, but don't think they're crooked or immoral for doing so. It's a different society. :3

- Littering is a big ass "No-no!" in Japan:3 They're so clean there!! (Except for Osaka, lol, but that's different.) X3

-"Kumicho": Boss, Godfather, etc. ;P Basically the head honcho.

- Naruto used to watch Yakuza movies! Wonder if that means anything...hm..

- _Yubitsume_: Literally "Finger shortening". It's a common form of appeasement in Yakuza. So if you screw up royally, they cut above the top knuckle, or cut on the tip of the finger. Except this guy got his whole pinky chopped off, wonder why? ;P

- Tantō: A short sword, often used in Yubitsume.

- Lawlz.. I think Kiba getting eager.. kyahahahaha! XD Let's get some dinner! How about another night! (Slow down boy, sit! XD) With the way he's acting, I think she had the power to make him roll over and play dead! XD I'm so sorry, puppy jokes on Kiba are actually a lot of pun! I mean fun! Wow, wth? XD

- 100,000 yen: Roughly.. 900 USD. 80,000 yen: Roughly... 720 USD. That's still a pretty good dent for Naruto-kun! (Eheheh... I feel daggers pointed at me. O.o)

-Okay! The prostitution thing: Um.. don't go thinking these girls are ugly on the inside for doing what they're doing and the fact that they chose it, and don't go thinking that Kogals are sluts, cuz only some of them are. It's a different society, you have to try not imposing the views you've grown up with in your society onto theirs, that's just how it is. Wow, do things seem bleak all of a sudden? I'm sorry if the prostitution thing seemed random, just another one of those bombs I drop I guess... (sigh)

* * *

I really _really_ _**REALLY**_ hope this was good enough for you guys, cuz as I always say.. I tried. Have a wonderful life, enjoy the snow, terrorize some gingerbread men! 

Ja ne Minna! (I'M SORRY! If you can't review, PM me! I mean.. if you want to that is. Or just use someone else's computer, lol. :P)


	20. Desensitation

Star - Yay! My computer is slightly revived! I can check my e-mail again, YES! But unfortunately I can't listen to my AOL radio as it seems, dammit.. and I was so looking forward to listening to J-Pop radio again. Heh heh. I'm sorry to those of you that couldn't review twice or whatever, But I didn't want to keep up that author's note, it would have messed up the chapter order and all that. But I thank you people for reading the chapter anyways:3 

**(This chapter is rated OT - ages 16+ - For: Violence, F-bombs/Language)** (I actually don't care if you're 12 or 13 and reading this, I just felt I should warn as a formality. Feel like I'm using too many "eff this" "eff that" "eff you" language. Heh heh..)

Okey Dokey, here's the new chaptah!

Enjoy! X3

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch. 20 - Desensitation

Naruto sat in class, quietly staring out the window with his chin in his hand. He was engrossed in his thoughts, while everybody else stuck in groups, chattering away as they always did. Not many people took notice of his silent behavior, no one really knowing him enough to find it strange, many just shrugging it off.

Hinata had gone off to eat lunch with Kiba in another classroom, he wasn't sure which one. Didn't seem to matter so much to him though. It was starting to become a routine with her; the vampire boy would walk up to her, smile, they'd start talking about whatever they talked about, and eventually they'd either eat lunch at her desk or he'd take her to hang out with his other friends. Naruto didn't know, notice or realize that Hinata didn't have any friends in their classroom before he came along a couple months ago. Back then they had simply been acquaintances. They were on closer basis now, that they could vaguely consider eachother a friend, but somehow Hinata was closer with Kiba than him, and in no time at all.

Had to be because they shared something in common.

_'Oh well..'_

Naruto was slowly brought out of his introspective repose, when he heard a few excited squeals from a group of girls behind him.

"There's a guy hanging outside the school courtyard!" One of the girls informed her friends in a distressed tone, waving her hands around.

"A guy? What'd he look like?" Another girl asked, thinking her friend was talking about a good-looking guy.

"I seen him too!" A shorter girl added in, with the same distress.

"He's been here since morning, you didn't see him?!" She shouted incredulously.

"Since this morning, you mean he's still here?!" Her friend blanched, her eyes wide.

"He's right outside, I don't know why! He's just standing there!" She stated, becoming fearful.

"That's so scary!" Came another girl's squeal, holding worried fists up to her chin and cringed in her seat.

"What do you think he's doing here?!" Another demanded, her aggression stemming from her anxiety.

"I don't know! I was walking inside the gates when I just saw him there and he said hi to me! It was so creepy!" She squealed frightened, shaking her head and eyes moist.

"He was saying hi to all the girls! He waved to me, I saw his hand!" Blurted out another girl, causing the group around her to give her confused looks.

"His hand?"

"He was missing a pinky!!" She shouted jumpily, scaring the whole group into more fits of frightened squeals. Some of the boys who were having (not as loud) conversations, were giving them annoyed looks, wondering to themselves what were they doing or talking about? Ghost stories? Girly Gossip? Gawd, their so loud!

Naruto visibly stiffened in his seat. He remained so still, no one took notice of his sudden tenseness, and he hoped they wouldn't. He knew full well who was out there, and wondered if they knew too or were simply naive (like the upper middle class kids they were).

_'Yakuza..!? What's yakuza doing here again..?!'_

"That's so scary!! Kyaaa, I don't want to go out there!" Another girl squealed, eliciting another string of similar high-pitched squeals, not realizing they were making everybody else (who were not in their conversation) to become irritated with them.

"What if he doesn't leave!? What do we do!?" Another girl shouted loudly, freaking out.

"Kyaaaah!" Was the final chorus of squeals and frightened screams.

"Yo, you stupid girls! Shut up!" Masabo and his friends shouted at the girls, recieving tearful glares from the girls.

"You stupid boys, you don't understand!" A girl shouted with long black hair shouted at them.

"Don't understand what?!" He asked demandingly.

"Unless that man outside is gay, you don't have to worry about getting raped!" Came the black haired girls reply, recieving unanimous nods from the group of girls.

"What the hell?! You girls are crazy, what are you talking about?!" Masabo blurted out.

"There's a man outside the school just waiting there!" Shouted another girl with red hair, her eyes becoming fiery though still laced with worry. The boys just gave them dry looks or rolled their eyes, thinking these girls were so into acting like little chickens, and as soon as something scary came around, it was as if their heads had been chopped off and now they were running around screaming over nothing. And it was very annoying when they got this way. They were full of themselves if they thought they were actually going to get raped, just because there's a random flirt outside the school.

"What if he's someone's boyfriend?" Another boy with straight brown hair asked casually, seeming naive to the frightened chickens.

"So not! He was flirting with all the girls!" A shorter girl yelled out.

"Yeah, and Ukue has three other boyfriends Yamato doesn't know about." Fat boy Masabo snickered, knowing full well the reaction he'd get and didn't care the least.

"Liar!! Get over here Masa-chan, I'll kick your ass!" The petite kogal Ukue shouted, waving a fist in his direction, feeling angry and humiliated.

"You stupid cunts just shut up! What are you so afraid of?!" Masabo was getting pissed off, these girls were acting as dumb as chickens.

"He was missing a pinky!!"

* * *

School came to it's usual end, yet the mood was different from it's usual carefree chatter of putting off their homework to hang with friends and of the like. Instead alot of the girls, practically all first, second and thirds year girls were clinging close to friends, either in large groups or in inseparable pairs; word of the pinky-less man had spread fast, not that it needed to be spread in the first place.. he managed to make his existence known to everybody earlier this morning. 

While the boys never noticed, one way or another coming up with vague reasons that were easily accepted, they had left the matter behind them. Naruto hadn't noticed him this morning either, actually he had practically been sleep walking to school. Hinata had to help him walk his bike, when he had tried pedaling, he fell over. Hinata had jumped to his assistance, surprised to see him fall over. It was actually pretty comical, were it in someone else's perspective.

Naruto wondered if Hinata saw the man, if he had bothered her too. And now knowing he must be yakuza, he was wondering why he didn't notice him, or what he was doing here in the first place.

Naruto casually brought his head up from his shoe locker to see a young man leaning against the white brick of the school gate. He was waving congenially to all the girls that passed by him, causing a lot of girls to cling closer to their friends or let out frightened little cries. Apparently this didn't bother or stop the man to continue his unwanted flirtations.

"What are you looking at, Naruto-kun?" came a familiar soft voice. Naruto turned to face Hinata with a brief smile that disappeared with a single thought, looking at her, he remembered the yakuza that was outside and he became worried, he wasn't sure how to approach this now.

"Anou... nothing." He told her dryly, taking his tennis shoes out of his locker to exchange with his indoor shoes. Hinata blinked, wondering for a moment what he said before shrugging it off. She took notice of the ruckus that was happening outside of the school.

"He's out there.." Hinata whispered under her breath, just staring outside, her breathy words catching the attention of Naruto once more.

"Um.. who is?" He tried to sound natural, pretending he had no idea, though he knew more than anyone at this point.

"Will you walk me out? I don't want to catch his attention." Hinata asked in her natural sweet way, adding no emphasis on her pleadings but just the distress that she truly felt. It pulled on Naruto, and he was afraid to look up at her, afraid to see the look in her eyes.

He silently struggled with himself, hastily tying his shoelaces, the weight of her pleading prescence making him feel guilty and frustrated, pressured. He couldn't bring himself to disincline but he couldn't comply to her favor. He couldn't be the one to walk her out, it would defeat the purpose that it held. It was most likely that the man outside was looking for him, just entertaining himself with terrorizing the tiny school girls that had no choice but to grace him with their prescence. Naruto had to fight with himself, to restrain his chivalrous nature. And it hurt him slightly, like denying a part of himself.

"I can't, sorry." He told her curtly, finishing with his last shoe lace and stood up, still not looking at her.

"..you can't?" Hinata murmured quietly, though he sorta heard her. She didn't want to impose her disappointment on him, mostly she just felt confused. Why couldn't he? They were going the same way, so what was the trouble? Maybe he didn't want to be seen with her? It wasn't like it was _that way_, it was just so the creep outside wouldn't bother her, and she needed to feel secured that someone was right there with her. He had given her a wierd look this morning that made her skin crawl, but Naruto hadn't noticed, he was half-asleep. Hinata didn't mind that he didn't notice then, apparently a lot of the guys were ignorant or didn't care, but whatever happened to chivalry? At least common courtesy would do, but that seemed to have gone away long ago too.

She sighed, standing still, a nervous hand held to her chest. The disappointment sunk in, along with the butterflies that made her feel jittery with distress. And a hopelessness sunk in when she saw Naruto walk away.

"I'll see ya later, Hinata-chan." He waved her off, not even turning around to take a look at her. She nodded meekly, feeling lost where she stood, her strength leaving with him.

She watched him go, as he made the turn past the school gates and disappeared completely from sight. At the same moment that Naruto had left, a little gasp popped in her throat; the pinky-less man that was harassing all the girls was leaving now too, down the same direction as Naruto.

What was going on?

* * *

Naruto had noticed since he left the school, that he was being followed. 

And Naruto knew exactly who it was.

He had waited til he was far away from the school; far away enough that none of his classmates were around, far away enough that he was no longer in the burbs. The ordinary and plain-faced shops and restaurants and convenience stores lined up along the sidewalks, backed up by rows and rows of towering skyscrapes, that got taller and larger the further in he walked. More civilians wandered purposefully down the treaded and trampled sidewalks, and Naruto had to weave in and out past them, trying to shake off the stalker from the school.

Naruto could still sense him from behind, and he was making good to keep up with him.

Just dodging through the crowd wasn't going to work anymore, and Naruto knew, much to his annoyance (yet a part of him was eager), that he would have to confront this idiot.

It was apparent that he was niether Kojiro nor Aomori, so Naruto wasn't sure if he was part of the Matsuraba-kai or another yakuza group. But another yakuza group couldn't possibly know already of his association, he wasn't of any threat anways. So he doubted he was targeted by another group, and that it was a Matsuraba gangster instead.

Naruto hadn't given him a good look, he just seemed a lot younger than a majority of the yakuza there yesterday evening. Naruto suddenly remembered that he had nearly witnessed a _yubitsume_.

_"Shut up you weakling! It's just a pinky! You wanna lose more fingers!?!"_

Naruto's eyes widened a bit with incredulous recognition.

_'It's that guy?'_

"Oi, koitsu! Blondie, lemme talk to ya!" Came a friendly though fiendish sounding voice, a bit deeper than his. Naruto turned to glare mildly with distaste at the man who had been following him for the past 20 minutes.

He didn't seem much older than him, early twenties most likely. His hair was fried and a blondish-red color, straight and kinna long, stopping below his chin. He wore an oversized red tracksuit jacket, lazy ripped jeans and a plain white t-shirt. There was something that didn't seem right about him, but Naruto didn't trust anyone there anyways. It was safer for him that way.

"What the hell do you think you were doing, stalking outside the school like that?" Naruto demanded lightly, still glaring at him. The young man just laughed.

"Who cares!? Dude, your school has alot of cute bitches, haha, lucky you!" He laughed, sounding random and idiotic. Was he trying for small talk? Naruto didn't care, this man was already annoying and he had no intentions of conversing with the yakuza more than he had to.

"Whatever." Naruto muttered, sighing tiredly as he walked away, but the guy wouldn't leave. There was probably something significant he felt he had to say, not that Naruto cared. He walked beside Naruto casually, with his hand stuffed in his pockets, a stupid friendly smile on his lips.

"Aomori-sama wants you to do something for him." He spoke in a low voice, with a subtle smirk on his lips and a restrained wildness in his eyes. He shot glares at the unassuming men and innapropiate smiles at the women and girls, everyone avoiding his wide and arrogant gait, letting them know who he was. Or at least who he thought he was.

"Oh really?" Naruto asked rhetorically, figuring he'll have to stop by the upstairs headquarters, before heading to work at the Ichiraku. He wondered if they would be mad at him, he had forgotten about work yesterday, realizing he never showed up. But apparently it couldn't be helped either way, he had been busy aiding the yakuza with _enjo kosai_, and he wasn't allowed to leave, whatever jobs they were putting on him, he had to give full commitment.

And forsake everything else for now.

"The Matsuraba-kai is the greatest yakuza group in Tokyo, you should be honored that you're working for them." He replied, randomly boasting.

"I'm not working, I'm paying back debt." Naruto corrected him, making sure he understood that he wasn't with them by any means. His association was completely forced and impersonal.

"Uh-huh. So you're just another _katagi_, with scars like those?" He said derisively and caustically, as he pointed out Naruto's whiskers, though recieving a confused look from Naruto.

"Scars?" Naruto blinked unsurely, still holding up his wary defense.

"Tattoos, whatever those are." He revised carelessly, waving his hand in an lazy gesture.

"..." Naruto just kept silent, wondering what he was trying to get at. It was awhile before the brash young man spoke again.

"You don't look like everybody here. You stick out like a firefly that doesn't blink, you don't even carry yourself like the normal people." He stated with a subtle grin, his eyes momentarily hidden by his hair. Naruto just gave him this look, narrowing his already glaring eyes to scrutinize him through his annoyance. He probably wasn't going to like where this was going.

"What the hell are you rambling on about?" He demanded harshly, keeping a detached amount of space between him. Suddenly the man just grinned wider.

"You're a _burakumin_, an outcast." He stated confidently, branding his words onto Naruto with his eyes, a devious smile in them.

"So what does that make you, teme?" Naruto scoffed, turning his chin up a bit to look down on the man, despite that he was a little bit taller than him.

"Me? I'm _chinpira_." The young man smiled proudly, puffing his chest out, his display of pride in addition to his answer only made Naruto want to burst out laughing.

"Oh right, chinpira! You're even more of an outcast than me then." Naruto snickered, the young man deflating in front of him, staring at him with disbelief before slowly turning to aggravation.

"Whad'ju say?" He bit out, eyes wide and brows furrowed.

"You're on of those tracksuit monkeys that go around lighting everyone's cigarettes; you're niether a _katagi _nor _yakuza._ The normal world doesn't accept you because you're a gangster, and the yakuza world doesn't accept you because they don't give a damn about you." Naruto grinned smugly to himself, calling the young man a sucker and a loser at the same time.

"Like living on the fringes of heaven and hell, nobody wants you." Naruto spoke in a somewhat far away voice, the words sounding painfully familiar, he knew where they came from, he remembered. The memory attached to the word made him sad, and the past contrasted greatly to the present. He was able to understand what he meant back then when he said that.

The somber feelings left as soon as they came.

"Sonnuvabitch--!" He roared out, scaring and startling several civilians around them. Naruto whirled around on him, pinning him with an infuriated glare, all his aggravation and resentment he felt being pushed to the surface, his voice turning wild and fervored.

"Screw your fucking Matsuraba-kai! You guys are nothing but third-rate freelancers! Just a group of violent outcasts! I could do so much better than settle for your shit-faced kind!" Naruto shouted back, flicking the chinpira off defiantly. He let out a sort of growl, before letting his anger guide his actions.

"You've pissed me off!!" He screamed, grabbing at Naruto with his left hand. Naruto took a quick look at the four-finger hand on his shoulder, before shooting off a smartass comment.

"Fucking cripple." Naruto grinned, the chinpira's eyes becoming livid and a wild snarl twisted at his lips.

"I'll kill you!!" The incensed young man screamed, bringing his left hand back only to swiftly throw it for Naruto's face. Naruto nimbly side-stepped, grabbing at the man's four-finger fist, pulling his arm backwards and forcing his body on the ground with a harsh kick to the sides.

"You fucking idiot!" Naruto shouted brusquely, startling several innocent and unassuming passer-byes, even those who stayed to watch from the start. The chinpira winced, uncomfortable in his submissive position; he took immediate notice of a drastic change in Naruto's demeanor, as if he had become a different person; his speech changed, his voice wilder and dark. He tried to crane his head to the side to look up, out of the corner of his wide eye, a sort of fascination and fright filled him; Naruto's eyes looked different somehow, he didn't look like someone to be taken lightly and it almost scared the man at his mercy. They were almost... demonic, was the only word he could come up with. Even yakuza's didn't have that kind of look in their eyes, they just held ice and chilling indifference.

"I thought they chopped joint by joint! Man, you must be a real dumbass to get your whole fucking pinky gone!" The seemingly demonic Naruto laughed scathingly, kicking harshly at the chinpira's sides, knocking the wind out of him before he even got the chance to regain it.

"You can't even fight with this hand anymore.." Naruto said in a dark low voice, increasing his grip on the man's hand, digging a nail in the stub that used to be his pinky, sending pain through the severed nerves, eliciting a grevious yell from the man on the ground. Part of Naruto realized that he could actually feel the knuckle bone sticking out of the bandaged stub and found it to be utterly disgusting, and another part of him was enjoying the sadism. This guy had pissed him off, first labeled him an outcast, insulting him then telling him he was just like them. He was nothing like them! Especially not him, the pathetic weakling! He just twitched and whined in pain, unable to fight back, he couldn't even fight with this hand anymore, he was just as useless as a mute whore.

A feral smile twitched at the edges of Naruto's lips, his left foot now pressing harshly into the man's shoulders as he pulled back his arm, almost twisting it. A frantic shout gurgled in the victim's throat, unable to look at Naruto's face, he wriggled on the ground trying to free himself, is worser instincts telling him that he was breaking his arm. And it was humiliating.

"Let go! Lemmegodamnyou!" He shouted, his words stumbling over eachother, his mind unable to work coherently with the surges of pain running through his brain.

The Naruto that everyone was seeing on the surface was wishing to do more damage, but another part of him reawakened to the reality and pushed down his zealous blood lust, his former self returning.

"Che.. ain't work my time... _meko._" Naruto scoffed under his breath, his eyes darkened yet somber and cold. As he walked away, the man on the ground glared bitterly at him, spitting defiantly on the sidewalk before picking himself up.

"Yeah just walk away blonde hair! ...I'll see ya at the parlour, ya shit!" He shouted out through the disturbed crowd, causing Naruto curse under his breath, running out of that place fast. He just realize what was happening now.

The stupid chinpira knew where he went to school, was now able to recognize him at a glance. Aomori and that Kojiro know where to find him as well; but they still don't know where he lives or where he works. And he couldn't allow them to ever know.

Maybe he did stick out amongst the _katagi_.

* * *

Naruto wandered around Shibuya aimlessly, not knowing what he was even doing, where he was going, not really sure to where to get what he was looking for. There were so many shops, he couldn't decide, they all kinda looked alike. There some wierd looking ones, dark ones full of gothic accessories, stores that were too punky for him, stores that were just for middle aged people... he couldn't find a clearance store at all, he wasn't used to shopping in a city full of independent shops, he was so used to the large marts that just had everybody's crap in one place. 

How did anyone find what they want here?

Naruto felt a little lost. Not because he was wandering the vast Shibuya district, but because of what just happened.

He felt he had lost control of himself back there, and it wasn't something he liked at all. Aside from the day he first got here and Masabo, Yamato and Ukue had disrespected him, he hadn't lost control like that since...

Naruto paused, something catching his attention.

Rock music flowed out muffled by sale and promo posters that decorated the clean glass windows. Naruto looked up, the store's name written in a kitschy design: _Charlie Haus_.

"..wierd name." Naruto mumbled to himself, walking up to the store to read the signs.

**Charlie Haus**

**60's, 70's, 80's Vintage Rock Shoppe!**

**We Sell Oldies but Goodies!**

**Warning, Poseurs will be thrashed! (lol)**

_**-Chaarii **(_And there was a chibi with punky hair smiling next to the name.)

Naruto sweatdropped, instantly dubbing the owner to be eccentric to some degree. Naruto decided to give it a try, see what they had.

All he needed was a hat.

* * *

Naruto was instantly greeted by a young man at the cashiers desk; he had bright red goatee, and scraggly blond dreads pulled back in a ponytail. He had a couple lip piercings, a black _The Who_ band tee, and leather wrists bands. 

"Hey! If you're not here to shop then get the hell out!" He shouted at Naruto, pointing an accusatory finger at him, catching him off gaurd. Suddenly his serious face broke out into laughter, replaced by a totally relaxed and friendly face.

"I'm just kidding man! Come in, come in! Take a look around, haha!" He laughed, as a tatooed girl came around and punched him in the shoulder, scolding him, only to elicit another laugh. Naruto sighed to himself, not expecting any of that.

_The Cure_ played in the medium sized vintage rock shoppe; the floors were concrete, and I-beams acted as asthetic pillars, giving the store an industrial feel, yet the mute browns, blacks and greens gave the store a more comfortable feeling. There were shelves filled with folded blue jeans, plaid to pin-stripe pants, with the holes already in them. There were a few circular racks of band tees and hoodies, leather jackets and canvas jackets, varying from color and style. There was an entire wall of _The Beatles_ themed items, from shirts to posters to bags and hoodies. By the cashiers area were accessory shelves, general mens stuff; leather to studded belts, arm bands and wrist bands, metal rings (like the ones that Hyde make look cool), to random cologne, hair gel, sunglasses and shoes. This place was an entire lifestyle for sale.

But all Naruto wanted was a hat. He admitted it was a pretty cool place, it rather appealed to him in a comfortable sense. It had a laid back vibe.

He wandered over to the wall that held the shelf of hats, picking up a few before he came across a black one. It was a knitted beckham styled beanie with a visor, and it was the only one that was a really dark black, so he went and bought it.

* * *

Naruto hid the bag with his purchase under his snow jacket, as he approached the door and knocked. It opened halfway, revealing the dim lit settings, a haze of smoke filling out into the darkened stairwell. Aomori stood there with his monotous face, as he acknowledged him, and began to speak. 

"Chiba port at 11:00 pm." Was all he said, before letting out a langourous drawl of smoke. Naruto remained silent, just standing there. A small realization came to Aomori, at Naruto's silence or reluctance to speak.

"Do you know where that is?" He asked, as Naruto blinked, feeling sheepish and stupid.

"Eh.. no."

"You can take the trains, look at a map sometime boy." Aomori advised him matter-of-factly, making Naruto feel dumber, now scowling at the older man. Naruto nodded in a low respectable bow (though forced as it may be), letting the senior yakuza know he understood the directions given to him. As Naruto was about to leave, he never noticed the chinpira punk inside glaring deviously at him, full of a bitterness that was hidden under a sheming hatred. He let a secretive smile twist his lips as Naruto walked away with Aomori closing the door on him, adjourning their business.

_'You don't go makin' a fool o'me, demon. I'll make sure you regret your actions.'_

Aomori turned around to give him a dubious look, seeing the young man holding a bottle of sake not meant for him.

"Oi, Aomori-sama. Where's the good sake?" He asked him under a facade of a boyish smile. His sempai sighed, taking the bottle away from him and walking away.

"Chinpira do not get the pleasure of tasting the good sake, not unless you have received it from the Kumicho."

* * *

"Fuckin' sucks.. I'm so late!" Naruto cursed, jogging through the crowds in Shibuya. Naruto never knew what time it was until awhile ago, when he saw a plasma screen billboard that worked as a digital clock, reading '6:57 pm'. He wasn't sure how many times he would end up late for work, he really hoped they weren't mad at him. 

Of course he wouldn't blame them if they were...

* * *

"Naruto-kun! Where have you been?!" Ayame scolded as Naruto quickly bowed his apologies. 

"I'm really sorrry!"

"What happened? You're really late you know!" Ayame continued, hands on her hips. Naruto just let out a little laugh, smiling sheepishly, a hand behind his head.

"Hai, I know."

"And what happened to you yesterday? You never showed up!" Ayame gave him this exasperated look as he bowed again. She had been worried, aside from the obvious fact that he loved their ramen, he always arrived on time, and she couldn't imagine him missing a day. Not just in the sense that he had always been punctual, but because he didn't seem like the type to want to disappoint people or look unreliable. And he had been very reliable so far.

"I know, I know.. I'm really sorry, I had.. cleaning duty at school, and I fell asleep. I was locked inside the school til morning!" Naruto ended his tale with his usual loud laughter and fox-like grin, as Ayame and Teuchi stared at him blankly with humored disbelief. Somehow they managed to believe him, even though part of them didn't care to have him elaborate. Teuchi chuckled, letting his absence and lateness slide as Ayame warned him half-heartedly not to do that again. At least the falling asleep part, and getting locked up inside the school. That was kinna silly, even for him.

Naruto rolled up his sleeves, and tied his uniform apron over his school uniform, instantly falling into the routine of cooking and preparing ramen. Ayame took notice of the baggy black hat that Naruto was wearing, but didn't ask about it. Instead she noticed something more apparent and obvious.

"Naruto-kun?" She asked, turning to him from the pasta dough.

"Hm?" He vaguely uttered, concentrated on chopping the vegetables, never picking his head up.

"Where's the bike?" Ayame asked. Suddenly Naruto stopped, holding the knife against the wood, a sprig of leeks nearly cut. He picked his head up, staring at nothing while he pulled his thoughts together, only to become alarmed.

"Aw Man! I forgot it! It's still at the school!" Naruto shouted, repeating _'Baka! Baka!'_ over and over in his head again. Second day in a row, he left the bike at the school. And this time he probably couldn't just go through the unlocked school gates.

"Maa maa! Don't worry, I'm not disappointed! I was just making sure you still had it." Ayame eased with a smile, only making Naruto feel a little bit better. He still couldn't believe he forgot it though, and he wished he hadn't.

They continued working in mild silence, greeting customers, serving them, that whole bit. Ayame smiled at the ramen dish, made with care. She was happy to think that he had gotten alot better at cooking the noodles, though she couldn't help but think that he could learn to cook other dishes as well if ever they had the time. He was still living alone, as far as she knew, so she doubted he ate anything that wasn't already prepared for him. It just didn't seem healthy.

She glanced up at him, taking notice of the black hat again and wondered when he started wearing it or why. She thought it looked kinna funny, how it was baggy in the back, how it contrasted with his bright blonde hair, lazy strands sticking out and flattened around his face, the visor shadowing his face; you could barely tell it was him at a glance.

And then she really wondered why he was wearing it.

With a mischevious giggle, she snuck over by him, discreetly lifting her hand to the back of his head, she plucked the hat off and ran away. Naruto shot up to attention, eyes wide and surprised.

"Oi! Give it back!" Naruto shouted, sounding like a delinquent, only making Ayame giggle more.

"A hat, why do you need this hat?" Ayame laughed, pulling it higher out of his reach, keeping it away from him; they kind of looked like brother and sister. Naruto didn't want to rough house for it back, but he really couldn't allow for this to go on for long.

"_Akan_! M-My ears are cold!" Naruto blurted out, a funny smile crossing across Ayame's face. She gave it back to him, still with that funny smile.

"Did you just say '_Akan'_?" She asked with an unusual fascination in her voice that kinda wierded Naruto out. He pulled the hat over his hair again, giving her this wary look.

"Um.. s-so?" He said vaguely, niether answering nor denying.

"Hee! Country bumpkin! I didn't know you spoke kansai!" Ayame's sudden excitement put Naruto off and worried him, feeling embarassed and exposed. He didn't mean to say that.

"I-I don't! And I'm no country stick!" He argued with her, though it came out as a boyish pout, bringing his hands to clutch at the hat as if trying to hide from her and it only made him seemer cuter. He could be so dopey sometimes, but hardly said or did anything that she could use to embarrass him with, usually he did that to himself anyways.

_'He fell asleep and got locked inside the school! That's so funny!'_

She laughed, having her fun.

"You are too a country boy! You said it yourself, when you first got here!" Ayame smiled widely at his disgruntled face, half hidden under the hat. Now he looked really funny!

"...Matsue wasn't all country.." Was all he said, making Ayame laugh.

"Okay, say something in kansai!" She couldn't help but be amused by this, it was so unexpected coming from Naruto, and he sounded so different when he said it, like a little delinquent. She really wanted him to say something else.

"No." Naruto refused firmly, getting a pout from Ayame.

"C'mon please..?" Ayame begged with clasped hands, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

"No, I'm don't wanna.." He threw back in a mutter, turning his head away, only hearing an unusually childish whine from his co-worker.

"PLEASE? I won't ask for anything else, just once!" She smiled, still prodding him with her eyes.

Naruto remained silent for awhile, he really didn't want to say anything else. He didn't normally speak it, just sometimes as slang. And alot of it he could only say in close circles, otherwise people got mad at him. But since Ayame and the old man were _Edokko_ (Tokyonites), maybe they wouldn't understand anything he said.

Still... He was reluctant. The altercation he had with that yakuza-wannabe still bothered him, he didn't miss the frightened looks on the pedestrian's faces; part of their fear was because of him, he had been the dominating aggressor in the fight and he had lost control in public. And just now he let his words slip again, he was becoming concerned if he spoke differently again.. would people start creating different opinions of him? Would they get scared too, or would they affirm him as an outcast?

Naruto actually never knew or found out that Sakio had told the class who he was, their former gossip had been stemmed from that disclosure and yet he never heard much of it, they managed to be really secretive, just as much as Sakio was.

That day of the fight, he had freaked out many of his classmates, he should be surprised that they eventually got over it. And he had been relieved and a bit grateful that they had stopped, though not much changed otherwise. But if he let his words slip, if he began to speak or act differently like that again, if what he had kept buried suddenly resurfaced, it would be unpleasant. They would become scared of him, and affirm him as someone to be avoided; just another outcast.

"Naruto-kun..?" Ayame prodded questioningly, still hoping to get a response from him and wondered what had made him so quiet.

And the only thing Naruto could think of to say, was the simplest phrase he knew, it rolled off his tongue so easily back then. He vaguely hoped she wouldn't comprehend.

"Nametenna-yo..."

"Huh?" Ayame blinked. He had said it so softly, she barely heard him.

"..Do digata ni kazana ho akeru faku..."

"N-Naruto-kun..?!" Ayame exclaimed in a small voice, hearing him that time. Naruto suddenly snapped out of it, he didn't even realize he was talking that time. What did he say? Why was Ayame looking so scared now?

""Why.. that's r-really scary. Wh-why w-would you say that?" Ayame asked him in a sad voice, her eyes wide and glistening. The way she was looking at him scared him too, and it hurt. What did he say? It came so easily to him, he didn't mean it, what did he say?

"What was that I just heard, boy?!" Teuchi shouted, glaring at Naruto. Naruto felt like he was being pushed into a corner, knowing he put this on himself, though he hadn't meant any of it.

"She.. Sh-she wanted me to say something in kansai!" Naruto shouted back defensively in a voice that wavered strength, currently lacking it. Great, they were mad at him! And Ayame.. she still had that sad fright in her face.

"That's wasn't kansai! That was vulgarity!" Teuchi shot back, waving a soup ladel in his hands, glaring disapprovingly at Naruto. He couldn't believe the words he heard, and he was deeply disappointed to hear Naruto talk in such an offensive manner.

"B-but.. How do you know what I s-said? Older people aren't supposed to--" Naruto blurted out, sweating slightly, worried about how they must think of him now. He couldn't even believe he said it, he hadn't even realized he was talking so aloud.

"I've been here long enough, I know what you young kids say these days! But nothing quite like that!" Teuchi scolded, his anger turning into a set in frown, still looking at Naruto in that disapproving manner.

"I best not hear that trash in my establishment again!" Teuchi warned him reproachfully, making Naruto flinch slightly. He glanced from Teuchi's frown to Ayame; her eyes would not keep on him, she avoided his gaze all together now. Somehow it kinna reminded him of that time, the day of the first fight, and Hinata couldn't look at him either. At least she hadn't right away.. But now Ayame still had this sad look on her face, and she just kept silent, just as the Ichiraku had become...

Just silent.

It was stifling and awkward, Naruto couldn't take the disappointment.. he was becoming worried.. that they would isolate from him now. At least that's how it felt right now.

It hurt him slightly, he wished she hadn't asked him, he wished he hadn't scared her. He didn't even realize he was speaking so aloud.

He gingerly picked up the knife, slowly returning to chopping, before letting out an audible murmur.

"..sorry..."

* * *

Mere daylight lit up the hallways in faded sunshine, the winter clouds never removing themselves from the sky, the citizens of Tokyo having not seen blue in so long. Hinata felt the same way. She hadn't seen Naruto's eyes in awhile, he would not keep contact with her. But part of her felt maybe it was her fault. She wasn't sure if they were really considered friends now, they never formally hung out together, like she did with Kiba. But she wondered if Naruto was mad, was he mad at her? And was it because of her hanging out with Kiba all the time? She couldn't help it, he was there, and she didn't know how to ignore him. Not that she would though. And she wasn't ignoring Naruto, but she never knew how to talk to him, or what to talk about. 

Suddenly a little memory came up in her mind from a couple months ago..

_"Wanna know what I like?" He grinned, leaning into her close. Eyes looking up at him from the road, it was the first time she looked at him all morning. _

_"No." She continued on passed him, as he just stood there in the middle of the street. _

_'Oh no!! What did I do?!'_ Hinata shouted regretfully in her head, feeling utterly embarrassed with herself. She couldn't believe she just did that! Did she really do that?! Did that actually happen?!

_'Uwaaa! I'm such a baka!! Why'd I say that?!' _Hinata slumped against a wall, bummed out at herself. She kept lighlty smacking at her forehead, over and over, and calling herself _'Stupid stupid! That was so rude! Stupid Hinata, how could you?!'_. She didn't realize the wierd looks she was getting from the students that passed by her in the halls.

She just sighed lightly to herself and continued for her homeroom.

* * *

Naruto was sneaking around the school halls. Lunch time was the only time that teachers weren't around to bug students, whom could wander freely around campus. He frowned disgruntled at the thought of teachers, those uppity pushy people, especially the old man. Naruto had been wearing the hat ever since so far, and normally even that is against dress code, a load of stupid b.s. Naruto thought. He figured Sakio would have chewed him out about it, but instead he just took one look at him and didn't say anything. Then Naruto knew it was because he was pleased. He was pleased that Naruto was hiding his hair, bright blonde and spiky, aside from his whiskers, it was the only thing that made him stand out. And it was obvious that someone like the old man valued conformity. Naruto could tell, he dealt with this kind of thing before. He just swore at him (in his head), irritated at his smugness. He probably felt like he won. Stupid bastard. 

Naruto didn't care though, he held high his own values, an ideal that still remained perfect in his mind; he would be the nail that sticks up, and he would never be hammered down.

He smiled to himself, feeling confident and a little cocky. It was like he said... He couldn't be beat.

He paused at the end of the hall, peeking over the corner. He brought his head back from peeking, took a readying breath, and quick turned the corner.

..Only to run into something.

"Itai!"

"Eep!"

Naruto grabbed at his forehead, wincing. He just looked over the corner, there was no one there! How'd he just run into someone?!

Naruto looked up through squinted eyes to see Hinata there, grabbing at her smarting forehead, a pink spot there.

"Anou... sorry, Hinata-chan." Naruto said sheepishly, with a half-hearted smile. Hinata merely nodding, still focusing on willing away the pain and surprise. She was also trying to hide the small tinge of pink on her cheeks, feeling utterly embarrassed with herself; partly because their head-on collision, partly because she felt awkward about the memory when she had snubbed him so rudely. It took her awhile to look at him fully, expecting him to be glaring at her or just looking at her dryly. But she was surprised when she saw the light-heartedness in his smile and eyes, and it made her feel a bit better.

And she smile a little too.

"I-I'm s-sorry too." She replied softly. It took her awhile to realize that Naruto was giving her a wierd questioning look.

"Sorry about what?" He asked, making Hinata jump slightly.

"A-anou... f-for running into you! Y-yeah! Sorry!" She giggled a bit, trying to seem casual, but only came off as slightly suspicious. She had been apologizing for the way she acted that long ago day, but obviously he didn't see that connection. And Naruto just shrugged off her embarrassed behavior with a nod.

It stayed quiet for awhile, before either of them spoke. Hinata saw the black hat, and wondered why Naruto was wearing it. She didn't like it that much, it looked kinna wierd on him. And not in the good wierd. She wondered if Naruto had considered the good wierd that other day.

"Anou..." She uttered softly, barely audible but it caught Naruto's attention, pulling him out of his thoughts. He had been thinking about how he was going to get out, he needed to skip school and not as if he wanted to.

He had to.

Hinata paused a little before speaking again; it was easier to see now, but you couldn't have tell from a glance (due to the hat and his hair shadowing his face), but she looked curiously at his bottom lip. It was split, a reddish line down the middle. How'd he get that?

"Where are you going?" Hinata asked, looking up at him with her large lavender eyes. The question caught him off gaurd, so did the look in her eyes, and he nearly forgot all that was going on, like none of this trouble was real. But the feeling didn't last. And Naruto had to think of something fast.

He brought his hand to lay behind his head, pausing in thought, and avoiding her eyes.

_'He's doing that again.. he's looking away. Why?'_ Hinata was worried, she couldn't help it, it just seemed like something was distressing him.

Suddenly he just let out a laugh and smiled wide, in his fox-like way, but winced slightly, his split lip stinging now.

"I'm heading to get some lunch!" He fibbed confidently.

"Oh.. but the bread sale ended thirty minutes ago. They sold out." Hinata replied pointedly, expecting Naruto to freak out about not getting any food. But he already knew they sold out. And he just let out another laugh and continued to smile.

"Oh really? That sucks, heh heh.." Naruto said casually, very non-chalant. Hinata found it a little odd, as she continued to observe him, but never understanding him. Was something going on? What was he hiding? He wasn't acting as natural as he thought he was, fooled by her complacent expression and lack of words or question. But whatever it was, that was going on, she let her questions go, and decided she could rely on his cryptic words from a couple nights ago.

_"I can't be beat!"_

Naruto was wondering how long he could hold this facade, it wasn't like he didn't mind Hinata's being there, but he was getting anxious. He needed to leave before the end of the period, that way he could sneak out without notice. He wasn't even sure how much time he had left. Last night he had a hard time finding Chiba Port. When he got there late, Kojiro had been so pissed and decided to rough him up as punishment. That's how he got the split lip. He supposed since he wasn't part of their clan, they could do whatever they felt like to him, as if nobody else would care.

Still curious about the hat, she was about to say something, her mouth halfway opened before something interrupted her thoughts.

"Oi, Hinata-chan!" called a voice from down the hall.

Hinata turned around at the call of her voice, both her and Naruto taking notice of Kiba waving at her.

Naruto sighed visibly his relief, his shoulders slumping in a relaxed manner and a tired almost sleepy expression on his face, as he smiled a little. Sure the wierdo got on his nerves alot, basically it just seemed like he was everywhere at once, whenever he was talking with Hinata. That's what irked him most he supposed, especially New Years night, he wouldn't have cared so much if he knew that the vampire would have been there. Maybe though he should have expected something like that to happen. But instead he just showed up out of nowhere, like now, almost like he always does, and it was just very obnoxious to him. But this time he didn't mind it, rather he was grateful.

"Looks like you're wanted again, Hinata-chan." He smiled lazily, getting anxious still about ditching school. Hinata nodded in acknowledgement, wordlessly telling Kiba 'One minute', before turning back to Naruto.

"I'll see you later then." She said in her natural sweet way, smilingly lightly, a soft warmth in her eyes. Her smile almost embarrassed Naruto, a sheepish hand behind his head. He laughed and smiled wide, an exaggeration of his facade, and nodded.

"Yeah, sure." He told her as she waved him goodbye and began walking over to Kiba.

Naruto doubted he would be back in time for 'later'.

Minutes later when Naruto made it out of the courtyard, he found the same blondish-red haired loser from the yakuza and yelled at him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?!?!"

* * *

It was nightfall, and Naruto realized that he had just skipped out on work again. He had been afraid to show up, to have to deal with more awkward isolation, he didn't like the feeling of being avoided. Guess he didn't have to experience that tonight then, but that didn't stop his other worries. 

What if they decided to fire him?

They wouldn't fire him, would they?!

What if they found out he was a yanki?

_"No proud manager would hire a yanki."_

Naruto let out a frustrated growl.

_'Aaah, damn that obnoxious red-headed bitch! She doesn't even know me, yet she managed to piss me off! Why does Hinata-chan hang out with her?!'_

Naruto kept the cycle of complaints to turn in his head, like a dirty water whirlpool, not even aware of his surroundings anymore. He knew he was in Kabuki-cho, his conscious mind focused on heading for the parlour.

A rush of cold wind passed through the populated night streets, snapping Naruto back to reality. His lip stung slightly and he was bummed out. But he was also irritated. He would have fought back, he could have defended himself better. But against his own will, and against his own desires, he knew better.

They owned him.

At least for now, they owned him. And they could put him down anytime they felt like.

The next thought soon depressed him.

No one knew him here, he had no family. If he died here, who would notice? And he knew no one would, no one would notice if he ever suddenly.. disappeared. He always hated the idea that his would be an unimportant death, and that's why he fought. But now, his situation was the opposite, and in order to live he couldn't fight.

All he had, here in this big city, was just himself.

He couldn't believe he was actually so lonely.

Naruto glanced beside him, not realizing that he made it to the parlour, the gaudy neon lights radiating out in the darkness, something else had his attention.

And it was a car.

A really sporty expensive looking car.

Naruto walked over to it, with awe and admiration.

It was a sleek black, a sporty luxury sedan. He wondered who owned such an awesome car, and why it was parked in such a rundown area as this, the backstreets of Kabuki-cho.

Naruto didn't realize how long he had been staring at the vehicle, trying to catch a glimpe of the interior (but the windows were tinted, and it was too dark outside), when a voice interrupted his apt concentration.

"You like the car?"

Naruto turned around to find Aomori looking at him with a quiet amused look in his otherwise monotonous face, Kojiro glaring at him with disdain, and two chinpira were also looking at him with amusement (the blonde-redheaded one smirking at him, secretly making fun of him in his head).

* * *

Naruto was enthralled with the car; the interior was spacious, and the seats were high-quality leather. They had a square screen between the two front seats, though Naruto didn't know what they used it for. Naruto had been a bit surprised to find the steering wheel on the left side of the car and not the right, even though he knew it was a foreign car, but Aomori knew how to drive it. The blonde-reddish haired chinpira, Reishi his name was, (upon finding it out last night at Chiba port), he had still been openly making fun of him. Naruto couldn't help it if he was acting like a kid about the car, he almost felt like shouting, his head a bit on overdrive as he tried some of the buttons. 

_'See?! I told Sasuke-teme that Yakuza have the best cars!'_ He shouted excitedly in his head, hiding his wild smile from the other two in the back, as he stared out the window and watched the world go by. He suddenly mellowed out, his smile dropping and replaced with a somberness that soon set cold in his heart. It felt too familiar, the memories and realization coming back to haunt him. For a moment it felt like he was back in his hometown, with his old teammates. For a moment it felt like his old friend was still with him, that he could see him tomorrow and tell him the things he learned with the Yakuza, just so he could laugh in his face about all the things he ever put down. He almost expected himself to just shout in his face with a laugh and say "I told ya so, ya cold bastard! Hahaha!".

But that wasn't the reality.

And the past couldn't be revived, couldn't restart itself for him, just so he could relive the better days of his worser self.

He leaned his hat-less forehead against the cold window, accepting life as it was.

Though it disappointed him immensely.

* * *

They arrived in the packaging district, of where.. Naruto didn't know. He hadn't been all that conscious during the car ride. There were several large warehouses, the cements docks covered in snow and gleaming ice, making it look like shining water under the moonlight. He followed the yakuza into the seventh warehouse, which Naruto found ironic, but shrugged it off, not wanting to dwell on the past. 

There were several crates loaded on pallets, metal racks lined up in neat aisles. Ropes and hooks hung twenty meters off the cieling, and from the I-beams. They continued further inside the warehouse, as Naruto took notice of a gathering of men in suits waiting patiently for Aomori-san and Kojiro-san, a single wooden crate standing to the side of them. They conversed in low voices, the men in suits discreetly handed Aomori a small scroll in exchange for the stack of yen Aomori handed discreetly to him. The man in the suit snapped his fingers, causing his men to disperse.

Naruto took a swift look around as the activities in the warehouse came alive, their business adjourned. The men in suits walked away, as other members of the yakuza began moving around the crates in the industrial lighting. Naruto jumped slightly when he heard a crack, the four-fingered chinpira Reishi had popped open the lone crate with a wild and eager smile.

"Sugoi! Look at this fucking shit!" He exclaimed, grabbing a hold of something. He pulled it out from the shadows and held it against the light, smiling at it with admiration much like Naruto had with the car. Except what Reishi held was semi-automatic hand gun.

"--the fuck?! Guns?! Y-you guys smuggled guns?!" Naruto blurted out, taken aback. Reishi just laughs out harshly at him, pinning him with a dark look, yet his smile was feral.

"What's your problem?" He just grinned, glancing at Naruto. Naruto didn't care much for guns, he thought they were weak. Police use them afterall. Dumbass officers.

"You wanna hold one?" He asked him, still with that smile that irked him. He was making fun of him, it was like he wanted to laugh more in his face. He handed out the gun in his hand, offering it to Naruto but he didn't want to take it.

"No. Don't they check fingerprints or something?" Naruto's question sounded so lame, even to him, and Reishi just laughed in his face, as if he had been holding it in.

"Don't be such a pussy." He grinned, shoving the mouth of the gun against the side of Naruto's head, thinking to himself _'If only I could..it'd be so easy... BANG! Ha! You'd be dead!' _.

Naruto stiffened at the hard and cold object against his head, adrenaline suddenly flowing through him, and his hand shot out for the crate. Reishi's provocation was pissing him off, he was just too cocky and disgusting. Naruto felt around the crate, wrapped his fingers against the waffle grip of the hand gun and shoved the mouth of the barrel at Reishi's crotch, cocking the hammer back; all of this happened in an instant. Reishi had been surprised at his speed, also that he was now looking at the same demonic eyes he saw witnessed yesterday, a zealous snarl coming across Naruto's features again.

"How about I just give you one?" Naruto threatened, his speech changed again. Reishi just let out a rauceous laugh, pissing Naruto off once more, but he wasn't afraid, he just continued to laugh at him. Oh, how easily he could change, this other him was very interesting.

"Dumbass! There's no fucking bullets in these guns! You seriously thought these were loaded?! Fucking idiot!" Reishi just continued to laugh, throwing his gun back in the crate with the rest of the smuggled arms. A furious growl came from Naruto's clenched teeth, his normal self returning, except his temper could not be kept. If he was still his other self, the four-fingered chinpira would be scared for his life, but instead all he could do was still laugh at Naruto.

"Shut the fuck up, you ass-rat!!" Naruto screamed, holding the gun backwards now so he could smack the hammer across his face, but he couldn't bring his arm forward, someone had stopped him. Naruto glanced up with surprised eyes; Kojiro was more pissed than last night, his hand on the unloaded gun.

"YOU STUPID SHIT! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Kojiro screamed in a grating and booming voice, as he tore the gun from Naruto's hand and swung it hard across his face. A searing pain shot in Naruto's cheek and the bridge of his nose, tears momentarily stung his eyes. He felt the blood run from his cuts, his hand quickly becoming coated in red, and all he could smell was the biting metallic tang.

"THESE AIN'T YOURS TO TOUCH!!" He screamed again, bringing the metal down on Naruto's bowed head.

"I'm sorry!!" Naruto cringed on the ground, grabbing at the erupted pain in head.

"YOU WANNA PLAY GAMES?! YOU THINK YOU'RE YAKUZA?!" He brought the metal down on his head again.

"N-no! I-I'm sorry--Aaah!" Naruto yelped at the pain, his sight was starting to become dizzy. He clutched at his head, he could feel the blood on his scalp, on his fingertips. He endured him, the yakuza struck Naruto a few more times, then dropped the gun onto the concrete and spat at his direction. Naruto could vaguely hear the chinpira Reishi laughing in the background, and he couldn't imagine what he did to deserve this. He felt hollow, just an empty shell full of pain. Kojiro forced him to his feet, picking him up by his arm and started dragging him back to the car.

Naruto wasn't sure if he blacked out, he mind barely conscious, his eyes barely registering. All he could recognize was the layer of blood on his hand, his face, and pain that made him weary.

He wasn't sure if he blacked out, because he suddenly found himself sitting against the dining room wall, amongst all the other gangsters, who were talking amongst eachother and drinking sake.

Naruto blinked a few times, his vision clearer now but his mind still slow. He wondered if this was how it was always going to be. It seemed ironic, as he saw someone hand him a cup of sake, it seemed ironic that he would be here.. with a group of outcasts who considered themselves a family, to actually be here, and to be offered their sake... it just seemed ironic.

Especially since he didn't want it anymore. He didn't want to be here.

He looked up from his tea cup, full of a milky liquid and saw the stoic face of Aomori. He nodded to him.

"It's yours, have some."

It was ironic.. at one point, this would have been a great moment in his life. To have their sake, meant to be accepted... what did this possibly mean to him now?

Not much, not as much as it would have back then...

He gingerly drank from the cup and let the sweet wine pass through his lips. The alcohol stung his split lip, reopening it and it bled a little more. Naruto swore through his aggravation, swiping away at the bit of blood.

It was then, amongst the men, that he knew he was different from the _katagi_.

Yet he was different from the _yakuza_ as well.

Like living on the fringes of heaven and hell all over again.

He was an outcast, even among the outcasted.

* * *

Star- Angst Angst Angst! I'm really sorry for what happened to Naruto at the end-ish.. but DON'T freaking try to kill me over it! Gawsh! (Sides... I cried writing that scene, so there! ;D) 

Liner Notes:

- Missing Pinky Man!: He is the same guy from last chapter, and four fingers in Japan, represents the Yakuza. Also.. his name is Reishi! He's 21 years old! And He sucks! I hate him! XD (Rei means spirit, and Shi sometimes means Four or Death. Death Spirit. Haha, I think it's a fake name he came up with for himself. Haha, badass loser.)

- Naruto has a demonic side?!: YEP! Except it's figurative for you know what! But there is NO Jinchuuriki stuff in this AU, otherwise that'd just be CONFUSING! X3

-Koitsu: Rude, Informal way of saying: You! (when referring to boys)

- Katagi: The Normal People; Civilians.

- Chinpira: A young Yakuza-wannabe. They live on the fringes of the gang world, but they are not official gangsters. Only when the Kumicho gives them sake, are they sworn in as true Yakuza members. But Reishi thinks he's a yakuza and he really wants to become one. He's so proud, he's a moron! Hahaha! XP

- Enjo Kosai: The prostitution of Japanese teenage girls, as in, what Naruto described he did as his first job.

- Yubitsume: They do cut joint by joint. But Reishi got is whole pinky chopped off. Why? Because he screwed up, and he was supposed to cut his pinky tip off so he could offer appeasement to the Kumicho, but he was being a self-centered coward, and chopped off another guys's whole pinky and tried to pass that off as his own pinky. His scheme was seen right through, and as punishment he lost his whole pinky in one fell swoop. what. a. loser. XP

- (O)meko:_ Meko_, Is Kansai dialect for... um... ...pussy. (blushes) Yesh, meko means that! and Omeko, is the feminime version of the word, because the women in Japan have to always say the O's.

- I wish the Charlie Haus was real. Heehee..

- Akan!: No! Kansai dialect for No! aka Iie! Naruto is not Kansai, but Matsue is right there from... Hiroshima I think. Anyways... Yakuza also speak kansai in their movies. And Naruto's reason for being used to speaking kansai is... yakuza movies. And because it's an informal language, very fitting of him, at least IMO.

- Nametenna-yo: Don't eff with me!!

- Do digata ni kazana ho akeru faku!: I'm going to rip open your fucking abdomen! Variation of "Do digata ni kazana ho akeruzou". Faku means "fuck", and akeruzou means "to open". Teens often shorten words and add "ru" at the end, because "ru" makes it an immediate verb. So I'd assume that "Akeru" still means akeruzou, just in informal slang. Why did Naruto say this? He didn't mean to! He wouldn't say this to Ayame, are you kidding me?! He was having a lapse or something, eheh!

- The sporty car!: It's a Maserati Qauttroporte Sport GT. I'm a hippy, I'm anti-car! And I don't know how to describe cars, so sorry for my vagueness! (argh!) And yes! The Yakuza do get the best cars, yo! ;D

- Yakuza smuggle American guns. Yes.. we suck.

* * *

I hope you sorta kinna at least a little itty bit liked this chapter. Happy Holidays Y'alls, I'll try to update as soon as possible! Thank You guys! Later Days! (review if you want to. :3 giggle) 


	21. Don't Give Up!

Star - I'm so so sorry that this took me longer than I would have liked, but school is a... ...loser. Anyways! So didja guys have a Happy Holiday? Mind was good, I already miss it. Only downside that happened was... that... I... found out my sister reads and likes NaruSaku... (twitch twitch). It bothered me, but I'll get over it I guess... NaruHina forever!!! Zutto zutto zutto!! XD Here's a hefty chapter, and stop calling me mean! Lol... 

Oh! And one more thing!** Remember** Naruto wears the hat during school, at the Ichiraku, and just outside the house in general. (Basically always, except for when around chinpira or the yakuza pachinko building.) Okay, get it? Got it? Good, let's get going! XD (Wow, I can't believe I'm up to chapter 21! Woot! 18,000 Hits! Woot! Thank you Everyone:3 Even though 7,300 of those hits are on my first chapter, ahem cough cough.)

(**Rated OT, For Older Teens - Ages 16 and Up - For Extreme Violence, Language, Sexual Content, and Drugs**)

Enjoi!!

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch. 21 - Don't Give Up

Hinata took a good look at the sullied dress that lay in her lap. The entire back had been ripped in twane, straight down the middle, with the threads poking out every which way. The blotch of muddied water still remained as a stain on the back of the skirt, where she had fallen on her butt. She remembered feeling so scared about being exposed, about being found out. She hid herself from everyone else that didn't know her, and she couldn't help but wonder if Naruto felt the same kind of fear.

And what it was that he hid from... or hid from other people.

* * *

It's been little over a week... 

Naruto had no idea where he stood in his debt, nor how much he made with the Yakuza. There had been a couple times that they refused payment, saying that the job did not qualify for the amount of debt he owed or some sort of shit like that. It was frustrating, as if his efforts were in vain or that they just liked to toy with him. He was constantly at odds with the bastard Reishi and constantly under the mercy of Kojiro. He became used to the yakuza gangsters there, yet cared for none of them. The only thing he had to look forward to and loosely enjoy was the food and sake when they would just carouse on the floors in the dining room.

Naruto waited for his cup to fill as he absentmindedly ate takoyaki, the men talking amongst eachother in their low voices. Some of the leaders were away, and Naruto doubted he would get assigned a mission this night. He wasn't sure if he minded this time. He just kinna sighed, knowing he was just killing time here, mooching off their cheap food and sweet wine, as the rest of them wasted his time. The company was rough, but Naruto felt that he had actually dealt with worse before. Gangsters or not.

"I don't know why you refuse to join. You'd actually get to keep the money you're making, not just pay it back." Reishi told him pointedly with a bored look on his face, his cheeks not yet flushed with alcohol.

Naruto just wordlessly scoffed, not caring in the least. If he wanted to become yakuza, he meant what he said when he said he could do better; they weren't even a clan, just a small group, freelancers. (They didn't even have the respect or protection of the clan yakuza.)

"It's a joke." Naruto said under his breath, Reishi barely hearing him yet became annoyed.

"What?" He glared suspiciously at him, but Naruto said nothing more, just taking safe sips of his sake.

It would be a joke to join them, and it was a joke that they considered themselves a family when they weren't even a clan group. Only clan groups have that honor, and as such Naruto felt he deserved only the best and would only join in a real family. Not just another group of criminals hiding behind the name of Yakuza, when they did not even deserve it themselves.

The alcohol soon worked its way to ease the discomfitures in his body, old and the recent, and he took another sip.

He had to be done with them by now if not soon, it's been little over a week.

How long could they possibly keep him?

* * *

School, and Naruto layed slumped at his desk, his head in his arms. He didn't feel like getting lunch, most likely by now missing the bread sale again. Hinata sat with Kiba, eating lunch at her desk, talking about... whatever, Naruto didn't know. He hardly payed attention to their inane conversations. 

Except Hinata started making little sounds, like whining or complaining. Naruto kept his head down. Kiba gave her an inquisitive look, pausing mid-sentence.

"You okay?" He asked, but Hinata just shook her head lightly, holding a hand over her nose.

"I smell cigarettes." She whispered over her hand, trying to keep her affliction on the down low, not wanting to be rude.

Naruto tensed in his seat.

"Really?" Kiba looked around, surprised he didn't smell it or hadn't noticed it. But he knew it wasn't him.

"Mm, like the really bad kind." Hinata mumbled, trying to avoid it. She looked at her sugary fruit cup with wistful annoyance, she really wanted to eat it, but the smell...

Kiba gave her another look, her annoyance increasing as she winced and squinted her eyes in disgust.

This situation was becoming awkward for Naruto. He just realized it was him, because he hung out in the headquarters, it was him she was smelling. His uniform was wrinkled and dirty, he never got the chance to wash it lately. It was really embarrassing that she was saying this in front him.

_'Oh damn, oh damn..'_

"..ugh, it's so gross..." Hinata mumbled again, holding her sleeves to cover her nose, making Kiba laugh a little.

"Alright!" Kiba shouted to the whole class, getting their attention. "Whoever here smokes, you chose a really shitty brand!" He ended with a laugh, the rest of the class giving him dry looks as they sweatdropped. Hinata blanched, surprised that Kiba just did that. Naruto just wanted to hit him for saying that so aloud, wanting to shout 'What the hell man?!'.

"Mou, Kiba-kun..!" She scolded though it sounded more like a weak pout, feeling embarrassed by his behavior. Kiba just laughed again.

"I'm just kidding. Hey, c'mon.. we can go bother Shino at his classroom." He grinned, picking up their lunches as he walked for the classroom door, Hinata following behind him.

Naruto relaxed visibly, kinna glad she was gone. That was way too embarrassing.

Naruto just sighed.

_'..what the hell man...'_

* * *

"It's you." 

Naruto stiffened.

"Wha-what?" Naruto turned to Hinata, bewildered. She just craned her head to the side, always with that soft face of hers, never a harsh expression nor change in nuance. She seemed rather together these days, like consistent. Not moody.

"Naruto-kun, you don't smoke do you?" She asked simply, peering up at him curiously, yet Naruto felt as if he had been accused and branded of something foul. Afterall, she couldn't stand it earlier.

"N-no! Are you k-kidding?!" Naruto laughed nervously, a hand behind his head. This was so awkward, why'd this have to happen?!

"So then why.." Hinata trailed off, soon interjected by Naruto, his response hasty and the words tripping over their feet as they tried to run out of his mouth at the same time.

"Anou! It must be from work! You know those smokestack people puff like a _maajafakuru-da_!" Naruto didn't realize how loud his voice had gotten, several classmates around giving him odd and wary stares. Hinata just stood there, looking at him blankly.

"Maaja...faku..ru..da?" Hinata said aloud in a questioning voice, having no clue what Naruto just said. Naruto suddenly tensed visibly, resembling a statue full of awkwardness. He just realized that he let his words slip again. (And that Hinata totally said a bad word, and didn't know it.)

"I'll see ya later Hinata-chan." Naruto just curtly waved her off with a stiff smile and ran off, leaving a confused and bewildered Hinata behind.

* * *

He'd been doing this for awhile now. 

Naruto was forced to pair up with Reishi and another chinpira, as they followed a member of the parliamentary cabinet, the Minister for Foreign Affairs. It was said that he was in connection with several black market groups, hoarding in thousands of illegalities. And the Matsuraba-kai wanted to get a hold of this particular black market trade.

Only way to get an official to agree to anything was to threaten his reputation, his livelihood; they were going to black-mail him, _s__ō__kaiya_, an old racketeering tactic.

Thus Naruto was sent to spy. Four days following around this old fart, and still had nothing to show for it. Typically Naruto had nothing better to do, but nothing was actually better than this...

A breath of moisture hung in the air before moving up and away with the wind. Naruto's fingers were cold, his toes were cold. They staked outside a rundown building, hiding in the back alleys. This was where they followed the politician last and had been waiting out for the past three hours since. Naruto was bored, cold and irritated. He squatted on the ground, leaning against the soggy brick wall. Reishi sat on a wooden crate across from him, smoking his eigth cigarette in a listless manner, a monotous chain of one slowly killing himself. The other chinpira was usually quiet, he kept to himself. He was just a year older than Naruto, and he allowed himself to sit on the wet dirty ground, patiently letting the time pass. But Naruto couldn't help but feel like they had been played for suckers, he never liked waiting.

Something had to give.

Reishi threw down his cigarette butt and lit up a new one. Naruto let out a little grunt in his throat, scoffing at him.

"Your cigarettes smell like shit." Naruto told him straight, leaning further against the wall, and flexed his toes in his shoes. He was trying to get back some feeling. Reishi just let out a wheezy little laugh, grinning toothily.

"Fuck you, moron." He coughed, still grinning at the ground.

"The hell are we expecting anyways?" Naruto asked him pointedly, letting an exasperated sigh escape him. Reishi just shrugged, much to Naruto's indifference.

"Who knows? Anything really."

"We've already stalked the old prick all over Tokyo; realty offices, love hotels, whorehouses." Naruto shrugged again, his neck and shoulders were feeling sore with fatigue. "Dude's married, and he's screwing around. Why the hell doesn't that count as blackmail?" Naruto pinned Reishi with a look, expecting him to answer.

"Because nobody give a crap about adultery." Reishi told him cooly, exhaling smoke out of pursed lips, as if he were whistling.

"Yeah?" Naruto craned his neck, then let out a sound of disdain. He knew the answer to be true, he barely caught of glimpse of monogamy, of faithful couples. Didn't seem like love existed, so what did such things like marriage matter? It just became another forgotten word, abused to the point that it hardly had anything to do with love anymore. And it sucked worse for their children, but such a thing became so disappointingly commonplace that once again.. nobody cared.

"Well then we're not going to catch him in the act of any illegal business, not if we're just sitting out here." Naruto commented outright, feeling like he had the most common sense in the group. But Reishi was soon becoming annoyed with his insistence. He felt Naruto always complained one way or another, it was getting annoying. Like a yapping dog or something. He wanted him to shut up. The younger chinpira Enoki, he never said anything, always polite; it'd be so much better for the both of them, if Naruto was just _quiet_.

"Quit your bitichin' brat." He sighed, smoke coming out all at once, like a large puff of steam.

"I just don't see why we don't sneak in! 'stead of lyin' here in the freakin' cold! We've been doin' this four days straight!" Naruto raised his voice, pushing himself off from the wall. He shot him a glare and began to move deliberately for the end of the alley way, back to civilization.

"Where'd you think your going, huh?!" Reishi shouted from the crate that he sat on.

"Like you should care!" Naruto turned around, standing in the streetlights and casted a shadows across the wet asphalt. He stuck his middle finger a Reishi, just glaring defiantly at him. Rieshi got pissed, throwing his cigarette down.

""Whad'ju say, stupid bastard?!" Reishi bellowed, his voice hoarse from smoking so much. Naruto was already in a loose battle stance, as the older chinpira walked menacing up to him.

"You wanna fight me?!" Naruto yelled out, a provocative threat, his fists raised slightly. Reishi spat at the ground, pointing a wiry finger at Naruto, his eyes hard though brash.

"I'll put a hole in your head, like I should've that other night!"

Other harsh words were exchanged in the still air, both soon ready to have at eachother, as if pent up since day one. The younger chinpira had become used this, he wasn't put off or worried. But he knew that sooner or later their bickering might escalate, Reishi hardly bluffed.

Foosteps could be heard, even amongst the ruckus the two miscreants were creating, a torrent of swears and threats. Enoki, the younger chinpira, swiftly took a deft peek over the corner of the building and he saw someone approaching. He quickly got to his feet, trying to catch his temporary teammates' attention. He interrupted their arguement with quick dissolve, rushing up to Naruto (and despite protests) pulled him to sidle up against the walls, blending with the shadows.

Naruto was bewildered and irritated at first, having been previously caught up, but he stopped when he finally acknowledged the footsteps. They all remained silent, a shadow on the sidewalks grew closer and darker with more shape and definition to it. It was the man they had been the following, the politician.

He was looking at his hands, rubbing at them, as if trying to rid them clean of something. Amongst the increase contrast of light and shadow on the man's face, Naruto could see the wrinkles and distress lines marr his face, and his eyes were deeply morose.

Naruto's eyes immediately grew wide, lucky for them they remained undetected.

The politician.. his white business shirt.. it was stained.

And his hands were stained as well.

But it was hard to tell, the stains looking rather black in the mix of shadows and neon lights.

The politician disappeared, muttering to himself, as he hid his hands inside his heavy overcoat, Naruto and Enoki knew what they saw, and both suspected the same thing.

Enoki signalled to Reishi to follow him, all finally deciding to sneak into the rundown building, expecting utter vacancy, they would not be caught.

It was an old abandoned building, a rundown apartment that probably hadn't been used since the mid eighties. The walls were peeling and faded, the floors were creaky and worn. The windows were dirty, some were barred up. Several rooms were missing doors or were splintering. The whole place was retro and shoddy. Devoid of life and most of its furniture.

It was several floors high, but the elevator was out of order. They found, under the yellow lighting, drops of red that proceeded alongside the wet red footprints the politician had left, and they followed it all the way up the set of stairs at the end of the building.

It took them four floors, and the blood seemed to increase the closer they got to the start. Naruto looked at it all with wide eyes, wondering what made that or how it even got there. Was the man stupid enough to smear his hands against the walls, against the floors? He could smell it now, so familiar, it didn't bother or digust him though.

"C'mon, over here." Reishi gestured his head, pointing towards a door left ajar. In the yellow light, blood was smeared on the door knob with miniscule wrinkles of the brass still showing through. Reishi pushed against the wood of the door, letting out an odorous wind, like tangy metal, to leak out and contaminate the already stale air.

A red hand print there, a disturbed smear of blood to the side; a dead body lay in a pool of her own blood.

They walked closer up to her, her large black eyes looking up at them. Reishi and Enoki seemed unaffected by this, as they just walked around the bled out corpse.

She lay in a crooked and unnatural position, her head lay on her right arm, and her upper body faced the door in alignment to her head. But her lower body was facing the other way. Maybe as if the politician had tripped over her body or on her blood before he left or upon the fact of her death. It was unsure. There was a tie wrapped around her neck, the ligature marks were purple and reddish, and her head appeared slightly swollen. Perhaps she was choked before being stabbed messily several times.

"Why'd you suppose he did that?" Enoki asked allowed, though was looking towards Reishi, who remained examining the corpse unabashed. He recognized her.

"Hey man... this is one of his prostitute girlfriends.." Reishi trailed off, somewhat in amazement as he shook his head. He then grinned, in that boorish and feral way of his.

"This is awesome. Oi, Enoki! Hand me the camera!" Reishi let out a little chuckle, as Enoki threw it to him, and he began taking several quick photos, delighted and eager all the while.

"Ha, no way he's getting out of this one. He'll be at our mercy."

Naruto was perturbed as the shutter and clicks went off one right after another, continuously. He couldn't take his eyes away from her, from her frozen black eyes, dead horror and sadness remained that would never go away. She just lay there, and he felt like no matter where in the room he went, she'd still be watching him, as she was now. Her little red dress was gaudy and wrinkled, hiked up past her hips, her black hair held in a ponytail. He stared at her a little longer til he almost thought he could see her crying. He took a step back, blinking rapidly, finally able to look away.

Reishi continued to take photos, the shutter's light bouncing off the walls, making it very bright then very dark for an instant.

"He's going to come back, we should go soon." Reishi stated aloud, putting the camera in his jeans pockets. Naruto was just busy trying to keep his eyes on the wall, yet he could feel hers bore into his back.

"Why would he come back?" Enoki turned to Reishi questioningly, recieving a mild glare from him.

"What do you think?" Reishi looked at him significantly, then glanced at the put off Naruto. He felt so cold and weak, and his skin tingled yet felt sore, like that feeling you get after you've puked and your body shakes. He couldn't stop the shaking in his hands. His mind would go in circles then stop completely, unable to comprehend any of this. Was this right? Or wrong? Shouldn't he do something? Or did it not matter anymore? He couldn't help but feel like if only he knew, he would have tried to stop this.

This whole time he had been waiting outside while she got brutalized... choked to death then stabbed, marred over and over again..

What the hell was he doing here then?

"Man up already. No one's going to care about some bitch." Reishi told him directly, in a harsh and unforgiving tone. Naruto took in what he said with a listlessness. No one would care? Just because she was a prostitute? And they would just let the politician get away with it, as if he mattered more or something. And they were exploit her death against him, but they would only use his guilt for their gain and not once with any sympathy or righteousness for her. Was this really what the yakuza were like? Or maybe it was just these guys.. so callous in the face and fact of life and death. Then again people are expendable. But why did it have to be that way?

It just wasn't fair. And he couldn't help, as he exited the room with the two, he couldn't help but feel some sort of attachment to her death. It was like some of the thoughts he used to have when he was younger, when he would stare at the cieling and mull over his life, that his death would be just as insignificant as her, just as unimportant. No one would care for her? Just like no one would care for him, right?

Cold and sick, Naruto realized that he was a witness to a murder and there was nothing he could do about it.

He had to bury his guilt and confliction once more.

So far, it had been the only way he could cope.

* * *

He didn't feel like he was here. He felt so detached from everyone, and the images of the blood and her sad glass eyes would not leave him. Today he was the most silent kid in the class. Ukue noticed, but never approached him. Hinata noticed but never got the chance to talk to him. And she was afraid to speak, he was so different today... she wasn't sure what to say, what to ask him, or if she should ask him anything. She didn't want to bother him, he seemed to have alot on his mind already. 

She decided to go visit the RN's office during lunch, Kiba wasn't in school today anyways.

She stood in the classroom doorway, studying the unusually quiet Naruto. Everything about him seemed repressed and withdrawn, he was utterly uncommunicative. She remembered how he looked this morning, she had greeted him with a small smile, and he just quickly looked away and biked ahead without her. She didn't understand what that was about. And his eyes were so unexpressive, so different than she ever seen.

Even now, he just sat there, not moving at all. Just staring out the window.

This change in him made her heart tighten though the twinge went unnoticed. She remembered some of the days he would come in with bandages, his face half covered once. That was several days ago, she tried to ask him about it, though it seemed intrusive of her, but he had just given her a little smile and walked away. As if she had nothing to worry about. But she did. And she remembered the days that Naruto would constantly disappear in the middle of the day and never come back. And she never knew where he went off to.

And the school has been talking every now and then about the chinpira that stalked all day outside of the school, their classroom talking the most about it, creating theories and sharing thoughts as to why he was here in the first place, and wishing he would just go away. He made all the girls frightened.

She remembered when he had first been here, and he followed Naruto that day.

Hinata had no idea what was happening with him. Was he getting into fights? How could he smile like that, why'd he have to act so strong? And at times he would just avoid her all together. His recent distant behavior just seemed to increase over the days... Didn't he have anyone to talk to?

She turned away, determined to help him somehow.

She remembered that one day when Naruto met the nurse, but it turned out that they knew eachother. Considering whatever their relationship was, it was worth a shot to talk to her about him.

* * *

Hinata walked delicately, as if avoiding eggshells. She couldn't help but feel cautious about approaching her, she was so... big and fiery, Hinata just felt so small when around her. She was kinda nervous. 

"A-anou..." Hinata stepped inside, mumbling and taking little looks around. Shizune looked up from the papers on her desk, to give her a dismissive look.

"May I help you?" She asked her somewhat in a demanding tone, making Hinata a bit more nervous. She wasn't sure if she was bothering anybody or not, she didn't want to, she wasn't trying to. But Shizune's mild insistence made her intentions more deliberate at least.

"I n-need to speak with, um, the nurse.. please?" Hinata asked softly, fiddling with the end of her shirt, just like the last time she had been here. But last time, she had been with him. And he had been talkative and smiling, nothing like who he was today.

It took Shizune awhile before she nodded her head, and gestured with a sweeping hand that she may enter. Hinata bowed her thanks to the women with short black hair and walked into the area with the beds. She took a step back when she saw the same blonde headed woman sleeping on one of the beds. And she had no idea what to do about it.

She turned her head and heard a chair push back. Shizune got up from the desk and with a half-hearted sigh, walked towards the sleeping Tsunade.

"Ne, Tsunade-hime.." Shizune sighed again when no response. She walked over to her, and tapped her on the shoulder. She tapped her again. Then she started shaking her lightly. She sighed again when Tsunade started snoring a bit. She still had a blush on her cheeks from all that sake and beer she drank. (Which was completely against school policy, but none of the teachers ever come in here. And she never conversed with any of them.)

"I'm really sorry about this." Shizune gave Hinata a sheepish smile, before turning back to glare at Tsunade, who shouldn't have been drinking. Shizune then reached a hand over Tsunade's hair, pinched her fingers and pulled.

"IYA!!" Tsunade shouted, rolled straight off the bed with a disgraceful thud. Amidst her drunken and sleep-filled glaze, she looked up as Shizune like she had been betrayed.

"What?!" Tsunade barked, still sitting on the ground. Shizune met her glare with one of her own, both exasperated.

"You have student here that wants to speak with you." She told her, recieving a confused look from the older women.

Hinata had just stood there awkwardly, never moving, waiting to be noticed or waiting to be escorted out, whatever they wanted her to do. Tsunade finally noticed her, sweeping her half-glazed eyes over the bed. She nodded then gestured with her hands, telling her wordlessly to come over.

Hinata didn't walk far, just met her halfway. She fiddled with her shirt a bit more, wondering what words to say.

"Well, what is it? Are you sick, you need to lie down? Band-aids? Tampons? What?" Tsunade asked her impatiently, causing both black haired women to blush embarrassed at the last word.

"N-no.. it's um.." Hinata mumbled to herself, the women hardly hearing her, and Tsunade sighed to herself, hoping to get this little intrusion over with.

"It's about.." Hinata paused, craning her head slightly to the side. "..Naruto-kun."

The single breath of his name and Tsunade's eyes widened, the glaze disappeared slightly, perplexion filling her. It was silent for awhile, Hinata observed the way Tsunade just sat there, taken aback and left pausing. She never said anything until she sighed loudly. She pressed her hands against the mattress of the bed, and brought herself to her feet.

Tsunade just kept her eyes on the floor, no thoughts in her head, she moved around the room aimlessly though was deliberate to avoid the girl and her talk completely. Hinata did not catch nor suspect this. Shizune wasn't sure what she was doing either, just walking around the room and never replying to the girl.

"Tsunade-hime.. it's about him." Shizune said in a quiet voice, wondering if Tsunade knew this or not. She could still be heavily drunk.

But no, that was not it. Tsunade did still have the alcohol in her system, her cheeks still flushed slightly red. But she had woken up, and she had heard Hinata. But she didn't want to talk, not anymore. She really had hoped she was just here for tampons, or something simple like that.

"Tsu-Tsunade-san.." Hinata stuttered the name, unsure if she was allowed to say it, but she didn't know her last name. "I um, I had hoped that you could help him, considering your relationship--" Hinata's small voice was instantly murdered by the biting harshness in Tsunade's, her honey brown eyes were emotional and furious.

"Help him?!" Tsunade shot Hinata a derisive look. She couldn't believe she just heard that! He needs help, her help?! What the hell did he do this time!? She didn't even want to know, she didn't want to care. He always acted so tough, so proud. He never asked for help before, he never did anything to earn it and he never wanted it. She never understood what or who he was trying prove back then, and he didn't seem much different since then.

But how much change did she honestly expect from him? It'd only been two years.

And in truth... she never knew how to help him, she would just let him do what he wanted.

The same old shit with him, and she couldn't put her mind around it anymore.

She didn't know how to help him.

Hinata had been surprised and frightened by Tsunade's red faced reaction. She didn't understand why that kind of reaction, why she became so incensed. Maybe she was mistaken about their relationship? She thought they were family, but maybe they weren't. But then again her own father cared little of her, so maybe.. it was the same for Naruto?

_'Oh... Naruto-kun..'_ She kept her pale eyes on the fuming Tsunade, she could feel her chest tighten.

Tsunade let out another deep sigh, returning to sit on a bed, a ceramic bottle of sake in one hand (much to Shizune's chagrin). The fiery blonde hung her head, after taking a swig, she doused out her flame in alcohol, seemingly her one vice.

"Go back to class please."

* * *

Hinata was forced to leave the RN's office, dissatisfied and disappointed. She was forced to watch Naruto leave on his bike when the day had ended, unchanged and uncommunicative. She had failed to help him. That's how she felt and it affected her deeply. If she had felt this way a couple months ago, she would have freaked herself out, wondering why or when she suddenly cared so much. But she hadn't noticed the changes in the way she felt or viewed him, she just knew she couldn't stand him being this way. 

She couldn't leave him like this.

He just wasn't himself anymore.

* * *

"What the hell is that?" Naruto looked at the food with derisive disappointment, thinking it looked like something he had for breakfast. 

"It's natto." One of the yakuza answered him gruffly, indifferently. Oh, then it was what he had for breakfast. Not even ramen, Naruto didn't know why he had of all things, natto in his fridge. But then he remembered a far off day when Ayame had went out impromptu shopping, purchasing his groceries. He had been grateful, eventually emptied his fridge til nothing but the lame little soy beans remained.

Naruto just pushed himself away from the dining table to slump against the wall, a small sake bottle in hand, not feeling hungry.

"You gunna be a brat about food, you can just feed your own damn self." The older man, with his hair slicked back, glared mildly at Naruto, impatient with his impudence.

"...there a reason why your food sucks so much?" Naruto shot in an indifferent yet smartass tone, upsetting several of the older men in the room. The man pushed himself from the floor, pointing a stub-like finger at him, and his mouth set in a thin-lipped snarl.

"Just get out of here!" He barked, Naruto already getting up to leave. Naruto walked past them, pausing lazily by the door, the rest of the room watching him and waiting for him to leave as he was told. But Naruto was discreetly eyeing the unclaimed sake bottles on the mahogany. He quickly shot his hand out and grabbed them, startling and incensing the room in a noise of yells and indignant swears, Naruto already bolting for the door. One of the yakuza tried to grab him, but Naruto was too quick.

"Damn sneak!"

He grinned secretively to himself in the darkness of the hallway, feeling somewhat victorious. He didn't care about much at this point, if they weren't going to be straight and clear off his debt, then he would just take what he wanted, try to make the best of it, wasn't like they had anything else of savory importance. He felt that he deserved it more than them, that he was obligated to own whatever people said wasn't his. He still felt he deserved every bit of the same as anyone else.

Footsteps made their way down the hallway, as Naruto purposely dropped his smirk and hid the sake bottles behind his back, feigning innocence in front of the yakuza that walked past him, eyeing him suspiciously through narrowed eyes, as if silently warning him not to be a fool or mess around. Another man and three boys (roughly his age), followed behind the Yakuza, into the dining room. The man nor his subordinates took no notice of him, Naruto only glanced at the man who had a strangely pleasant smile on his lips. Naruto was wary of him, something about him creeped him out.

Once they disappeared into the dining room that he got kicked out of, he just smirked again to himself, still feeling rather proud of himself.

"Oi! Is that brat still out there??!" A yakuza shouted to the men that just entered. Naruto just laughed quietly to himself, taking a quick swig, enjoying the sweet taste and figuring he had to get something in his stomach, after barely not eating all day.

A few more words were exchanged that went unnoticed by Naruto.

He sat on the floor, hidden in the shadows and staked outside the dining room, not yet realizing a meeting was going on, the voices filtered low out of the ajar shouji door.

"From Makai-san." One of the younger yakuza said, placing several little plastic packages on the table. The Yakuza looked up at him calculatedly, before looking at the powder filled packages.

"The devil himself.." He smirked musing to himself, before becoming serious. "Why?" He said demandingly, scrutinizing the newcomers with a hard look.

"Well he's been a reliable partner of ours." The man that came in with the three boys, said smiling.

"Ours??" A few yakuza chorused, now looking at him with suspicion.

"Oh I'm sorry, we haven't properly introduced, though I've made my business known to your Kumicho as it is." He started out, the suspicion growing stronger. "Daiuchi Ihana."

The room turned into an uproar, loud and abrupt. The man just smiled pleasantly.

"What?! A Hayakuro-kai member?!" The shout was heard clearly from where Naruto sat, the yakuza's words and inflection causing him to be interested. Naruto shuffled a bit closer to the door, peering through the light in the room.

_'Wonder what the hell's goin' on..'_

"Has Makai been dealing behind our backs?!"

The younger yakuza from before put his hands up, settling their indignations with a calming gesture, though the rest seemed unconvinced to trust this member of another yakuza group.

"Do not be furious at Makai, Kumicho had given him permission to do so."

"Why?! Who else has he been providing our drugs!?"

Naruto's eyes widened, now trying to focus on the little packages on the table, but barely able to see from his current angle.

"Maa maa.." The younger yakuza trailed off, the smiling dealer taking it from there.

"Don't look at this as some sort of great betrayal, look at this as a business proposition." He smiled, suddenly his features turning cold, his thin slits for eyes revealing glittering and devious black, and his smile widening toothily.

"I have access to the largest supply of quality _goods_, The Kamaguchi-gumi's _goods_. Thanks to your friend Makai. Should you agree, you'll have all you ever wanted." He explained with a dark way about him, his smile fiendish and toothy.

"Agree to what exactly..?" The man bit out warily, still scrutizing him with narrowed eyes.

"Why, the merging of groups, of course." The man smiled, hiding the darkness in his eyes beneath closed eyelids. Naruto continued to sit there, spying, finding all of this interesting yet troubling. The Kamaguchi-gumi was the largest and most powerful running yakuza group, their headquarters base residing in Kyoto. Even if they merged, they wouldn't be able to stand a chance against them, they were entering shaky ground.

They were morons if they thought this would work..

"How do you expect to go through with this?" The yakuza was slowly convinced, not by much, but was interested in the idea. At least this way it wouldn't be just their asses on the line, if this ever got shot to hell, the Hayakuro-kai would fall as well. At least the yakuza would make sure of it.

"Makai will supply us with the Kamaguchi-gumi's drugs, we'll sell them as if it's our own."

"Will that work?" Another yakuza looked to him anxiously. He turned to him straight, his smile disappearing.

"The Kamaguchi-gumi only trusts Makai-san. They think he is just a dealer, with no ties with the yakuza. They believe that they own him." He said in a steady voice, many other yakuza nodding, becoming used to the idea, some others did not respond.

"I will request one of your chinpira though." The smiling dealer said half-heartedly, looking straight out of the door left ajar, causing Naruto to jump hastily away. The dealer continued, finishing with a smile. "Any one will do."

Naruto got to his feet and walked away, worried that the dealer had been looking at him, afraid that he was caught or seen.

One of the yakuza nodded with consent, saying there was still more to be discussed but recessed their business for another time.

* * *

It started to snow, the January night air was frigid and calm. Naruto peered into the black night sky, the snow drifting down, getting caught in his hair, his clothes, touched his skin like cold little shocks before melting away. 

He was alone at this point but it was nice.

But once he had to look back down, it wasn't so nice anymore. Remembering where he was, just standing outside the back alley of the pachinko parlour, the Matsuraba-kai hideout hovering just two stories above him, he pulled at the figurative chain that had been fastened around him, unable to break free.

He had been so upset when he heard the news, the Yakuza were handing him over to the Hayakuro-kai just like that, they made him their new little drug mule. He didn't think he ever felt so used, so underminded and so insignificant. He didn't want to work for another group, it wasn't his obligation nor his priority. His priority was getting the hell out of here, with as little trouble as possible. But they were just making it harder for him, and he couldn't understand why they would do that.

Why couldn't they just let him go already?

It was going to be harder to stay out of trouble now, Naruto knew this. He didn't want to get too involved, too familiar, but he had to do whatever he was told, whatever he could to get this distraction over with. Anyways, it was just drug runs. He wasn't so worried about it, he knew they wouldn't let him get caught.

Naruto tilted his head back, slaking down the rest of his sake, barely realizing how lethargic he was. He wanted to fall asleep, but he wasn't home right now. If he drank any more, he probably wouldn't care where he was.

"Looks like the little demon bastard turned into the Hayakuro-kai's new bitch." Reishi smirked as he lit up a cigarette, standing in the doorway. He took a long drag and let out a puff, giving Naruto an indifferent sideways glance, taking in the spread flush on his cheeks, and the sake bottle in hand.

"Dude, how many have you had?" Reishi asked him with an incredulous half-smile, giving him a wierd look. He was met with silence when Naruto gave no response, staring blankly at him, and Reishi sweatdropped. Then he had an idea that he wanted to try out, remembering the six pack that he had in his hand. Originally he was going to drink it, but he just grinned real friendly-like and handed a tall can over to Naruto.

Naruto's brain was slow to react, his hand slowly taking the beer, not able to process suspicion (as he would have felt were he not so impaired right now).

Naruto fumbled with the pull-tab, as Reishi sat down on the stoop sucking on his cigarette. Naruto moved to sit down after successfully opening his can, the froth overflowing and dripping down the side. He took a large swig, wincing at the bitter taste. He started coughing on the burning sensation in his throat.

"So fuckin' lame." The older chinpira said aloud, his words laced with a feigned aggravation.

"Whu-what is?" Naruto's words stumbled in a bleary slur, lacking cognition.

"You are." The boorish young man told him cooly, exhaling smoke from slightly pursed lips. Naruto narrowed his eyes, taking him several seconds to respond.

"...hn?" His unitelligible response made Reishi want to burst out laughing, wondering if Naruto was really this stupid.

"You get handed over to Daiuchi-san, and you can't even handle a little beer?" Reishi snickered at him, feeling smug at the slow reaction on Naruto's face, his eyes narrowing again and face slowly contorting in annoyance.

"What the hell's got that to do.. what are you talkin' 'bout?!"

"You're a stupid little fuck, what's going to happen when you screw up? The Hayakuro-kai are going to want to return you in exchange for another chinpira, like some defective tool."

"Y-You're a tool!"

"You can't even handle a little beer!" He accused him, glaring zealously at him. "What the hell was this, huh?" Reishi mocked, coughing very loudly, making it look like he was dying. His immature taunts were really getting to Naruto, perhaps even worse in his current state, overdoing it with the drinks.

"Yeah?! Just watch me!" Naruto shouted defiantly at him, then chugged the rest of the beer in mere seconds. Reishi looked on with amusement, as Naruto's face turned horribly red and he threw the can to the side.

"Here, have another." Reishi ripped off another can from the pack and handed it over to Naruto. He grabbed it from him, snapping the can open and emptied it much the same as the first can. His mind was barely cognitive, barely functional. He didn't even know why he was drinking so much, it was really stupid of him. Reishi just kept secretly grinning, expecting something to happen. And a painful lurch erupted in Naruto's stomach, his chest feeling tight and his muscles tensing for a moment, a horrid warm liquid filling in his mouth and Naruto couldn't hold it back, his eyes wide and alarmed.

This was what Reishi was predicting, practically hoped for and couldn't stop laughing. Naruto began to make awful noises as he retched and vomited all over the ground, his muscles and his stomach contracting painfully. He heaved, Reishi's laughter filtering through and only making Naruto more digusted and pissed off. The smell of stomach acid and alcohol wafted up to him and Naruto closed his tear-stung eyes, trying to ignore the smell, mostly feeling humiliated right then and there. He continued to heave deep for breath, moaning slightly, his insides still hurting, and his mouth tasted foul.

He couldn't stand the obnoxious laughter.

"Shut the fuck up!" Naruto shouted, coughing a little, barely picking his head up from the ground.

"Two beers! You couldn't handle two fuckin' beers!" The chinpira laughed, throwing down his cigarette butt.

"Shut up I said! I hadn't eaten anything all day!" Naruto argued with him.

Naruto was bent over, hands on his knees, hoping he didn't need to throw up anymore than he already did, taking slow breaths and tried to settle down his stomach. Reishi actually wasn't laughing at him right now, giving him this belittled look. Naruto gathered all the saliva in his mouth and spat, trying to himself of the foul acidic taste.

"Oh, well then you're real fuckin' idiot, aren'tcha?" The chinpira finally said, with an incredulous smirk.

Naruto glared at him, not allowing himself to lose against him and his taunting, provoking his worser intentions quite well, which would only give Reishi another kick out of his torturing (He was partly hoping to bring out that seemingly demon-possessed part of him again).

Naruto snarled at him as he stood up, facing him. And as disgusting as it seemed, he kicked his toe several times into the liquid vomitus on the ground, effectively spraying Reishi with his puke; shocking the young man, halting his laughter and his sadistic mirth dropping away immediately. He soon became extremely livid, pushing himself from the stoop and marched towards Naruto.

"You loathsome freak!!" He screamed out, grabbing at the lapels of Naruto's jacket and threw him to the snowy wet ground. Reishi roughly kicked Naruto in the ribs repeatedly, rolling him across the dirty cold ground. Naruto was still suffering from his drunken impairment and could barely pick himself up. Naruto lay, splayed on his stomach, soggy, dirty and cold. He moved to push himself up, but failed when Reishi pushed him back down, the wet soles of his shoes pressing into Naruto's whiskered cheeks, keeping his head down. Naruto wriggled around, shouted, tried to roll away, but he got pushed down again. Reishi lifted his foot off his face and anchored his weight on his back, holding him down with his knee, and grabbed at his hair, pulling his head back painfully, Naruto wincing and his eyes stinging. Reishi looked down on him with a cold sadism, revenge in his mind, as he lit up a new cigarette. He sucked on it, the end lighting up orange hot. He plucked it from his lips and held it in his fingers like a pen. He gripped Naruto's hair tighter, holding him down. Naruto could feel the approaching heat and winced, anxious distress filling his face, he was soon overcome with a searing pain.

Naruto screamed, throwing his elbow back and knocking Reishi off of him, a single spot on his neck still burned and stinged, he ran across the dirty snow-sodden alley. Reishi rolled on his stomach and reached out for Naruto's pants leg, tugging on him.

"I'll finish you!!!" Reishi shouted out, pulling on him harder. Naruto tried to shake him off, reaching for something on the ground, hidden amongst the light trash.

"Aaah, lemme go, dammit!!" Naruto shouted, Reishi letting go of him quickly. But not because Naruto said so. He swiftly got to his feet and ran for Naruto, hands fisted and ready.

"I'll finish you!!" He screamed furiously, throwing a fist forward. He missed as Naruto dove for the trash, reaching his hand for something hard and cold.

"I'd like to see ya try!!" Naruto snarled, picking himself off the ground and swung the steel pipe like a bat. A dull crack was heard as the pipe struck Reishi on the side of his temple, his body falling to the side from the force.

It became silent. Reishi's unconscious body just lay there, gathering snow. Naruto's shoulders heaved with his chest, breathing deeply and unsteadily from the familiar adrenaline rush. The pipe remained in his hand, staring down the hateful young man, Naruto gripped the pole tighter in his hands.

He struck him once more, bringing the pipe straight down on his head, with an even more resounding crack, and dropped the pipe beside him.

Naruto coughed a little, wiping his runny nose on his sleeve and walked away. His body still ached some, laying a cold hand on the hot and stinging pain on his neck, he wasn't as worse off as Reishi was and he inwardly smirked at that, though it was half-hearted and fleeting. He glanced at the four leftover beers from the six-pack, and his stomach cringed painfully in response, the mere thought of beer disgusting him.

But just to spite the bastard, Naruto took the beer with him anyways.

* * *

Hinata took notice of the new bandages that Naruto wore; one on his neck, one on his right cheek, and several on his fingers. He seemed a little more responsive today. He just gave her a little smile when she asked him if he was alright, and he came up with a simple and believable story. She honestly couldn't understand how he could smile like that, he wasn't becoming so convincing anymore. And she couldn't help but notice (feeling rather embarrassed about it), that he still smelled like those awful cigarettes. 

Apparently she wasn't the only one noticing changes in Naruto. Though she was the only one who acknowledged most of the changes in nuance, many of the students and even teachers began to take notice of his increase in absences to a point that his skipping school began to almost look like a routine.

And it was; Naruto was running on a routine with Ihana and his younger chinpira. He hated reporting to them, even though the Hayakuro-kai were a much better freelance group than the Matsuraba-kai, they were more well-run and their food and sake were expensive and plentiful, it was like a feast, but Naruto barely got to have any of it. Many of the yakuza were a bit more well-mannered and Ihana was respectful to a point that Naruto became immensely distrustful, none of it seemed honest. It was a stressful environment, he had become use to the constant antagonism of the Matsuraba-kai and preferred it. He wanted to go back there, but only because only through working for them would his debt be cleared off.

These guys were just wasting his time! When the hell was this going to end?!

Naruto glanced at the tic-ticking of the clock, and sighed to himself, slowly bringing himself out of his seat. He acknowledged the looks he was getting, everyone watching him leave. Again. And everyone knowing he wouldn't be around for the rest of the day.

He remembered Imahada-sensei tried to force him to stay when he was getting up just before her class was starting. He had waved her off, trying to not make it turn into a big deal, but she had firmly gotten on his case about it and it had become irritating and embarrassing, with everyone just staring at him like that, he wasn't sure what they must have been thinking.

But he could get an idea now.

Hinata and Kiba were just returning from Shino's homeroom when Naruto walked out of the classroom, startling Hinata.

"Where do ya think he goes off to?" Kiba asked absentmindedly, with his mouth half-full of rice and pork, a riceball in his hand. Hinata just shook her head remorsefully, watching Naruto's back disappear further down the hall.

"I wouldn't know.." She murmured to herself. Kiba shrugged, not caring anymore.

* * *

He hadn't gone to work for a long time it felt like, and Naruto wasn't sure if they had fired him yet or not, he always recieved his pay in person. He figured he'd have to find a new job somewhere else after this bit of trouble blew over, if anyone would hire him. He felt it had been an amazing stroke of luck that he got hired so quickly, now it seemed like that luck ran out at the beginning of the new year, and it irritated him. 

He still wore the hat, even when he left the school, and he actually managed to blend in with the rest of the crowd. He turned around, wondering why the bastard Reishi wasn't there, he figured he would have been; either to harass the schoolgirls or to get revenge on him. He just scoffed, tugging the hat down.

He pulled it off and hid it once he got to the parlour. He went up the flight of stairs, and was allowed inside the yakuza headquarters.

Reishi had just presented the pictures to Kojiro and Aomori. Enoki stood a ways back, as Naruto entered to join them. Reishi was smirking all the while, proud of his work, but there was a dark bitterness to him that only showed up when Naruto did. Naruto just met him with another glare, both thinking the same thoughts, both wanting to make the other feel more pain. Naruto couldn't help but smirk a little to himself at the bandages wrapped around his head.

Kojiro was flipping through two particular images, raising a questionable eyebrow at the smartass chinpira before him, who was grinning like an idiot. He put the two pictures on the table, with a glare.

"What the hell are these?" He ordered demandingly at Reishi. He pointed at the two pictures of the dead prostitute; the first image was what she looked like when they first got there. The next one she had her little red dress pulled up past her chest and covering her face. Naruto never knew he did that to her, he had been looking away. When they left, he never looked back. You could clearly see the stab wounds deform and marr her slender body. Kojiro was pissed off at Reishi, not just for touching the body, but what he deliberately did to her...

"You sick pervert, what the hell are these?!" He bellowed, rising from his seat at the the table, throwing the rest of the photos on the floor. Reishi flinched somewhat, quick to answer idignantly, not understanding what the problem was.

"She's dead! What's she going to care that I took pictures of her breasts?!"

"DON'T BE A FUCKING IDIOT!!" Kojiro moved quickly around the table and grabbed his shoulder and threw him on the ground. He fell on his knees, and Naruto couldn't help but smirk a little as Kojiro repeatedly kicked and struck him as punishment. And for the longest time, Naruto thought he wasn't getting equal treatment. Actually sometimes he thought the yakuza hated Reishi more than him. And Reishi saw this, saw his smirk, and glared bitterly up at him.

Aomori, despite his silence, was immediately acknowledged. His prescence alone made the ruckus stop and Kojiro finished his delivery of kicks, leaving Reishi on ground, not helping him up once. Aomori was thoughtfully examining the tossed photos, clearly coming to a decision on their next course of action.

"Let's go." Was all he said.

* * *

Naruto soon found himself in the totally awesome luxe car again, but did not care as much this time. It wasn't until about fifteen minutes later that they stopped by another empty warehouse. He wondered why here? But then he soon figured it out, as they entered the building, that one of the yakuza had escorted the politican here, so they could proceed with the utmost discretion. 

The middle-age man turned around upon hearing their approaching footsteps, anxiousness already gripping at him and his face filling with more wrinkles and distress lines. It was just as he feared; Yakuza.

Aomori bowed to him politely (being that he was a Minister), though this didn't encourage the man much. He was chilled by the ice in the yakuza's eyes.

"Good evening Minister-dono." He greeted him with the utmost respect, though to Naruto, he deserved none. Not after what he had done. The older man let out a weary ironic laugh, a sort of deadness in his own eyes.

"Huh, yakuza. And how is that a good evening?" He shook his head chuckling to himself, though it sounded very hollow. His listlessness was odd, Naruto thought maybe he would have been haughty and defensive. But he wasn't fighting them at all. (Didn't even have a lawyer with him).

"It could always be worse." Aomori spoke cryptically, handing the several photos over to him, essential to their blackmail. The politician accepted them, letting out a very morose and deep tired sigh, running stiff fingers over his brow in a distressed manner.

"I knew you have been following me." The minister stated airily, like it wasn't a big deal to him.

_'He knew?!'_ Naruto stared incredulously at the older man, wondering if he was so stupid as not to confront them when he had the chance. That is, since he knew they had been following them. He couldn't believe it!

"So which one of you was the one that pulled up her dress?" The minister asked listlessly, looking up at them with tired eyes. Reishi got smacked on the back of the head from Kojiro and let out an annoyed protest, indirectly answering the minister's question.

"Such a lovely young lady. It would be such a mess if the press got a hand on these." As Aomori stated this to him, the man nodded, a cold sweat washing through him, his palms became clammy. The pictures began to shake in his grip.

"What is it that you want?" His voice came out hoarse and low, his entire body aching with emotional fatigue. Naruto couldn't imagine his state of remorse, he doubted it, though he was witnessing it.

"Access to the _Water Trade_." Was Aomori's sure and quick answer. The politican continued to rub at his brow, unable to take his eyes away from the picture, no matter how morbid it seemed.

"The Water Trade?"

"Rumors spread. Many of us that are underground have said you've been dealing with the Water Trade. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the fact that you deal with the trafficking and prostitution of foreign women is both ironic and contemptible." Aomori soon got into an arrogant stance, now the one with the upper hand. "And if that got out, your corruption could destroy any ties Japan has with those countries." He finished, throwing down his winning hand in this poker faced game.

The minister slumped his shoulders, a tired remorse filling every wrinkle and line. He began shaking his head lightly at the pictures.

"It was just an accident... just an accident." He whispered hoarsely, exhaling deeply through his nose, his hand now over his muttering mouth. Naruto was slow to believe him, he couldn't imagine a murder to be an accident, and strangulation was always.. deliberate.

"All evil done clings to the body." The stated proverb seemed to have hit the aging man hard, branding him with his sins as his shoulders shook under his heavy overcoat. He knew she had once been someone's daughter, he had grown fond of her. He tried to save her from her mistakes but she had just yelled at him, as if he was her father, he was old enough to be. She was going to ruin him, by exposing him. She wanted to be with him in the first place, wanted his money and company at the same time, but he just wanted to help her, just wanted her to return home with her mother. She just seemed different from everyone else, and even in death she managed to assure his ruination. He choked her, then stabbed her, tried to make it look like a mentally unstable killer had done it. But no, it was him. A politician that was supposed to help aid in the betterment of his people.

And now there was a mother who would never see her daughter again, nor know that she was even dead.

He thumbed the picture, almost affectionately, in his regret and grieving.

Naruto looked on indifferently, unaffected by the man's remorse.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry.."

None of this made sense to him.

* * *

"He's out there again." An older girl said in a private voice to her friends. 

"I heard he followed a first year to her home." Another girl said as she walked down the halls with her friend.

"Oh my god, are you serious?!" The girl squealed, anxious and frightened.

"Why doesn't anyone try to do something!?" In a different classroom, a deep-voiced girl shouted angrily.

"He's a freaking stalker!"

"The Matsushita Gakuen Stalker!"

"You ever seen his hand?!" A girl on the school roof exclaimed to her friends.

"He's a yakuza!" A boy shouted.

"Are you serious?!" A girl down the hall shouted, recieving fervent nods from her friends.

"I know the girl he followed home!" A girl in another classroom exclaimed, pointing her index finger up, assured that it's a fact.

"I heard he tied her up." An older girl from different classroom told her friends with a dark look on her face, everyone around her gasping.

"No way!" Three girls shouted in the bathroom.

"No! I heard he got her to do things..." A boy in the hallway trailed off his friends giving him odd looks.

"Did she get raped?!" A girl from a different classroom looked to her friends, shocked, feeling a tad sick at this news or gossip.

"What things?!" The boy's friends shouted, not believing him, shouting "Liar!" and "Idiot!".

"Like... _on her knees._. kind of things..." The boy looked away, feeling a tad embarrassed, some passing by girls giving him odd looks. His friends looked at him stunned, unable to imagine such a sadistic and perverse image.

"You're not serious!" A girl across the hall from them exploded at her friend, causing her to cringe.

"I am!" She yelled back, fists defensively at her sides.

"You're shitting us!" Two other girls shouted in unison to her, red-faced and anxious.

"I don't know what that is!" The girl shouted again, causing a lot of attention to be focused on her and her group.

"But you're lying!" Another girl, who just strolled along their conversation awhile ago, accused her firmly.

"What the hell is going on here?!" An older girl from another class looked between the girl and her friends, bemused and somewhat bewildered. They were the loudest people in the school today.

"She says she knows who started this whole mess!" A smaller girl pointed a finger at the first girl, red-faced and excited, much like everyone else in the school that were freaking out over the whole thing.

"What are you talking about?" The older girl gave her this dubious and exasperated look, inwardly shaking her head at them.

"The Matsushita Gakuen Stalker!! She says she knows who brought him here in the first place!" The small girl explained still pointing at her friend, stunning the older newcomer.

"Are you shitting us?" She asked the first girl with disbelief.

"I already said I don't know what that is! But I'm sooo not lying!" She squealed, feeling jittery and terribly excited, anxious and somewhat scared, everybody in the hallway looking to her to expose the bastard.

"Then who is it?!" Several people and the older girl shouted all at once, the excitement level getting too high for anyone to control.

"It's the yanki!"

* * *

Hinata shivered, feeling a strange vibe wash through her. 

She looked around her, the rest of the class in a feverish uproar, talking and talking in hushed but excited voices to their friends. She wasn't sure what got the school in such a frenzy. She put her chin in her hand, closing her sad eyes, she felt a little pain in her chest as she thought about Naruto.

She really hoped he was alright.

* * *

Naruto decided not to come into school at all today. He sat on his bike, staring over the gates, not realizing and never knowing the craziness that was taking place inside the building. 

"How long you gunna just stand there?" Came an unfortunately familiar voice, as he blew smoke in a bored and casual manner. Naruto brought his eyes away from the school to give Reishi a flat look.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Naruto said, wondering why Reishi was always hanging around his school like a ghost.

"Reishi does what Reishi wants." He grinned crookedly, getting a wierd look from Naruto, who couldn't believe he had just spoken in third-person, like some sort of poseur-idiot. Reishi continued.

"For example, I could kill you right now. But I don't want to, not yet anyway." He finished smoothly, whistling smoke from his lips. Naruto just rolled his eyes, and pedalled away. He had to get to the Hayakuro-kai base anyways.

"I'll be right here, dude!" Reishi yelled out, grinning viciously to himself as Naruto disappeared. He sucked on his cigarette, exhaling smoke, and turned his attention back to the school, eyeing a very tiny girl who stood by the doorway. She squeaked and ran away when he saw her, and he just laughed to himself.

* * *

"Here." Daiuchi Ihana said in a flat and cold voice. Naruto stared at the obnoxiously cute stuffed animals that the dealer just handed to him. 

"What the hell? What am I supposed to do with these?!" Naruto shouted, thinking Ihana was just making fun of him. But he was very serious.

"What do you think? It's stuffed... with coke." Ihana quirked up an eyebrow, giving him this significant kinda 'duh' look. He nodded at the surprised expression on Naruto's face, recognition finally passing over him. And for a moment he just wanted to kick the damn things, just to spite him too.

"Deliver these to the Matsuraba-kai, you must miss being home." The dealer smirked as he walked away leaving Naruto to stand there, stunned and taking in the words. He must miss being home? Was he referring to the Matsuraba-kai?!

Naruto let out an irritated growl, and threw down the drug-stuffed animal on the ground, pissed off.

"I'M NO FUCKIN' CHINPIRA, IDIOT!!"

* * *

"Here." Naruto threw the stuffed animals on the Yakuza's dining table, disturbing a few plates, causing all eyes to glare swords at him. It already felt a bit strange to be here again. 

"What the hell are these?" An older yakuza picked one up, looking between him and it incredulously. It was awkwardly quiet before Naruto finally said anything.

"...coke kitties?" Naruto smirked goofily, as some yakuza sweatdropped.

"What?"

"They're stuffed with drugs." Naruto sighed, he didn't think he had to spell it out for them. The yakuza merely nodded, setting it back down. Naruto walked over to his normal seat by the wall, feeling lazy and unproductive.

"You've done good brat." He told him straight in his low voice, surprising Naruto a bit. He actually did good? Hot damn!

"Too bad it's not enough." He said nonchalantly, passing one of the stuffed kitties over to his comrade, who quickly stuck a knife to them.

"Not enough?! For what?!" Naruto shot up from where he sat, to slam his palms on the mahogany table, glaring lividly at the man.

"You still have 60,000 yen to pay off." He finished, pinning Naruto with a hard look. His eyes widened, the breath had been sucked from his lungs, and for a moment he couldn't breath. Suddenly a familiar wild laughter came from behind the shouji, as it flew open, revealing Reishi.

"60,000 yen!? Oh my god!" Reishi continued to laugh at the crestfallen look on Naruto's face, his eyes losing their vibrance. Naruto could have sworn he was lower than than, much lower. How was it that he still had 60,000 yen? He felt like the chain's collar had tightened around his throat and he could barely breathe.

What was he doing here?

When was this going to end?

What the hell was he doing here?!

"Oi, Reishi-kun.. what the hell happened to you, man?" A younger yakuza asked him, sizing him up; his clothes were ruffles and his shirt was torn somewhat, three scratches ran down the side of his face, one splitting his lip. Naruto never took his eyes away from staring a hole in the floor, lost in himself.

Reishi just grinned.

"Had some girl problems." Was all he said, putting it up for interpretation, but he would never say what really happened.

_

* * *

"No proud manager would hire a yanki."_

_"You should rethink you're life, Naruto."_

_"Look at what you did! Look where this has lead to! It's your fault! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"_

_".. I didn't do anything, it's no big deal."_

_"If it's no big deal, why do you need to hide?!"_

_"You've done something, you always do something! What is it this time?!"_

_"If you're going to keep up this attitude of yours, what will you be left with, huh?! You don't wanna listen?!"_

_"I swear you haven't changed a bit.."_

_"Dobe..."_

Naruto woke up bleary-eyed, the noises in his head fading away. His body ached, and the room smelled raunchy. Where was he? Then he remembered.

"Dammit.. h-how'd I fall asleep?" Naruto picked himself off, wincing in the dim light, but he knew it was morning. He had to get going, he would go to school today. He made careful to step over the sleeping and drunken bodies in the dining room, picking up his jacket and school bag. Sniffed at his uniform's sleeve and winced, recoiling at the smell. He was worried he was becoming a slob.

* * *

Naruto sighed loudly in his seat, bringing his head to lay on the chair's back, looking at the cieling, startling a few girls close by, watching him warily. They got up and walked away, still giving him odd looks that Naruto never acknowledged, but he could feel their looks, and it had become another factor in his increasing stress. 

He was slowly becoming alienated again. He couldn't imagine how many times this has happened to him, not just in this school, and he felt that he should have known this was a constant that would never change and he just let himself accept it. Though part of him refused to do so, he had always accepted it.

"Naruto-kun?" Came a soft voice.

"Naruto-kun?" Came the soft voice again. Naruto took his eyes away from the cieling to look indifferently at Hinata. He smirked inwardly though hollowly, amused with the way she looked so sad and worried.

"A-are y-you alr-right?" She stuttered nervously, feeling embarrassed under his gaze, wondering why he looked like he wasn't awake or even really seeing her. He just kept staring at her, and it made her feel small and awkward. And it made her feel worse when he didn't answer her.

"N-Naruto-kun?" She murmured his name in that light sweet tone of her, bringing her fingers to fiddle with her red tie unsurely. Why wasn't he saying anything? He was making her terribly worried and slightly put off.

But Naruto couldn't hear her, no matter how much her mouth moved. He thought the way she would play with her tie or fiddle with her fingers was odd and funny, and he just wanted to laugh at the sad look on her face, not understanding why she would look that way. And if it was for him, then it was a joke. Maybe that was why he thought it so funny.

And he did let out a little laugh. But it was very brief; Hinata barely caught it, a smile not present on his lips.

His behavior was starting to frustrate her. And she was afraid he was drifting away from her.

"N-Naruto-kun? Daijobu? Daijobu?" Her voice started to fade away, Naruto just watched her mouth move but did not hear the words come out. The whispers and conversations seemed to grow louder and more intangible, like white noise with the volume turned up, he couldn't hear anything yet it was all he heard. Their voices grew louder still, til it was like the buzzing of bees. So loud and the room became stifling and Naruto's breath was locked in his chest, his body stiff and tense, and all he could hear was the bees swarming around him. He could still see Hinata's mouth moving, unable to recognize or comprehend the anxiousness in her eyes.

They just kept buzzing, buzzing, getting ever so louder, louder and his mind felt like it was becoming clouded, smothered.

He couldn't take the buzzing.

He pushed his chair back and stood up.

The buzzing stopped.

And all eyes were on him, these hard and cautious stares, watching his every move. Hinata nearly shot out of her chair when she watched him walk out of the classroom in slow and lazy steps, she was just as startled as everyone else. The whispers rose again once he was gone, all still looking at the doorway as if he was still there.

"There he goes **again**." Said one girl to her friend, holding up a hand over her mouth, only making her gossip all the more obvious.

"Who knows what _he_ does outside of school.." A boy laughed with a caustic smirk, recieving agreeing nods from his friends, all thinking the worse of him.

"Did ya hear?! There was another girl that got attacked by The Stalker!" A taller girl squealed in a hushed voice to her friends.

"No! That's awful!" They shook their heads remorsefully for the un-named girl.

"You know.. the yanki didn't come to school at all yesterday.." A smaller boy said cooly, making those listening around him look out the door suspiciously, as if still scrutinizing Naruto who was long gone to know what they were saying against him, behind his back and hidden under a veil of cowardice.

"You don't think...?!" A girl shouted, trailing off, unable to believe what her friend just said.

"I'm so sure!" She nodded fervently with a firm hard resolve in her eyes, if only she had more validation for her opinion.

"Oh my god!!" A group of girls screamed together, startling several people around them.

"He's a gangbanger! A gangbanger!" One girl shouted accusingly in a high-pitch voice.

"I bet you more than anything, that he followed that one girl home!" A boy said pointedly with his index finger, nodding with confidence.

"No! He was the one that attacked that other girl!" One girl argued with him.

"Hell no! He must have tied up the first girl that got attacked! That's not a one-man job!" The boy fought back, approaching her with a feigned menace and grabbed her wrists, trying to make his point as she easily fought him off.

"See?!"

"You think he tied her up?!" Another girl shouted frightenedly, face anxious and aghast.

"..are you guys even sure she got tied up?" A smaller boy asked, going unnoticed by the many, no one ever answering him. One particular girl was getting fed up with this nonsense.

"SHUT UP!" She screamed, standing short for her petite height. All laid startled eyes on the small kogal, her face-reddened.

Hinata looked on, scared out of her skin upon the scream. Her mind and her emotions were on a swirling rampage, conflicting with one another, she couldn't handle the overload of criticism that threatened all former good feelings to ever come back. She couldn't believe the awful things they were saying, and she knew they were talking about Naruto. She couldn't believe the things they said, and it hurt her so much not able to say anything back at them.

And she was hurt Naruto wasn't around to fight in defense of himself. How could they all be so judgemental? It was troubling, it was frightening.

This was why she hid herself from people, why she preferred to keep to herself.. other people scared her.

* * *

Naruto ran through the halls, scaring and surprising those who hung around the hallways, whispering and talking discreetly amongst eachother; everyone was looking at him. 

He had hoped maybe wearing the hat would have helped him in some way, no one would recognize him, he just needed to hide til this whole thing blew over.

But it wasn't going to go away anytime soon.

Naruto caught his breath on the rooftop, slowly closing the door behind him. His mind was still slow, unawake, though he knew what was going on. He didn't know about The Matsushita Gakuen Stalker, nor the attacks that stirred up the fear amongst his fellow classmates, nor the fact that they had already connected him with Reishi.

He just knew that they had figured him out, and were now throwing him out. It was far too familiar, and just as disappointing. He wandered over to the netted-wire fence, pressing his forehead against it and peered out, looking down on the school's court grounds.

And he was out there again.

Reishi looked up towards the school and smirked, Naruto's fingers wrapping tightly around the wirey fence in aggravation. He wasn't sure if Reishi was actually looking at him, if he knew he was there, but Naruto didn't care if he did. Naruto snarled at him, gripping his fingers tighter and shook the fence with all the frustration he had. Reishi just laughed, mocking him with his middle finger, giving Naruto all the provocation he needed. He growled, tried to jump over the fence but couldn't do it, the school was three stories high. Reishi laughed again, before becoming confused when Naruto disappeared from his sight, running back into the school.

A few minutes passed...

"YOU BASTARD, I'M SO SICK OF YOU!!"

Reishi was surprised to hear the voice, turning his head to attention, only to get instantly smacked down. Naruto had flown a hard left hook into Reishi's jaw, felling him to the ground. Everything went black after that for him, the last thing he ever saw was Naruto's fist.

* * *

Sakio-sensei saw the first hit thrown, rushing out of his homeroom, his students were still glued to the window, watching Naruto as The Stalker fell to the ground, his unconscious body taking a few kicks to the gut. Naruto soon stopped, and they watched him run away from the school, disappearing down the sidewalks. Many weren't sure what to make out of what just happened, but they knew before that Naruto was the reason the chinpira was here in the first place, and this just proved it further. 

It was quiet for awhile before anyone spoke, looking out the window dully and bored, realizing the fight was already over.

One boy sighed.

"How lame."

* * *

Sakio was firm in his mission, he knew since the first day, he felt strongly about this.. that Naruto didn't belong in their school. Many teachers disliked Sakio, most making sure to stay out of his way. He acted as if he was the Head Teacher of the first years but he wasn't, and that bothered many of the people here in the school, his pride for his job and the school turned him into this overly controlling mad man, who felt it was his duty to preserve the purity of the school. 

And often that's what he said.

He tore through the hallways, pushing aside the slow and smaller students who didn't step aside fast enough to get out of his way, he was a runaway train wreck waiting to happen.

He made it to the Principals office, startling one of the teacher, Imahada-sensei, who was just filing through a few papers.

"Sakio-san--?!"

"Hold your tongue, woman!" He barked at her, causing her to immediately sit back down, ending anymore words from her with a slam of the Principal's door.

The vacillate principal stood quietly by the window, looking out with bedridden eyes. He sighed tiredly to himself, knowing why Sakio had barged in as he did.

"Do you see?! He's become a yakuza, he's a threat to our precious students!! Do you see?!" Sakio shouted, cutting to the chase as he often did, always an impatient one, always thinking nothing was more important than his own goals or needs.

"Are you so sure?" The principal asked airily in a somewhat troubled voice, still looking out the window. He did not believe so much what Sakio was saying, but knew it niether to be a lie, perhaps just an exaggeration, especially if coming from him. Still, he knew first hand what the trouble was: Yakuza.. and this chinpira that would never leave their students alone, never leaving the school's premises.

"You've seen his files! You know who he's been, who he still is!" Sakio fought further, becoming frustrated in his old age. He couldn't understand why or how this man was their principal, he was inept, unsuitable to lead these students.

The principal said nothing.

"Have you not heard?! He is to blame for the attacks on our students, he is the one that has brought Yakuza to Matsushita!"

The principal remained silent, deep in thought, as he listened listlessly to the older man before him.

"The parents are hearing word of this, they are becoming uneasy! They do not believe thier children to be safe anymore! It's all the little demon's fault! He doesn't belong in our school!"

"What should I do?" The prinicpal ached in a heavy voice, unable to create sympathy in the older man. Sakio looked on, his black eyes hardened and unforgiving.

"As I've said before. Expell him! The mothers and fathers will be far more pleased once we do." He advised him, rather manipulatively. He never spoke with his students parents, so how would he know what they were really feeling or were going to feel about this? He didn't know how worried they were, he was only expressing his own views and assuming everyone else felt the same way.

"He's just one kid, Sakio-san..." The principal muttered in a voice full of disappointment, sighing to himself, thinking _'woe is me, oh woe is me.'_, never knowing what to do in such heavy and unclear situations. Sakio was the Iago to his Othello; constantly hateful, constantly scheming, and at times.. truly overpowering. He couldn't bring himself to throw Naruto out like the trash the old man often said he was, somehow he couldn't do that.

It was true that he was troubled, tainted and somehow an immense liability, but the Principal had grown a tad sympathetic towards him. Maybe it was because of the things he heard from the other teachers, Harada-sensei and Imahada-sensei.

But it didn't seem like anybody knew what to do, or how to help him.

"Principal-dono!! You are harboring a criminal and murderer in the making!! Expell him, throw him out! The decision is black and white!" All his yelling was giving the principal a headache, as he collasped tiredly in his chair, staring at his desk blankly with troubled eyes.

"What should I do?" For a moment the principal thought, maybe he should stop asking that, and start actually thinking. But that became fleeting. The old man Sakio sighed quietly, still staring down the slumped man with a hard look.

"Sooner or later, the law will detain him from society. Expell him, put him into Reform School, do something! I don't care what happens to him or what you do.. just get rid of him. For the good of the school, Principal-dono." Sakio settled his ultimatum in a calm and serious voice, expecting some sort of consensus at least.

"But Harada-sensei says he's a nice kid---" He started out weakly, only to get drowned out by Sakio's biting protest, the older man feeling annoyed and disgusted at the mere mention of the overly kind young woman.

"Principal-dono!!"

The exasperated and bedridden man sighed loudly, unable to deal with Sakio's impatient attitude, rubbing at his weary eyes.

"Reform school..?" He bit out, somewhat hopeful at the alternative. Sakio nodded solemnly.

"I could get the paperwork started.. We can send him out to _Tama_, should you agree... Principal-dono."

He didn't give him much choice, he just wanted to get this mess of making decisions over with, anything to return to normalcy back in their school. Just this one little kid managed to create such a stir over the mere span of two months, he wasn't sure if he was making life in Matsushita interesting or just plain troubling.

"Alright... do what you want." He waved him off absentmindedly, not seeing the satsified smile on Sakio's face as he gave the principal a low bow and left.

He should have known, he should have never said those words to Sakio-sensei.

* * *

The days end was unusually quiet. Several students still talked about the yanki, or the stalker or the supposedly attacked girls. Hinata looked around for Naruto, but couldn't find him again. The stalker wasn't here anymore either, as Hinata sighed somewhat in half-hearted relief. But it was only so hollow, her thoughts still straying to the ever absent Naruto, it'd been so long since they last talked. It'd been so long since she ever got to see him truly smile or be at ease, she couldn't imagine what he was going through, and she was certaint that he was in trouble. 

She was certaint this time, even when he smiled, even when he would assure her, he was just giving out hints that something was going on, and that he was trying to hide, that he was trying to handle it himself. But was he strong enough?

She often believed him to be so, but she still ached over him.

She hated whatever was happening to him, what it was doing to him.

Hinata glanced with sad eyes towards the bike rack, and the red bicycle was no longer there. She shrugged it off, assuming Naruto went to work or.. who knows where, she didn't have a clue where he went, what he did.

She was just as lost and ignorant as everyone else here, it seemed.

And she realized how much she truly missed his company when they would walk home together... She surprised herself when she realized she missed him.

* * *

Naruto lay down in the partially snowy grass, concentrating on his breathing, relaxed in his solitude. He had wandered around Tokyo, taking random trains, til he wound up in Yoyogi. The park was so close by the station and it was nice, even though some snow remained. 

Being here like this seemed very familiar, even when the sounds weren't. It was a bit louder here. It was familiar, even when the smells weren't. It still smelled of city emissions, instead of loquat blossoms or apple trees.

He remembered how he used to always do this, when he wanted to get away during school, he would head towards this grassy warm bankside by the river and just sleep there. He closed his eyes and relaxed his breathing, falling deeper into the bittersweet memories... wishing he was back there. No, not in his hometown, they hated him there too. But he missed the old days, when he was still naive and fearless. And in those days he had created something and fought for something, as he lived amongst his loneliness he found a way to survive and find significance through all of that.

But he didn't have that anymore.

He opened his eyes to look at the darkened grey skies, knowing full well..

..He didn't have that anymore.

And he could never have it again.

He didn't have anything now.

* * *

He hung around with the Hayakuro-kai this evening, hoping they'd give him some of their hot pot meal, but it was hopeless. He stood up to leave, no one taking notice, no one caring. At least ditching them was easier than anywhere else, but he was still irked by the way they would just ignore him. 

Naruto had walked around Shinjuku til he came across a little convenience store. He stood outside in the cold just staring wistfully and emptily at the store. His stomach gurgled, and he realized he didn't have any money with him.

He stood there for awhile longer, the young woman inside the store looking at him questioningly, an elderly man coming around to glare suspiciously at him. The people that came in and out from the store gave him odd looks, wondering what he was doing and were quite suspicious too. Naruto barely recognized any of them, finally deciding to enter the store.

It was pleasantly warm yet smelled strongly salty and strongly sweet at the same time. He walked past the aisles of bento dishes, packaged bread and _nikuman_. He picked up a bowl of Miso Instant Ramen, and glanced up at the counter; the young girl was smiling, enjoying a romantic J-dramedy on the little tv, the old man stood by the cash register staring at him with a hard look. Naruto put the instant ramen back and picked up a few bags of chips, continuing down the aisle. He walked up to the glass fridges filled with mineral water, energy drinks, sodas, and iced tea. He opened the door, letting out a breeze of cold air and picked out a _Ramune_ drink. He glanced over his shoulder to see the old man walking out from behind the counter, still staring at him.

Feeling uneasy, Naruto put the soda drink back in the fridge. He walked over to the next aisle, stacked with random toys to dog and cat food. He walked past all of that til he stood in front of the candy section, varying from _Poifull_ jelly beans to _BlackBlack_ gum. Skipped down the candy, and walked over to the shelf of other packaged breads and dried food, picking up an air-sealed packaged dried squid. The old man was still following him around, always hiding just a shelf behind.

It was making him nervous.

Unfortunately the man had the right assumption about him.

He put the dried squid back down, slowly grabbing a couple of pork baozi. He stood for awhile taking a readying breath, glancing at the man who was quickly walking up to him and Naruto turned quickly around. He ran for the door, the old man yelling after him.

"Theif!!! Theif!!! Ukako-chan, call somebody!!!" The old man stood there shouting, pointing out the door that Naruto disappeared through.

"Who do you want me to call?!" The girl asked incredulously, irritating her manager.

"Tch! You useless girl!!" He cursed running out of his store, leaving behind a bewildered and confused girl. She just shook her head at him.

* * *

Naruto ran hard through the streets, startling several people who couldn't avoid him in time. The man had been chasing him for awhile, but Naruto felt that he had lost him at one point. Maybe there was an up about being in a big city, he couldn't get caught as easily as he used to. But he didn't feel proud or victorious this time. 

He sat on a bench, digging into his food with hungry fervor, that eventually appalled and displeased him. He wiped his sleeves across his mouth, staring at the half eaten food, no longer desiring it. He felt like he had just taken ten steps backwards, he never thought he was going to be in this kind of situation again, he had always thought he would have food everyday and never worry once about going hungry. But somehow those ideals didn't match up with the way things were really going, and he was worried he was losing control of that.

He hated the way he was feeling, cold and ashamed, he was disappointed in himself, and he couldn't bring himself to eat the rest.

He pulled his hood over his hat covered head and threw the food in the trash, skulking off through the noisy and brightly lit streets.

* * *

Hinata had finally agreed to a dinner thing with Kiba, feeling that she had promised him that one day. They wandered the crowded streets of Shibuya in their snow jackets and school uniforms, looking around for a cool place to eat. 

"How about _Kotobuki Diner?_" Hinata pointed to the medium sized restaurant just ahead. Kiba didn't seem interested or impressed, wanting to take her somewhere a bit more classy. But Hinata thought maybe the youthful diner would be inexpensive enough that she wouldn't have to feel guilty about money spent.

"I was thinking maybe you'd like the cake at _L'histoire._" Kiba smiled pleasantly at her, noticing the surprised look on her face and laughed a little. He thought it was cute and thought he had succeeded in impressing her. But Hinata was actually surprised, knowing that restaurant was quite expensive. She didn't want him to waste his money on her.

"Mou.. Kiba-kun, we don't have to go there.. anou, their cake is so pricy!" Hinata ran up beside him, looking up to him with an unsure expression, feeling bad that he was going to take her there.

"Exactly! That's why we're going, c'mon you'll like it. It's.. _ethnic._" He emphasized the last part with a wide toothy grin, making Hinata blush only a little. She felt there was no fighting him, she didn't want to seem ungrateful or bitchy about going there, but..

"I w-wouldn't have minded. Going somewhere ordinary I mean." She told him softly, looking away for a moment before looking up at him. They stopped by a streetlight, waiting for their turn, a flat look on Kiba's once smiling face.

"Oh.. really..?" He said in a disappointed voice, hanging his head. His abrupt change in emotion startled Hinata and she felt terrible.

"Mou, Kiba-kun?!" Hinata rushed up to him, touching his arm, and peered up to him with anxious wide eyes. He just turned away, and Hinata didn't realize he was only pouting.

"But I really wanted to you somewhere special..." He pouted, seeming truly shot down, and it made Hinata feel only more guilty.

"I-I w-was just k-kidding! We can go to _L'histoire_!" She tried to reassure him, still touching his arm. He barely turned to her, still looking very downcast.

"Really..?" He asked her in a sighing tone.

"R-Really!" Hinata nodded her head fervently, hoping to cheer him up, not realizing she just made a sucker out of herself.

"Alright! C'mon let's go!" Kiba immediately brightened up, grabbing her hand and led her down the street. Hinata sighed to herself, thankful that was over. She didn't want to disappoint him either, she didn't think he'd ever get discouraged so easily.

Through the never-ending stream of moving people, Hinata nearly caught a glimpse of a familiar orange and brown snow jacket. She turned her head to watch the slump-shouldered person skulk listlessly away, and she could have sworn she knew who that was.

But Naruto has disappeared too soon.

* * *

"Miso ramen please." Came a low voice, somewhat hoarse. Ayame turned around to find a young man sitting patiently, with his orange hood shadowing his face. 

"I don't have any money, so you can just put it on my tab." He added, looking down, deliberately avoiding Ayame.

She sighed lightly to herself, wondering what he was doing here like this.

"Naruto-kun, what do you think you're doing?" She asked him in a tired voice.

"..." Naruto couldn't find any words to answer her with. It remained very quiet in the Ichiraku, an awkward and lububrious silence. Ayame couldn't understand what was coming over Naruto to become this haunting figure that just blew in and out without explanation or reason. She hadn't seen him for over a week and suddenly he comes around for food? She was upset with him, but she couldn't find herself to be angry. Part of her felt that something must be going on with him, to change him like this, she didn't understand any of it, and she wish he would just say something.

She just sighed tiredly to herself, as Naruto continued to sit there with his hood covering his face, finding it obscene and peculiar of him.

"It's coming out of your pay." Was all she said, as she turned around to help her father cook the ramen for him and their customers. Naruto nodded meekly, and let out a little sigh of relief, grateful towards Ayame, feeling forgiven.

If only he could forgive himself, at least just a little bit.

* * *

Naruto was back with the Matsuraba-kai again, driving down to the docks in Chiba Port again. But in an entirely cut off section. 

The wintery port water made it windy here, the 'lake'-effect causing it to be even colder here than in the inner city, and Naruto couldn't stand it, his ears and cheeks already becoming chafed and ruddy. Naruto didn't know what they were doing now, what business they had here. He didn't know what the 'Water Trade' was at all. They came to an area full of metal storages, there was a shack or office up ahead, that they were heading to. Naruto wondered if they were smuggling arms again or something, they must be pretty big to be placed in those large metal storages.

Naruto winced when he was hit with a strange mixture of sweat, booze, body odor and.. something else. It was disgusting in here, why did it smell so horrible? But it was actually faint in this part of the office, as it mostly smelled of the booze.

Naruto was getting sick of all this business crap, and he still had 60,000 yen to pay off. When were they letting him go?? How the hell was he going pay any off that off??!

A short thick man in casual clothing came out and greeted them. He asked a few questions, then grinned toothily. He began to lead the way to a back room, as soon as he let the door open, all the nasty smells; the dirt, the sweat, the b.o., and two different kinds of something else... Naruto tried to hold down a gag, and he didn't understand why it was so stifling in this disgusting back room.

Until he finally saw, he then realized what the 'Water Trade' was.

"I'm willing to sell you only one girl. Come around with more money and you can pick five next time." The man said. Naruto couldn't believe the way he just spoke, as if they were products or property. Buy one, get three more! What the hell?!

They were all just huddled there on the wet and dirty ground, Naruto didn't even want to know how it got that way. They were either partially clothed or barely clothes, as they looked up at them with frightened, wary, contemptous or hopeful expressions. This was so wrong, the clan yakuza didn't do this too, did they?

Naruto avoided their gaze, trying to seem as small and insigficant as possible. He didn't want to be seen, didn't want to partake in this. He wasn't even associated with these women dealing bastards.

"So just one?" Reishi grinned goofily at the man, before letting his eyes devour all the girls there. The most vulnerable ones shook or clung closer to their friends. Guess he always had the same effect, and Naruto was irritated that he was proud of it.

"C'mon c'mon, this ain't no peep show!" The man snapped his fingers trying to hurry them up. Naruto had been looking outside the close doorway the whole time before he felt someone tug on his shoulder.

"Get over here. Quit dawdling." Aomori coldly scolded him, dragging him over to stand with everyone else.

"What?! What is it?!" Naruto shouted, though while keeping his hands over his mouth and nose.

"Do this and 15,000 yen will taken off your debt." Aomori coerced him, bribing him in a way. Naruto was actually stunned, his covered mouth hanging open slightly.

"Fifteen??" Naruto muttered to himself. He hadn't made that much in a long time, it was almost close to the first job payment he made, and it had been dwindling ever since. If he made this much, then he'd be so much closer to being done with them, right? Right..? One step closer, right..??

"Do this then." Aomori ordered him coldly, handing him a large stack of yen. Naruto stared at the money with perplexed amazement, but he still wasn't getting the full picture yet, having been momentarily blindsided by selfish hope.

"Do this? What am I.." Naruto trailed off, turning his head to look around the stifling hot and odorous room. He finally remembered the huddled group of girls staring up at him with their sad and lost eyes. His jaw slackened slightly, he finally caught on, the stash of yen shaking slightly in his gripped fingers.

"I.. I'm not, I can't..." Naruto muttered anxiously. His weak refusal irritated all the men in the room waiting for business to be adjourned, but Naruto was wasting the hell out of their time.

"What's the matter, huh?! Just buy a bitch already!" Reishi yelled in a scratchy voice, rushing up to him with a snarl and grabbed the wad of yen, shoving it back in his face. Naruto didn't want to deal with this, the room was so disgusting and he couldn't keep a lid on his temper any longer.

"I'm not like you fucks!" Naruto pushed Reishi aside, taking a step back from them. "I'm not doing this just because you don't wanna get your hands dirty!" Naruto yelled, at the end of it all he glared and flicked them off defiantly. His behavior was pissing off and embarrassing the yakuza there, the trafficking dealer giving them odd looks, wondering what was this kid.

"This ain't a time to get self-righteous! Just do what you're fuckin' told!" Reishi shoved him back with a bared-teeth snarl. Naruto stumbled on his feet a bit, feeling irritated and reluctant. He wanted to get this over with as much as they did, but he couldn't do what they wanted this time. He thought he wouldn't have cared, he thought could handle whatever came his way without qualms.

"18,000 yen." Aomori revised, coercing him with a hard look. He knew he was playing on Naruto's desperation, and it worked effectively. His hands began to shake again, he wasn't feeling right anymore. What was he supposed to do? They were all just staring at him, seeing the money in his hands, he felt like they were accusing him silently. What was he supposed to do?

Aomori was going to take 18,000 yen off his debt, it was so achingly tempting. And it was so unfair.

"He.." Naruto cleared his throat, talking in a low voice. "h-her.." Naruto pointed to a tiny girl sitting in the back, held in the arms of an older girl. The dealer snapped his fingers, talking to her in a different language, forcefully telling her to get up. The older girl tried to keep her, but the dealer would not have it, as he took the smaller girl by her wiry wrist and tore her away from her friend. He shoved the girl into Reishi's eager arms, she tried to get away from him, frightened and shivering. Kojiro hit him in the back of the head again, and gave the girl to another Yakuza member, who led her out of the stifling room where all their cars waited outside.

The dealer then looked impatiently towards Naruto, staring expectantly at the money in his clammy hands.

Business was finally adjourned once Naruto handed him the money, paying for the girl, and paying off some of his debt.

Naruto wished this was the last time, wished that they would just let him go already.

But no, not yet..

Eighteen thousand... didn't even make a decent dent this time.

* * *

Naruto sat in Sakio's class, ignoring the harsh looks he was giving him, not caring a bit about him. Naruto barely recognized the other kind of looks his classmates were giving him, some of them were enough to kill, the rest of them alienating Naruto, he didn't realize he had become some sort of target, that he had become so outcasted amongst his peers. 

Hinata found this change in everyone unsettling as well, she couldn't understand this new mob mentality of theirs. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

Naruto let out a loud yawn, looking like a lion as he did so, some students and especially Sakio-sensei glared at him, finding him rude and uncouth. He was bored, achy and tired. And his stomach felt a little queasy from the alcohol he drank last night, not realizing how this was becoming a frequent thing with him. And because his stomach felt queasy he hardly wanted to eat, and because he hardly wanted to eat, his stomach felt queasy.

If Tsunade or Sakura saw him right now they'd really bite his head off.

Naruto hung his head tiredly, not wanting to think of either tempermental women, and sighed to himself.

"No sleeping in my class!" Sakio shouted, throwing his pointer for Naruto's head. It bounced off and hit the floor with a dull thud. Naruto hardly acknowledged the impact and was slow to pick up his head, everyone in the room giving him wary looks.

There was no reaction on Naruto's face, and it made others uneasy, but they decided just to ignore him. Sakio returned to teaching or preaching, whatever he thought he was doing.

Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets, looking listlessly out the window. He was hating all of this. He couldn't deal with this, he wanted out. He started to think maybe he shouldn't have come here at all, he could have graduated at fifteen and gone straight to work, but a few months ago that wasn't what he wanted to do at all A few months ago he thought he had a plan. He was wondering if he was straying, if he had changed his mind or if this was just a momentary lapse, a moment of weakness. Perhaps it was, he didn't care right now. This was becoming too troublesome, more so than he had hoped, but maybe that was naive of him to begin with.

Still... He never imagined he'd end up in the Yakuza's grasp, once he moved out here.

Something caught his attention, he felt around in his pockets... little plastic packages.

_'What the hell..?'_

Naruto discreetly pulled out a few of the little packages and held them in his hand under his desk, out of everyone's sight.

Little plastic packages... filled with a white powder...

It suddenly became silent to Naruto, the teacher's voices fading away from his ears as his eyes grew immensely wide.

He had little plastic packages, filled with white powder.. and they were in his pocket. He didn't even know how they got there.. How'd they get there?!

"Naruto!!"

Naruto jumped, his heart pounding painfully in his chest and in his ears, the color flushed from his face.

Sakio was glaring impatiently at him, the rest of the class was looking at him.

"Was is it you have there?!" The old man demanded harshly, startling Naruto out of his skin. His gripped the packages tightly in his hand, away from everyone's prying eyes. His mouth became dry and he couldn't yet find the words to speak.

"Well...?! What is it?!" He ordered again.

Naruto tried to control his breathing, tried to slake his mouth. His hands began to sweat, and he let out a nervous little laugh, an idea soon coming to him.

"It's my lunch money." He feigned a smile, still sweating nervously where he sat, everyone's eyes pushing him into a corner that he could not escape from. Sakio's eyes narrowed, as if calculating the validity of his response. Naruto hoped to hell that he would believe him, his heart still beating painfully fast in his chest, his lungs unable to keep up.

"Give it here." Sakio demanded, holding it hand out. Naruto freaked out, his eyes wide again and he shook his head vehemently. Sakio was surprised at first before becoming livid with him, still demanding that he hand over what he had. But Naruto shook his head still.

"Give it here!" The old man screamed, still holding his hand out and glaring brightly.

"W-why?!" Naruto laughed nervously, trying to remain cool, but was failing nervously. He looked around him, his classmates' expressions hadn't changed much.

"You're becoming distracted!!" Sakio stated matter-of-factly, expecting Naruto to do what he said, though part of him knew that he wouldn't.

"Y-you can't confiscate my lunch money!!" Naruto laughed again, smiling like an idiot and wondering what was coming over him to laugh when he wasn't feeling well at all.

"And why not?!" Sakio stood there, steaming like freshly made rice.

"Well... How the hell do I know you're gunna give it back, huh? I need to eat, man!" Naruto said in a nervous and shaky voice but in a smartass tone, that overshadowed his cracked voice. Some boys actually laughed alongside, finding his smartass comment funny. Naruto was surprised when Sakio had backed down, picking up his textbook again and shook his head, picking up where he left off. It wasn't that he had given up against Naruto, he just felt it wasn't worth it.

But if only he knew that had he had confiscated the drugs with force, it would have been the break he was looking for to exploit Naruto and get rid of him for good. He was having a slow time with the paperwork so far anyways..

A heavy sigh left him, Naruto's body officially racking with little tremors that shook in his shoulders every now and then.

He couldn't believe he just got away with that.

* * *

Naruto's hands were still shaking, his nerves still frayed. His mind was running one-track, only thinking of getting home and staying there. Maybe he could hide out for a month or so. But he could barely bring himself to move from one spot. Everyone that was exiting the building would walk past him, giving him odd looks, many finding him curious and strange. Even he wouldn't know unless someone told him, he had a feeling.. that practically everyone knew who he was. Ever since that day of gossip, everyone stared and stayed away. 

Hinata jogged quietly up to him, still with those sad worried eyes of hers, full of concern.

"N-Naruto-kun..?" She started out hesitantly, slowly reaching her hand out to touch his arm, his words halting her anxious actions.

"Ne, Hinata-chan..?" Naruto's voice came out wavery, startling Hinata. She wondered what was going on now, as she was unable to see his face. There was a nervous twitch to his lips, as he turned to her, there was a look of apprehension that Naruto struggled to hide under the backwards smile that nearly gave everything away; he was becoming unstrung. Hinata could see it, but she could not see everything that he was keeping hidden inside.

"..um. Where's the bike?" Was all he asked, very simply. His words surprised her, she had thought maybe something more significant was weighing on him. Also...

"You mean your bike?" She asked. Naruto didn't nod, but gave her this look that made her pause, now perplexed. "...You don't have it with you?" She asked, a bit too pointedly for Naruto to take, the mask he struggled to wear crumbling away pitifully.

"Aaah, dammit!!" Naruto cursed, grabbing at his hair and sinking to his haunches, frustration at him. Hinata jumped back a bit, taken aback by his immense mood swing.

"When you left that one day, I thought you took it with you!" Hinata tried to explain, freaking out now too, hoping he wasn't mad at her about it. She didn't know it got stolen!

"I didn't!!" He shouted angrily, his voice wavering as he shook his head back and forth, unable to believe any of this. He knew he always forgot his bike on occasion and he had promised Ayame that he'd keep it safe, but now...!

"Dammit!"

"Well, don't you ever chain your bike?!" His aggravation was affecting her, making her jittery and she hadn't meant to sound so excited, not realizing that she was making Naruto feel even worse about the whole thing. She wasn't accusing him, it was just the wrong tone of voice.

"Are you calling me stupid?!" He shouted at her, unable to control his anger and frustration. The antagonism in his voice and accusation in his eyes struck Hinata, making her flinch away from him, shaking her head lightly.

"Wh-what..?? N-no, N-Naruto-kun..!" She tried to reach out for him again, but he didn't let her, just shouted again, not really hearing her correctly, practically not listening to her at all.

"You don't have to tell me, alright!" He shot back, pushing her farther away from him, making her shrink and hide into herself under his biting gaze.

"B-but I.." Her voice came barely above a whisper, he couldn't see the hurt in her eyes, even as she looked away from him. She stayed that way, looking so small and timid and it annoyed Naruto immensely. Gathering himself up, he walked away from her. Once he made it through the gates, he ran away from the school, only one thing on his mind.

Leaving Hinata all by herself, bewildered and saddened, in the quiet and empty school yard.

* * *

"QUIT MESSING WITH ME!!" 

Naruto ran for Reishi, knocking the beer bottle for his hands, punching him repeatedly. The bottle broke and spilt all over the tatami flooring, Naruto's incensed and reckless behavior scaring then pissing off all the yakuza in the room.

"Hey!! Look what'chu did, li'l shit!!" One of them shouted, going unheard by Naruto.

Reishi tried to fight back, tried to get a few hits in but he couldn't. Naruto had just run straight into the dining room and tackled him, then began punching him, it was extremely sudden, he had caught him completely off gaurd.

"Get offa me!!" Reishi bellowed, bringing his arms up to block his face, enduring beat after beat.

"YOU DID IT!! YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" Naruto brought his fist down. He broke his nose.

"GET OVER YOURSELF, FREAK!!" Reishi fought back on the top of his lungs, blood pouring from his nose. He elbowed Naruto in the chest, only managing to knock some wind out of him, but Naruto was enraged, livid, practically possessed.

"YOU SET ME UP!!" Naruto screamed out with a tone of finality, a fist raised, killer intent in his eyes.

He was prepared to bludgeon him with his fists, til the bone caved into his brain, but the yakuza had pulled him off of Reishi, and were struggling to keep Naruto down. But he continued to fight back, even though Reishi was no longer in harm's way, Naruto didn't have enough, he wasn't satisfied.

"LET GO OF ME!!" Naruto protested violently, struggling against their hold on him, kicking and thrashing against them.

"Just get a hold of yourself!!" One of the men scolded, throwing him down on his back with a thud. He growled angrily, rolling over onto his feet and glaring swords at them, enough to cut them up. If only looks could kill.

"What is with you people!?! I thought you guys wouldn't let me get caught?!" He demanded towards them bitterly, not understanding anything anymore. Everything had become so muddled, even the yakuza were looking at him with confused eyes.

"The hell are you talkin' about boy?!"

"This!" Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets and threw them down on the ground. "He put them in my uniform!!" Naruto pointed at the chinpira with the nosebleed. But Reishi was unaffected, a casual look on his face.

"Hey, I just thought maybe you wanted so pass some around to your friends, earn a little cash on the side." Reishi smirked.

"Liar!! Are you stupid?! I almost got caught!!" Naruto didn't yet notice that his words had no affect on the yakuza, as if his worries of exposure did not coincide with theirs as it should have been. "And you assholes would have gotten caught too!" He told them pointedly with a finger, not understanding how stupid they could be for yakuza. Even he knew how these things went down.

"Naruto!.."

"What?!" Naruto snapped impatiently to the voice that interrupted him, facing the cold and calm Aomori.

"What makes you think we'd get caught just because of you?" Aomori gave him this sharp look as he put his tea down, pausing significantly before continuing. "You're not our responsibility."

"If they catch you, they catch you. If they suspect us, we'll just pay another bribe."

"You're not... ..you're not serious.." His voice came out small, trailing off. He looked around the room, the broken bottle and spilt food, the unchanging ice in Aomori's eyes. The room began to feel unfamiliar to him, the men here faceless and his purpose here meaningless. The impersonality in which they were treating him with finally became acknowledged by him and he finally realized they didn't care for a second about him.

"You people... You're just a bunch of shitless low lives! You'll just go on with what you're doing, bet your mothers are real proud of you. FUCK YOU AND YOUR CRYING MOTHERS!!"

"YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH, BRAT!!"

* * *

Aching tears of frustration leaked out to the surface, wetting his eyes as he smeared them away, burying his face in his hands. This whole time he had it wrong, he had it all wrong. They didn't give a damn's worth about him, if ever he slipped up, they'd just sell him out without a second thought. And it was inevitable that it would happen, he knew it was bound to get worse.. long as Reishi continued to mess with him, long as he was still chained to the yakuza.. long as he was still doing fruitless odd jobs for them. 

He still had 42,000 yen left to pay..

_"If they catch you, they catch you. If they suspect us, we'll just pay another bribe."_

His heart clenched painfully, more tears of frustration came to sting his eyes and blur his vision.

He was already here because of a bribe. They didn't care either way what happened, they would just do what they what long as it served them well, he was expendable. He hardly had a purpose here anymore, the fact that they would easily pay another one just to get rid of him was a foul two-faced contradiction, these bastards were just playing a game with him. There was no honor in what they did.

They didn't really care about the money! What the hell was he doing here then?!

Whatever amount of stability he had gained over the mere span of two months was gone, everything had been shot to hell and here he was.. in some sort of hell. He was losing control of everything, he had once assured himself, feeling somewhat strengthened, knowing that he wasn't going to get exposed at the expense of their exposure.

But that wasn't so.

Now he no longer had control of his fate, it had been given to the yakuza long ago when he allowed himself to work for them, thinking all those naive thoughts. Part of him still thought he could handle this, but part of him wanted to give up.

He doubted this would end, it was no longer for the money, they would keep him around just so they couldn't get their hands dirty anymore.

There was no way out anymore.

He sighed, hollow and disheartened, he peered down at his hands, smeared with blood. Blood dripped from his head again, down his face, smeared on his cheeks from his hands. His body was wrought with new pains and bruises from the yakuza's sheathed katanas, having been struck repeatedly, defenseless and helpless on the dining room floor.

He wasn't sure what to do anymore.

_"Oh, by the way... I sold your bike."_

Naruto bent over, covering his face in his hands again, chocking frustration grabbing a fierce hold of him, unrelenting and unforgiving, he couldn't stop becoming unstrung.

What the hell was he going to do now..?

* * *

Hinata sat by the dining table, with her father, Neji and Hanabi sitting by the kotatsu in front of the television. Hinata had finished her homework long ago, same with Hanabi. All had finished dinner long ago as well, except for Hiashi, who had come home unusually late. Hinata didn't really care, but she began to wonder why he would come home at odd times, he was always obnoxiously punctual. 

"Hinata-chan, would you clean up the table?" Hiashi asked, as if she had no choice, as he pushed his empty plate forward. Hinata turned to face him, looking down at the empty plate with indignant disbelief. The table had been cleaned before he even got here, basically he was asking her to pick up after himself, like she was some sort of maid. Instead Hinata didn't answer him, getting up from the dining table and moved to sit beside her sister in the living room.

She just couldn't believe how callous he could be, so self-centered and inconsiderate; he treated them as if they were lesser, disregarding her as a true person, treating her like some dummy.

"Useless girl." Hiashi muttered audibly, obviously at the expense of her own feelings. Hinata turned her head to glare at him, annoyed by him and his gall.

"Useless man." She muttered audibly, parroting him, mocking and spiting him all at the same time. Hiashi growled angrily, feeling unable to do anything with her anymore. She had fully rebelled and broken away from him, becoming the failure of a daughter he had feared though expected to see. And Hinata damned it all to hell, these days they adopted a passive-aggressive behavior of ruffling eachother's feathers, and when it came to him.. well it looked utterly immature, even Neji thought so, and there had been times that Hanabi became embarrassed throwing both of them wary and wierd looks.

He acted as if he was Kami almighty himself, as if they didn't have their own problems.

Hinata still ached over Naruto, even when she was so comfortable and warm here, she had yet to stop thinking of him.

_"I would like to apologize to everyone tonight..."_

Neji turned the volume up a bit on the tv, catching Hinata's attention again. It was the Minister for Foreign Affairs, he was on a podium in front of the DIET building. A loud catchy ringtone resounded in the living room, startling Hinata and bringing all eyes to glance at Hanabi's vibrating cell phone.

"I got it!" She said excitedly with a flush, grabbing it and she ran into her bedroom. That was also another thing that Hinata began to notice, wondering why Hanabi always went to her bedroom to talk on her cell phone. (Or why she would often blush and look really giddy).

_"..I'm resigning from office. I was never qualified for this, I'm sorry."_ The minister finished momentarily, the press bombarding him with questions and thrusting their microphone over to him. He spoke a bit more, only answering their questions with vague words and saying repeatedly _"I'm sorry."_.

"I wonder why that is.." Neji mused curiously, as the Minister began to walk off the podium, being led into his short limosine.

Hinata didn't have a clue, not caring much in the least.

* * *

The moon rose and shone like a smile in the black sky, the stars winking down on earth. Hinata was feeling strangely bold, trepidation filling her. Good thing he only lived five feet away. But it was still unusual and even a tad risky when she pushed aside her shouji doors to sneak out of her bedroom and into the sleeping outside world. 

She wanted to check up on Naruto, for some reason she felt compelled to, something was pulling her.

It was strange and a bit worrisome that she was acting through impulse, something she never thought she'd do.

She crept on her toes, making sure to stay in the shadows, making sure to be stealthy. She felt really silly doing this and couldn't help but giggle a little bit. She walked up the two steps to his porch and knocked lightly on his door.

There was no answer.

She tried again.

Still no answer.

_'I wonder.. oh no!! What am I doing?! He's asleep! Ohhh, I shouldn't bother him... baka baka baka!!'_

Hinata hung her head exasperately, unable to believe herself.

_'I'm such a dimwit.. he probably thinks so too...'_

She stared thoughtfully at his door, a slight sadness filling her.

_"Are you calling me stupid?!"_

_"You don't have to tell me, alright?!"_

He had just attacked her for no apparent reason, but Hinata was beginning to think that he was mad at her. She felt pretty stupid for not realizing his bike was stolen, she thought he must feel the same way, that she should have been watching it for him, or that she should have known what happened. Now he was mad at her, or so she assumed, and it affected her.

She placed her hand on the door, looking at it with a wistfulness, wishing she could make everything all better. For him at least. For some reason she couldn't be happy if he wasn't happy, it was a strange sort of rapport she didn't know that had been developed.

In a moment of absentmindedness, Hinata's hand moved over to the door knob and turned.

The door was open?

Hinata jumped back surprised, unsure what to do. She knew she opened the door, she just didn't quite believe it, she never thought she was that spacey. She decided to move forward while she was at it, the door was already ajar at this point.

It was so dark inside, pitch black.

And it felt empty.

When was the last time she was here?

It had been so long ago, it was that week he got suspended for the fight. And she had came to deliver his notes. The lights had been out that day too and he hadn't been home yet. But that day he had been working, and he would get home just a few minutes after her, he had always been on time.

But now it was night time, and he wasn't here. What possible reason could there be for this?

She walked towards the door, standing inside of the doorway and looked out into the snowy midnight world.

_"Anou, Hey! Hinata-san! Hold on, I'll be right there!" Naruto called out, waving an arm in an enthusiastic greeting. Turning around, a smile nearly crept onto her face, nearly._

She could imagine him running up to her now...

_"Hey, how are ya?" He asked, walking up the two steps and grinning beside her._

She was taken aback.

_'Ah! What am I doing?!... Baka baka Hinata!'_

She shook her head fervently, not realizing the slight embarrassed blush on her cheeks, feeling quite odd after her moment of listless nolstagia. She knew she was thinking of him a lot, but never like that.

She was sad to leave his house, only because she didn't know where he was, if he was alright.

A lot of things have changed it seemed...

* * *

Naruto woke up to the sounds of the door opening and the shuffling of feet. This was the second time he'd done this, break into his school and sleep in the classroom. He remembered how bugged out Sakura got at him about it. And right now, he was the only one in the classroom, far as he knew. 

He picked his head up from his arms, groggy and achy eyes looking at a familiar soft face. It was interesting how they always met like this, with no one else around it seemed.

"Is this where you've been all night?" Hinata asked in her quiet voice, peering down at him with those worried eyes that he wanted to laugh at that one day. But everything about her was blurry. He took his eyes away from her, rubbing roughly at his tired eyes, trying to wake up.

"Uh.. yeah." He answered after a long pause, still feeling drained and hazy. Hinata nodded back curtly, feeling unsure of herself and shy. It wasn't until Naruto sat up, that she was able to get a good look at him, especially when he wasn't wearing that baggy black hat right now.

"Naruto-kun..." She bit out, barely audible. Naruto glanced up at her, tensing at the appalled inflection in her voice, he became even more worried at the aghast look in her wide eyes. He wished she'd stop looking at him like that, what was it?

She could see a slightly deep and thin cut on his eyebrow with a bruise underneath it, the cut was still red but dry, and a large bruise on his left cheek. She thought it looked painful, did he get those last night? What was happening to him?

He still wasn't sure what she was looking at, was it him? He didn't like it though, it put him off, he didn't like people staring at him. Not like that anyhow, making him feel like he was something strange, some sort of spectacle. But she hadn't meant it that way, she couldn't help it, she couldn't take her wavery eyes away. She reached a timid hand to touch his arm, and he winced. It was very slight, very faint, but Hinata saw it and she retracted her hand hastily.

"W-why...?" She spoke out so softly, unable to finish as more students began to enter the classroom. Naruto pulled his eyes away from her, looking out the window and discreetly shutting her out. She fell at this, crestfallen, bottled feelings unbeknownst to her continued to pent themselves up within her chest, and all she could feel was the tightness in her throat.

Why did he have to hide?

...He didn't have to hide from her.

... Maybe he didn't know that.

... Maybe he didn't care.

* * *

Reishi was still out there. 

Naruto had lost most of his will at this point, but this was getting really old, really fast.

He pulled down his black hat further down so as to shadow his face, he was about to walk past him, but Reishi saw past this and stopped him. Everyone watched interested and anxious; Reishi grabbed at his lapels, shoving his face intimitadingly into his, showing off and trying to seem tough to all the highschool youngins.

"You're dead." He told him in a secretive voice, some hearing him, grinning deviously. The bitterness and hate that he felt shone just beneath the surface as it always had, but Naruto didn't care.

"Fuck off." Naruto told him flatly, shoving him aside and walking off the school premises with Reishi still smirking to himself.

Hinata watched anxoiusly as Naruto walked away, alarm filling her. What did The Stalker say to him?! Was he the one bothering Naruto this whole time?!

"N-Naruto-kun--!" Hinata rushed up for him, only to be stopped by Reishi. Hinata jumped back slightly, shivering under the creepy grin he was giving her, just like the first day he was here.

"M...m-move!!" Hinata blurted out, sounding forceful and fierce, despite the shaky and fearful expression she held. She only managed to make him laugh, and even that made her shiver. She could feel all the students eyes on her now, and Naruto was only getting farther and farther away from her. She needed to catch up to him, needed to find out where he went.

"M-m-move? Is that what you said?" He mocked her, stepping closer, making her and the students take a step backwards. Hinata's knuckled grew white, her grip on her bag increasing, her anxiety growing with. She quickly tried to run past him, but he moved to block her. She side-stepped to her left, he side-stepped with her. She side-stepped right, he moved to block her again. He was playing with her and she was getting annoyed very quickly.

Hinata side-stepped right then left very quickly, evading him when he was too slow and ran past him. Reishi was still smiling as he shot his hand out for her neck. Hinata nearly tripped on the feeling, shocked and shivered when she felt his fingers brush against the skin of her neck and carress the roots of her hair. She ran very quickly, his fingers running through her hair from the roots out. His smirked playfully as he watched her run away like a frightened rabbit, satsified with the teasing fun he had.

He turned back to the students standing dumbly in the courtyard, all wary eyes on him now. It didn't seem like they would try to run away even with him there. It was as if they were all thinking _'what do I do?'. _It just amused him to no end. And so did the scared little rabbit, she didn't seem like much of a fighter..

The students were alarmed to watch him walk away, down the same direction that Hinata had run off, former gossip only helping to fill in the blanks of whatever fears and thoughts were forming in their heads.

* * *

She could still feel the fingers on her neck, the little hairs on end, it felt like there was ice held against her skin, she could not ease the shivers and tenseness in her body. She kept calling after him, but he was running from her. She knew he was, he had been running since the start. 

"Naruto-kun!!" She called out, her legs pumping faster and faster, her knees feeling wobbly, she was growing tired and it didn't help the frustration she was feeling. She cursed herself for not having enough stamina.

Naruto didn't understand why she was following him, didn't understand what she thought she was doing. He wanted to tell her to go away, not to follow. She should just go home, not to bother him. He wasn't safe to be around, not anymore.

"Naruto-kuuun!!" He heard her call out once more, sounding so far away, especially amongst the ever increasing crowd of people. What was with her?! Why couldn't she just go home already?!

The bottle of feelings was becoming unbearably tight in her chest, fatigue filling her muscles, she didn't yet realize the frustrated tears that came to blur her vision. His black hat disappeared from view and she was falling behind him, she couldn't understand why he was running away from her. Was he still mad at her? Was she that unwanted?

There were so many people..

Too many people..

She wanted to get rid of them all so she could catch up to him, so she could see him again..

But no matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reach him.

"Na..." A sob ached in her throat. "N-NARUTO-KUN...!!"

He was gone now. She knew it.

Hinata stopped in the middle of the sidewalks, out of breath and out of hope. She wiped irritatedly at the tears, glaring sadly at the crowded horizon, all alone in a city of so many people.

* * *

Naruto collasped, finding his usual spot in the dining room to just sit, the yakuza taking no notice of him. He soon regained his breath, out of irritation and boredom, he reached out for a sake bottle, only to get it slapped out of his hands. He glared at the yakuza who took it from him, meeting him with an even harder glare. 

"Not for you." He said indifferently. Naruto quickly flicked him off, feeling defiant and impudent, only to get hit in the back of the head by another yakuza. There was no more mercy to be spared on him, not after what he had said that one night. But Naruto didn't regret his words, he just hated this place even more now.

Reishi came in a while after, smirking lighlty. He hadn't found the rabbit, but he didn't care about that anymore. He quickly became relaxed, easing into the yakuza's conversations and jokes, acting like the wannabe he was. Being here irked Naruto, more so now than ever, all of these men were so stupid and pathetic. Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets, remembering something he had taken from them earlier.

He discreetly pulled out the plastic package, half the size of his palm, filled with white powder. Naruto didn't smile or grin, glancing up to see if anyone was watching him. They were all talking and joking around, not a single one looking his way. Naruto didn't take much notice to Aomori who sat just across from him; he was watching Naruto and he saw everything that he did, without concern... just mild interest.

But you couldn't tell under his poker faced gaze.

Naruto ripped the open the plastic package and cupped it in his hands. He waited til everyone was looking away or laughing loudly, as soon as he could, he quickly poured all of the bag's contents into Reishi's warmed sake without detection and without his notice. Naruto hadn't been nervous about it, not caring what happened, he did what he felt like, he wanted to mess him up.

Just like he had been messing with him.

Reishi grinned, picking up his sake and brought it to his lips. Aomori quirked an eyebrow towards Naruto, who looked like he hadn't done anything. He found it very interesting that he did that, that he had performed it so well without detection. It seemed far too cruel and clever of him, especially if he was aware of the amount used. He wasn't sure what would happen, now that it was probably dissolved in the heated alcohol, but had it been used dry, well..

Reishi was feeling invincible, especially since the day Naruto got beat up. Not part of his plan, not that he even had a plan, but it wasn't part of his expectations either. He just figured something pretty bad or nothing at all would happen when he slipped the drugs in his pocket.

And now he quickly emptied his sake in one swallow, never realizing that Naruto slipped him the drugs too.

Naruto shuffled a bit unconfortably on the floor, shrugging his shoulders and trying get rid of the feeling that they were watching him (when they weren't). He just couldn't help but expect it.

"So when's the next job?" Naruto asked casually, though impatiently, seeming very impersonal. Suddenly trying to get out of here just seemed like business.

Aomori's monotonous expression never changed, even as both began to take in the subtle changes in Reishi..

"Ready to work so soon?" He prodded, wondering what Naruto would say, even though he knew why Naruto wanted to leave.

Or needed to leave...

"Anything to get out of here faster." He said, a meaning doubling, as he started to become a bit nervous. There was a flush to Reishi's face that many were mistakening for the alcohol (since he had downed the whole thing fell swoop). His eyes were rather wide and dilated, he began to breath more quickly, loudly, almost hyperventilating...

"Oi man!? What's with you?!" One of the yakuza shouted, finally starting to notice how wierd Reishi was acting. Naruto shot up from where he sat, maneuvering past all the men and ran out the door.

Aomori wondered if Reishi was going to O.D., the ruckus in the room increasing with the men's reaction to Reishi's symptoms.

"Reishi?! Reishi!"

He couldn't help but find it all very interesting.

* * *

Naruto hid out by the doorway, partly in hopes that he would still be assigned a mission of some sort, just anything would be alright, long as they cleared his debt. He didn't think he do this for much longer.. 

The door opened with a slightly creak, someone stepping out with a cigarette. Naruto glanced up warily to see Aomori, stoic and calm as ever. He wondered if he knew what he did, wondered what he was going to do to him.

"That was damn sneaky of you.." He merely mentioned, blowing out smoke into the cold winter air. Naruto didn't say anything, having nothing to say, keeping his guard up.

"We're going to Chiba Port later." He paused. "30,000 yen if you behave."

Naruto's eyes widened considerably, taken aback. He was reluctant, knowing where they would be going and what he was asking him to do again. But 30,000 yen gone... that would leave him off at...

"...12,000 yen..." He whispered in amazement, staring out at nothing.

Twelve thousand yen, he was closer than ever..

* * *

Hinata sat on the roof beside Kiba, staring at her triple vanilla mousse cake. Kiba said he got it at the _L'histoire_ last night, remembering how she couldn't choose between it and the strawberry cup pies that other night they went out together. He knew how much she like fancy food, and the ethnic restuarant made all of their desert dishes extra cutesy, he smiled to himself at the memory when Hinata stuck her face up against the glass with all the cakes just behind it. He loved her when she got so cute and enthusiastic. 

But she wasn't like that today (not that he didn't love it). He was just worried about her.

"You don't like it?" He asked her worriedly, afraid he made a bad choice. Maybe he should have gotten her those chocolate rabbit cookies instead..

Hinata shook her head, still looking like she was preoccupied.

"It's not that.."

She couldn't get over yesterday.. and the way he just ran from her.. but the bottled feelings were gone, no longer bottled up, she was just left with a listlessness that made her cheerless and unmotivated. She didn't feel like eating her cake, even though in the back of her mind she felt bad about it, after all Kiba did buy it for her. He was always so nice to her, it wasn't fair of her to act this way when he always treated her so warmly.

She forced herself to move her spoon and scooped up a bit of cake, bringing it to her lips, she took a bite.

She just couldn't enjoy it today..

* * *

Naruto stared off into nothing, sitting stiffly in his desk. He wasn't even going to think about that odorous room... 

_"What happened?!"_

_"She's dead.."_

_"You just left her here for three days like that?! It fucking stinks in here!"_

_"What was I supposed to do?! She was dying anyways! Poor bitch had cholera!"_

"Hey you!!"

Naruto was brought to attention, two girls approaching him with angry and indifferent glares. Naruto glared back up at them, wondering what their problem was. No one's ever confronted him since Yamato and Masabo, but that had been a different situation. He doubted he did anything to bother these girls.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The taller girl asked, looking down her nose at him.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto sighed out, not caring in the least for them or their stupid opinions.

"It's your fault for the attacks! You shouldn't even be here! You belong in a lesser school!" The second girl spoke haughtily, irritating Naruto. He really hated bitchy girls.

_Wait.. attacks?_

"Attacks?! What attacks?!" Naruto blurted out, bewildered and confused. Attacks? Like what? Who'd attack the school?

"Oh that's so typical! Don't act like you don't know, you've been in on it too!" The taller girl shouted pissily, pointing a finger in his face.

"Yeah!" The second girl added, sounding so stupid (like she couldn't have anything better to say at the time). Naruto glared up at the taller girl, shoving her accusing finger aside.

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Two and half! There have been two and a half attacks on females at this school!" Came the second girl, shoving two fingers in his face, only to have him shove them aside as well. Would they just stop pointing at him?!

"T-two and a half??" Naruto stared blankly at them, before becoming pissed off, thinking they were just playing with him. "You're a fucking liar! You just came up with a random number!!"

"The half is what happened to Hyuuga-san! The other two is what you and your chinpira friend did!!"

"Hinata-chan..?" Naruto's face screwed up in confusion, not understanding what Hinata had to do with this. But then another realization hit him. "..My friend?! What'd I do?!" They said he did something?! He didn't do shit! Did they think Reishi was his friend?! Who are they kidding, they don't know squat, they shouldn't go around believing assumptions!

"Don't be stupid! You know!" The taller girl yelled, becoming zealous and just as pissed off as he was, towering over him.

"The Matsushita Gakuen Stalker followed a girl to her home and tied her up! He also assaulted another girl by the park!" The second girl squealed, her high-pitch voice aggravating him. He wanted them to shut up and stop yelling so much.

"You girls are being stupid! Don't read so much into gossip!" He fought back. They didn't even know what they were talking about! Were they serious?! A girl got tied up?? Yeah, right!

"It's not gossip!! It's all true and it's all your FAULT!" The taller shouted in a voice becoming strained her face red, she was really furious about this whole thing and frustrated that nothing was being done, frustrated that Naruto wasn't gone from their school yet (since she strongly believe he was the source of the problem).

"J.. Just shut up! Both of you!" They were reluctant to move, still glaring at him warily. "GET LOST!" Naruto yelled as he stood up, towering over them he scared them half to death as they ran away. The entire class stared at him with wide frightened eyes, many with washed out faces. Naruto walked out of his desk, now that he lost his cool, and roughly slammed his chair into his desk before skulking off, leaving everyone in the room tense with their anxiety.

They had no idea what called for that to happen.

* * *

What the hell was all of this about? Attacks on two school girls... Naruto didn't believe any of it. He figured they were just lying and making the whole thing up, just to make him feel bad or to get him in trouble. Well it's happened before! He wasn't being paranoid about it, he knew first hand how conniving people could be, this situation wasn't any different. 

Damn people, they could be so stupid!

He kicked his toes as he dragged his heels in the hallways, making several people nervous and wary of him, they feared him to be dangerous.

..but they said that.. something happened to Hinata-chan?

Naruto looked thoughtfully at floor as it moved beneath him, walking the halls aimlessly.

The half is what happened to Hinata-chan, what the hell does that even mean?! But wait..

Naruto paused in the middle of the hallway, staring off into nothing for a mere moment.

_"N-NARUTO-KUN...!!"_

She had been running after him, calling after him.. she had sounded desperate.. what if...

His eyes widened.

_'What if Reishi had been chasing her?! Was that why she was--?!'_

He brought a wavery hand to run nervously through his hair, a chill and a cold sweat washing through him. But she seemed.. she seemed alright today.. right? Naruto wasn't sure, he couldn't tell how she was when he only had her back to look at. And she was always quiet, how could anyone tell how she was, how she was feeling?

The bell rung, going unnoticed by Naruto, he didn't quite realize that it was the end of the school day already. Everyone started to pour out of their classrooms, heading for the courtyard like salmon migrating. Naruto slowly followed with the crowd, his mind running in circles. He was unsettled, distressed at the thought that something happened to Hinata, something really bad, but then again..

Reishi wasn't so stupid that he would actually assault a girl in the open, was he?

* * *

Reishi was scanning the courtyard as usual, grinning widely to himself, his prescence threatening and dangerous. He got a power high just knowing that he making all these little kids cower, feeling like he was the Kamaguchi themselves. Reishi had been slow to realize what Naruto did to him that one night, he just remember feeling invincible and alert, his heart pumped like crazy. He was already turned to the high, liking the invincible feeling even though it made him even more unstable.. 

There was a petite girl in a shortened skirt and loose socks about to walk past him as if he wasn't even there, she wasn't afraid of him.

Reishi just saw this as a challenge.

"Oi! I'll pay 500 yen for you." He smirked, even as Ukue glared bitchily at him.

"Are you callin' me a 'ho?!" She called him out, approaching him. He wanted to laugh when he looked down on her, she stood nearly two feet shorter than him. How cute.

"Well you're a ho-gal, ain'tcha?" He said arrogantly, sizing her up. She hated him, he was so disgusting. And she had a fair share of terrible men, he was just the male species' biggest mistake.

"That's kogal, asshole!"

"Whatever, you're still a cunt to fuck. So c'mon, 500 yen sound alright?" He grinned, enjoying the audience as he moved to grab her but she pulled herself away, her voice like acid.

"Idiot. If I was for sale, I'd be 1,000,000 yen! And that's just for breathing the same air as me!" Ukue told him off defiantly. She couldn't believe he had the gall to say that to her, so foul and loathsome he was.

"Ha! No way!" Reishi laughed, pissing Ukue off further. He walked up to her and grabbed her arm, holding up a yen coin in her face. "A conceited bitch like you isn't even worth 500 yen." He smirked.

"Bastard!" Ukue moved to punch him squarely in the face, but he grabbed her wrists and pulled her to the wall.

"C'mon, won't you play nice?! I bet you love to flip your skirt, don'tcha?" Reishi grinned perversely, she was making him excited, even more so than if he weren't high.

"Stop it! Lemme go!" She squealed, struggling against him, she could feel his legs try to spread her open.

"You stupid girl, you gunna fight me, huh?! You gunna fight?!" Reishi taunted her, laughing as he forced himself on her, reveling in the eyes of the audience.

"Lay off!!"

"Don't you know I can break you in half?!"

"Tch! You're as flaccid and soft as an old man!"

"Stupid bitch!" Reishi slapped her across the face, leave a swelling red mark on her cheek. Angry tears stung her eyes, she tried to kick him, but he was holding her down and she was too small. He ran his hands all down her body, making her shake with a disturbing chill. She threw a punch to his chin, running away since he hadn't been holding her wrists anymore. But she didn't get far, feeling a frightful tug on her skirt.

"Lemme go!!" Ukue cried out, tears running down her face when he pulled her closer to him, she could feel her skirt dropping down, she tried to keep it up, tried to tear herself away from him. Reishi smirked, looking possessed, his hands moved to graze what she barely hid under her skirt, hooking his fingers in the silky fabric, getting a perverse and excited chill from it.

It was terribly humiliating and scary, that this was happening to her with all of the students watching in horror, no one doing anything to help her. Ukue panicked, more tears falling from her eyes, she could feel his fingers _there_.

Naruto thought Reishi wasn't stupid enough to attack in public, but he was wrong again. Ukue cried and screamed. He felt helpless to do anything. He was still with the yakuza, he couldn't allow himself to help her, Reishi would just figure out a way to make him look like a traitor to the group. He already said he was dead...

He felt sick with his confliction. And he felt stupid when he continued to hope and think that Ukue would be alright somehow, that this couldn't honestly go all the way.. not with an audience as big as the school..

He couldn't help her, he was almost done with the yakuza, he couldn't screw it up now. He just stood there dumbly, looking on as everyone else did, enduring the scene of cries and yells.

Yamato rushed through the entrance, shoving Naruto aside with a glare, not understanding why he would just stand there doing nothing, knowing what was happening this whole time. He quickly ran across, weaving through the statue-like students. Reishi didn't react quickly enough, as Yamato knocked him down with a punch to the face. Ukue ran off a little ways away, tears dry on her face, humiliated and struggling to discreetly pull up her panties. Everyone looked on as Yamato threw more punches towards Reishi, getting him most of the time until he ran off, pissed off at being beaten by a little boy. Yamato silently swore, moving over to his shaking Ukue, hiding her bawling face in his chest and clinging to him.

The statues suddenly started to move again, turning their heads to look at Naruto with a uniform look that disturbed him. Yamato gave him the same look, thinking the same thing as them.

Why did he just stand there?

But the lot of them came up with answers, making the same assumptions inspired by gossip.

Because he was 'friends' with the chinpira, he brought him here in the first place.

Guilty by association.

* * *

He would have, he wanted to.. but he couldn't help her.. it would have ruined everything he had worked for. But Reishi was making sure to make it near impossible for him, he was making sure that every bit he worked for was shot to hell. 

He regretted not helping her but... he couldn't help but think of himself at this point. He was so close, his freedom was finally within reach, he couldn't screw it up.

"I'm filing charges."

Naruto glanced across the room at the voice. Ukue was glaring darkly and tearily at her desk, avoiding the careful gaze of her boyfriend and those around her. It'd only been a day since the incident, and Ukue was quick to avenge herself, she wasn't going to sit around like a dumb girl.

"We can go to my father's Police Box after school, it should be a cinch to nab the guy."

"Why didn't you do that in the first place Touki-chan?!"

"The first two attacks are allegations! They're not substantial enough to call for an investigation! We don't even know who the other two girls are! But with Ukue-san, we can end this!"

"Finally!"

"Yeah, well.. we know whose fault it is to begin with though.." The taller girl from yesterday commented haughtily, glancing over to Naruto, causing everyone to follow her gaze. He looked emptily back at them, meeting their unabashed gaze. Rather than being afraid of him, they were just more apathetic and full of disdain than ever.

There was nothing he could do about the way they were treating him, like an outsider and he couldn't help but feel bitterly furious when Reishi first came along and called him an outcast. He didn't need to hear that he was different from everyone, he couldn't put up with this.

He just turned his head away, their eyes still boring into him, he hated feeling this lonely.

But he still had to free himself from the yakuza before he could ever move on, he couldn't let Ukue screw this up for him.

* * *

Majority of the girls and Ukue walked out of the school, like a clique of sympathizers. But they were empathetic to Ukue, feeling close to her oppression because they were all girls and they've been wanting to get rid of The Matsushita Gakuen Stalker since day one. 

"You gals don't have to follow me, I can handle this myself." She told them just as Naruto was running up to her, startling everyone.

"Ukue-chan!"

"Naru-chan?" Ukue blurted out, surprised, finding herself being dragged a few feet away from the group. At first she didn't understand what he was doing, but then she was startled at the apprehensive look on his face, on the verge of panic.

"What do you think you're doing?!" She bit out, annoyed now that she remembered what Yamato had vaguely described to her yesterday. Naruto was just standing there, watching her get nearly raped. And it upset her, she didn't want to talk to him until she got this arrest charge over with.

"Y-you can't call the police on him!" Was the first thing she heard, shocking her. She looked at Naruto like she didn't recognize him. He was shaking slightly, his palms clammy and twitching, even has he grasped her arm, he remained unsteady. She couldn't understand why he looked so. Naruto hoped to Kami and the seven lucky gods that they would keep him safe, not that they ever helped him much before though. He could feel his heart beat rapidly in his chest. It only grew worse at the angry look Ukue gave him.

"Say what?!" She couldn't believe he just said that. Was he protecting that dude? How could he?! She never once believed the gossip, she held out hope for him, but how could he say that? The gossip couldn't be true! He couldn't be a gangbanger!

"You can't call the police on him, alright!! Just don't! Don't go to the police!!" Naruto begged, his anxiety creeping up on him, the cold chill associated with nervous fear swimming through his veins and making him increasingly jittery.

"How can you say that! You watched!! You know what happened!" She shouted, becoming upset with him.

"I know!! But don't go to the police!" Naruto stepped closer, his fingers still gripping her arm, he tried and hoped she'd comply without much trouble, but it didn't seem likely. She was a strong-willed being.

"Why not!?!" She tried to release herself from his grasp, but he only walked up closer to her. She couldn't understand why he was doing this. It wasn't fair.

"You can't! You just can't, alright!" Naruto didn't realize that he was starting to speak loudly, putting her off and scaring her, the panic and fervor in his eyes concerning her if this continued. He was getting really aggravated with her, he just wished she'd say 'okay, I won't', and leave it at that. He knew she didn't understand where he was coming from, he wished he could tell her just so she would understand and give in, but he couldn't expose his trouble to anyone, not with the way things were now. He'd wanted to keep their words as just gossip, not make it true.

"But I almost got raped!!" She yelled out, still trying to rip her arm away from him, but his fingers would not let her go and her heart skipped a beat, becoming worried. She didn't want to be man-handled, not after yesterday.

"Well maybe if you didn't wear your skirt so short!!" Naruto blurted out clumsily, frustrated with her stubborn attitude. Honestly, how did she not think or expect to get groped or worse when she flaunted the way she did?

"Are you calling me a slut?!!" Ukue glared heatedly at him, her vision blurring with a few tears. Why'd he have to go and say that?! It wasn't her fault if her skirt was short, it was her fault for not being stronger. She had tried her best to fight him off, and now she was just trying to fight off Naruto, his grip on her unrelenting.

She didn't like the way he was treating her, the way he was acting. She felt like she wasn't looking at the same nice boy that helped her out back then, she still felt he was there, she just didn't like this other version of him.

"Well aren't you?! I mean, I'm sure this kind of thing happens to you all the time, Jail-bait!!" Naruto shot back. It had been the first thing that came to mind, part of him knowing it was a low blow but ignored it at this point.

"You bastard!! How would you like it, huh?! Would you like it if I just grabbed your _chinko_, gave it a good tug, huh?!" She pushed him back roughly, her unpredictable words startling him.

"..St-stop talking dirty.." Naruto muttered weakly, only to go unheard by the angry girl before him, now taking the aggressive.

"Just shut up! I'm going to the police box whether you like or not!!" Ukue yelled out with a tone of finality, roughly trying to pull her arm away from him, having no luck.

"No! You can't!! Dammit, Ukue-chan! Don't get them arrested!!" His grip tightened on her unbeknownst to him, the panic rushing through him even more, he couldn't let her do this! Ukue freaked out somewhat, wincing at the pain in her arm.

"Them?! Whose them?!" She shot at him pointedly, bewildered. Who was them?! Who was he protecting?!

"Just do it for me, please?!" Naruto begged desperately, not letting her get away, tugging her back when she tugged away.

"Do it for you!?! As if I should, what did you do for me, huh?! Voyeuristic.. sadist!" Ukue tried to kick him, Naruto not letting her. She kicked his shins, but she wasn't very strong, Naruto didn't even wince. He was getting agitated with her, he wished she wasn't being so stubborn.

"What?!" Naruto gave her an odd look, not understanding what she just called him. He stepped on one of her feet so she would stop kicking him, but she just started to kick him with her other foot.

"Aaah, stop kicking me!!"

"You can't tell me what to do! I'm calling the fuzz on that _chinko_!!" She seethed, ripping her bruising arm from him. She turned around, but he just grabbed her again.

"No! Stop!"

"Let me go!!" She tore herself away from him. "Piss off!!" Was the last thing she said, flicking him off with a raspberry and ran off. The girls that had been following her were still in the courtyard, along with everyone else from the school who were either leaving or had stayed to watched their little bout, the girls glaring harshly at him.

Ukue had just ran out. And she was going to call the police on Reishi. Once she described him to the police, they would already know what group he belonged to.. and they would implicate him as well. All the things he'd done...

The yakuza were either going to kill him after this..

Or the police would take him away..

It was all over now.

"...FUCK!!" Naruto screamed out through terse teeth, jaws clenching and unclenching, his outburst made everyone jump. He could feel himself choking on his panic, his breath becoming faster and shorter, his hands were shaking, cold and sweaty, running and grabbing a handful of hair. He looked on with blurred vision where Ukue ran off and only knew that it was too late for him.

"Dammit... FUCK!! FUCK!!" He swore loudly again, startling everyone out of their skin. He looked up through his frustration, covering his face and hiding his pain in his hands, he smeared away the overwrought tears from his eyes.

It was all over now.

* * *

Hinata hadn't seen him for days.. 

She looked around the quiet room. Everything looked like the way it was before he ever came here... yet she couldn't imagine anything returning back to normal without him. Ukue had made a report to the police, it was all a matter of time before something happened.

She looked somber, no longer with that harsh look in her eyes, she felt somewhat satsified with what she did. But she had grown concerned when Naruto stopped coming to school. She glanced over to his empty desk, and gave it no more thought, unsure what to make from any of this mess.

Hinata sighed sadly to herself.

It was kinna like when he first got here, and she made notes for him when he had been suspended. But it wasn't like that at all.

She looked thoughtfully down at the notes she had been writing for him, hoping that he would still come back to school, hoping that he would need these at least. She didn't want him to give up like this, she didn't want to give up hope on him.

A thought came to her, as she pulled out her pen and began to write at the bottom most corner of the manila folder, hoping that it would help him in some way perhaps.

* * *

Naruto sat in the dark. He hadn't stepped outside in three days, he just lay in bed during the night and sat in a corner under the window during the day. It was eating away at him, the fear. He was expecting the worst to happen, didn't matter what, either way everything was finished for him. He wondered if his lifeless body would ever be on the news or if pictures of him being hauled away with the yakuza would be shown in papers. Or maybe he'd just end up a faceless floater in the bay... 

He sat in his depression, knowing he just failed. He didn't get to prove those people back home that they were wrong about him, he didn't get to prove Tsunade wrong either. This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen, it shouldn't have happend this soon.

Anytime now.. anytime now, was what he had been telling himself, like a fatalistic mantra.

Anytime now the knock on the door would come...

_TON TON TON!!_

His heart leapt in his throat, beating so fast, he could hear the blood pumping painfully in his ears as he choked on his heart in his throat. He stayed huddled in the corner under the window, staying quiet, fearing and fearing for the worst, knowing that it had finally come. The axe was to fall anytime now..

Naruto could feel the tears swell up in his chest and fall down his eyes like a steady stream, he suddenly felt like a child again.. hiding away.. hiding.. hoping not to get caught.. it just wasn't fair.

_"You've done something, you always do something! What is it this time?!"_

Naruto heaved for breath, letting out a quiet and fearful sob, distraught. He continued to stare at the door, but all he could think of was Tsunade being so disappointed in him. More so than ever. He had lost the chance to ever redeem himself, she would hate him now. And he couldn't take the thought of it. She was one of the people he tried to get respect from, but he always failed at it.

He would never be able to redeem himself in her eyes now..

_'Come on, what's taking you so long.. just get it over with! Open the door you bastards!!'_

_TON TON TON TON!!_

Naruto's heart skipped a beat again.

"Naruto-kun??" Came a muffled soft voice from outside the door. Naruto's heart remained still before a slight relief washing through him. But only to become clouded with another sort of fear.

He was expecting the yakuza to find out where he lived by now. What if they were outside now and watching?! No.. they wouldn't hurt Hinata, they couldn't... but Reishi would..

_'Dammit..'_

"Naruto-kun?? Are you there?" She tried again. There was still no answer. Naruto wanted to call out to her, wanted to shout all the things he had in his head right now.

_'Just go away already! Idiot just leave!!'_

But she wasn't leaving.

Hinata sighed to herself, not understanding why he was hiding himself up in his house like this. It disappointed her, not being able to help him, not being able to know what was bothering him like this. He had made her believe in him, a few weeks back she let herself believe that there had been nothing going on, but there was and now she wished she could still believe in his strength.

But how could she when he was hiding?

She sighed to herself again, setting the notes down by the door. She leaned against the door, tracing circles on the surface, wondering about him.

Naruto sat still in his corner, waiting for Hinata to leave. But all she could think of was the words he had said to her that midnight morning.

_"Don't worry about me, I can't be beat!"_

"Naruto-kun..." She started out solemnly. "..you lied." was all she said, feeling let down as she walked away from his door and into her house.

Naruto felt her walk away, the silence of being lonely enveloping him once more. He wondered listlessly what she meant by that. He was just glad she was gone. He didn't want her around when he was eliminated or arrested, which ever one happened. It was all inevitable.

It remained quiet for a long time.

Naruto decided to just take a peek outside, crawling on the floor to the front door. He opened it up just a bit, mild daylight pouring out, blinding him momentarily. He saw the manila folder on the ground, sudden nostalgia washing through him and for a moment he thought it was mid November, remembering when he got to see Hinata everyday after work and she'd have that indifferent look on her soft face that didn't look like it belonged there. He almost wanted to laugh just thinking back to it. Even then he was lonely, sure. But.. he was still happier back then.

He grabbed the folder and dragged it inside, closing the door immediately, making it dark again. In the bare sunlight that managed to leak through his only window, he tried to read the characters scrawled at the bottom, written in cutesy handwriting.

_'Don't give up.'_

It was the most simplest thing he ever heard. Yet it felt like he'd just been given a second chance..

Someone actually still believed in him.

_

* * *

'12,000 yen...'_

Naruto layed on his stomach, reaching his hand under his mini-fridge for something he kept hidden there. He felt it and wrapped his fingers around it, pulling it out with some difficulty. It was his old frog wallet, pale green and yellow; a bit juvenile, but he would never throw it away. He'd been using this as his savings bank for food and groceries.

He sighed, disappointed at the thought that 12,500 yen was all he had saved up in here. He'd have to rely on the bare minimums from here on.. but that wasn't important right now.

He was going to end it with the Yakuza.

He stuffed the money in one pocket, feeling for something significant in his other pocket, making sure that he had it with him.

He hoped that he wouldn't need to use it though.

* * *

It was strangely empty here.. Naruto didn't understand where everyone went. He walked past the dining room, clean and devoid of yakuza, booze or rauceous laughter. He walked past the other rooms, only to find them empty and just as quiet. 

It was eerie.

Why was it so empty today?

He let it go, focused and determined to get what he wanted this time. He walked down the dark and narrow corridor, to the door that held the Kumicho's office just behind. He knocked on it, waiting for it to be open. He knocked again and still no answer. Not until he heard a voice behind him.

"Naruto.. it's been awhile." Aomori said cooly, always with that stoic face and always with that same cigarette. Naruto met him with a firm look, niether glaring nor smiling, a determined indifference set in his eyes.

He took out the money in his pocket and held it out towards the man before him.

"Here. 12,000 yen. You can even count it." He glowered, waiting patiently for him to take it. But Aomori just quirked an eyebrow.

"And where did you get this money from, hm?" He asked, interested.

"It's is all that I've saved up. I give it to you, and I'm done here. Got that?" Naruto told him harshly, making sure he was the one giving the orders now, not the yakuza. The stoic mask returned to Aomori, his pale hands reaching out for the thin stack. He counted it slowly, nodding his approval afterwards.

"Do you think you'll really be needing that?" He asked him casually, a solemn air coming into the hallway, as he put the money in his back pocket. He had taken immediate notice of how Naruto had his hand in his pocket the whole time, looking on guard and ready, he wondered what Naruto thought he needed that for.

Naruto didn't say anything, feeling no need to, he slowly brought his eyes away and walked past him for the exit out. He heard Aomori walk into the Kumicho's office and close the door, just as Naruto walked out into the stairwell and closed the Matsuraba-kai's door.

Hopefully this was the last time he'd ever have to see this place.

_

* * *

"We should get him. __**Right now**__."_

_"Why? He's just a brat, he's not worth our time."_

_"That's not the point!! He thinks he can leave the Matsuraba-kai just like that! He thinks the money is just the worst of his problems and thats it!"_

_"Reishi, if you're so pissed off about this, why you don't just get him?"_

_"Where's your pride!? That piece of shit thinks that he can just leave! You know that's saying we're weak, that we don't have enough control over him!"_

_"So you say."_

_"B-but.. You guys don't know where he's been these days, not showing up to pay his debts..! I know what he's been doing, where's he's gotten the money to pay off his debt!" Reishi lied, his scheming mind never stopping._

_The yakuza weren't taking him seriously, but he would make sure that he had them on his side and not Aomori's._

_"C'mon then, tell us if you're so smart."_

_"He's been selling our drugs. That's what he's been doing." He smirked vilely as he lied, pleased that at the reactions the Yakuza had, looking at him shocked and surprised. He was pleased that it was so easy for him to wrap them around his fingers, or at least he thought he was that smart._

_"C'mon guys, He thinks you're all too stupid to realize that he's been stealing and selling your drugs, keeping most of the money for himself! He's taking over __**our **__territory and keeping the money for himself!! He's disrespecting us if HE THINKS HE CAN GET AWAY SO EASILY!!" Reishi rambled on and on in a voice full of pride, hoping to excited and incite anger in the yakuza. _

_"Reishi-san.. he hasn't done---" Enoki started out, only to get knocked down by Reishi's fist. Reishi continued to beat his foot down on Enoki's head against the concrete, letting him know who was the stronger one here til his head bled. The young boy moaned painfully on the ground, barely making a move to get up. But Reishi stomped on his head again, silencing his pathetic moans._

_Reishi grinned when he turned back to the indifferent Yakuza, hoping they were still with him._

_"He's already payed Aomori-sama off.. c'mon, let's go."_

* * *

It had been snowing a bit awhile ago, but now the snow has stopped. And the back alley was silent and cold; foreboding. 

Naruto still kept his hand in his pocket, holding the heavy object within his grasp. Reishi stood across the alley, a steel pipe held in a lazy and arrogant manner. Naruto glared cuttingly at the smirk that never seemed to die off the bastard's lips.

Naruto doubted he would let him go easily.

"You know for some.. _inane_ reason, you were actually Aomori's favorite." He said apathetically with a shrug, swinging the pipe threatening in his hand. Naruto quirked an eyebrow, surprised at that bit of news, but not giving the time to appreciate it.

Slight sounds of shuffling began to echo around the alley, the other yakuza coming out of the shadows, katanas, steel pipes and wooden swords in hand. The apprehension prickled at the back of his neck, wrapping his fingers tighter around the object in his pocket, shuffling his feet and getting into a loose battle stance.

He glanced around, seeing that he was surrounded.

"And in a way.. you were my favorite too. Che, I'm gunna have fun with this." He finished darkly, holding the pipe in his hands like a bat.

Naruto couldn't believe Reishi managed to take control of Aomori's men, he couldn't believe they chose to join the little tool in the first place.

"So what're ya---"

"ARE YOU DONE TALKING YET?! Huh, DUMBASS?!" Interrupting him, Naruto didn't even give him another chance to respond, rushing up to him with his switchblade unsheathed and aimed for his face.

The sound of metal scraping against metal was heard. Reishi had managed to block Naruto's attack quickly enough, pushing against him and his gleaming switchblade, refusing to believe that he had just been caught off guard.

The alley became alive with the rapid stampeding of feet, all rushing for Naruto. He struggled against Reishi before pushing him off with a kick, grabbing the pipe as he fell to the ground. Naruto swiftly faced the approaching fray, and threw the pipe towards the group, three yakuza falling from the impact. They came for him still, katanas and weapons raised, Naruto dove through the crowd, evading their onrush.

"Aah!" Naruto gasped out in pain the wind knocked out of him. He let out another shout of startled pain, falling onto his knees, from the impact of the pipe striking his skull. He could feel the blood seep from the cut, staining his fingers. He whimpered in his throat, glancing off to the side. His eyes widened considerably at the reflection in the puddle; a man's katana raised overhead, ready to come down on him, the color left from Naruto's face, the adrenaline pulsing panic through his veins, the prickling sense of oncoming danger chilling his neck.

He swerved to meet the man's blade, bringing his hands to block, it cut deep into his palms, sending surges of sharp and stinging pain to like cold arcs to run through his arms. He could feel his blood pour out, staining his palms, running down the blade, down his arms into his sleeves, dripping swiftly onto the ground, a red puddle already forming. Naruto cringed under the sensations, struggling to push the blade away, wishing he hadn't dropped his switchblade.

Another pain washed through him, clenching his teeth against it, the man pulled his katana away from his grip, slicing his palms wide open, blood spilling from the gashes. He brought the katana back, rushing forward for Naruto, expecting to run him through. Naruto saw this and side-stepped, gripping the man's wrist and twisted, a shout of pain coming from him as he dropped the katana to the ground. Naruto brought his leg up to knee him in the face, thrice and let him fall to the ground.

Footsteps came once more for Naruto, sensing the other man. Naruto picked up his switchblade in the puddle, holding it upside-down, he thrust it backwards. He smelt the blood, felt it spray onto his face and run down his hands once more, the switchblade embedded into the man's throat, awful gagging noises coming from his horrified face.

He saw him fall to the ground, blood running like a river, the puddle growing and increasing every second passed.

Shots were heard.

* * *

Hinata's time at the Harajuku Bridge had been cut short, LaBelle going off for a modeling interview, Moe and Robin being busy with something and Mei being absent. Kiba had texted her phone before she even got to Harajuku, saying that his mom was forcing him to watch the pet store. She texted him back with a little sweatdrop smiley, saying that it was okay. 

She sighed wistfully to herself, twirling her parasol absentmindedly in her one of her old sweet-loli dresses, plain white cotton with pink rose-print on the skirt, a black victorian styled overcoat with the brass buttons and frills on the sleeves, her angel wings bobbing behind her with every step. The coat came with the wings, Kiba had said he got it at _The Spider's Web_, he said that when Ikuko-san first saw her she got inspired to do some sweet-loli dresses and thought of the wings in the mean time.

She had been so embarrassed at first, blushing at the honor of being a sort of inspiration.

And she had been looking forward to showing it off to her friends.

It was moments like this that made her miss what she considered the good ole days, no matter how scarce they were, she missed her friends the most these days.

They were second and third years, they would soon graduate and grow without her.

And where would she be years from now? Where was she going to go by the time she graduated?

She didn't even know what type of profession she'd be interested in, and she doubted her father would allow her to attend an Art School if she so felt like choosing.

She looked around herself, thinking that all these cosplayers and their friends were more together than she was, wishing she could be like that too.

Daydreaming the days away was no way to live, not these days, not with the way the world was running, sparing no time for her. And she didn't want to be part of the world, she wanted to be in the world, but that wasn't the way it worked.

She hoped.. she wanted to be a part of something. Something warm and sweet. Something that would make her feel fulfilled for the rest of her days.

She didn't want to regret anything, didn't want to throw her life away wasting time over the stupid stuff.

She wondered if Naruto was alright.

When she had left her home, she saw that the notes weren't on his porch anymore, so she assumed that he was a bit alright. Or that maybe a curious stray dog took off with it. Hinata sweatdropped at that, feeling bewildered at the thought.

She hoped things would turn out well for him, as she walked away from the bridge, heading for the trains station.

* * *

Panic and alarm pulsed through him like a wave, a cold sweat enveloping him. 

A stinging pain resonated like a throbbing pinprick on Naruto's brow, the first bullet grazing his eyebrow.

Another shot came, the same pain accompanying the rush of wind, the bullet grazing Naruto's cheek a bit more deeply. Trickles of blood ran down his face, slowly dripping down his chin and neck.

In his panic, Naruto couldn't see the man shooting at him just a few feet away. Steps came behind him again and Naruto felt himself choking. A yakuza held him, pressing a steel pipe against his throat, making breathing difficult and uncomfortable. Naruto wrestled the pipe against him, choking and grunting.

Another cold sweat came over him, a prickling sensation on his forehead.

The man a few feet away was aiming the gun for his head, and Naruto saw this with wide livid eyes.

Adrenaline pumped through his body, swimming in his veins like a torrent, his heart beating hard and fast. He would try to make it out of this, but accepted the possibility that he may not.

He gripped tighter on the pipe, feeling slippery from his bloody hands, he wrenched the pipe away with all of his strength and swung it hard for the man's head, knocking him to the ground and incapacititating him.

Another shot was heard, grazing Naruto's other cheek, only increasing his fury.

"STOP SHOOTING ME!!" He roared out, sounding fierce as he rushed for the man, his grip on the gun now shaking, the determination wavering from his eyes and only to be replaced with increasing horror as Naruto approached him ever closer, like a demon.

He couldn't keep his hands still.

He couldn't take his fear-filled eyes away from the murderous look in Naruto's eyes, so demon-like.

Would he kill him?

"I'M NOT SOME DOG TO BE PUT DOWN!!" He screamed out, sending the pipe through the trigger gaurd and tore it from the yakuza's hand, hurling it across the alley. He didn't react soon enough for Naruto's quickness, as he smashed the pipe's end into his face repeatedly, crushing the bone into his face, blood pouring from his mouth and crushed nose.

He lay there on the ground, bleeding out slowly. Naruto sent the pipe down on his head once, twice, three times, four times, the cracks resonating until they stopped with him, a wretched new pain shot through, almost crippling, feeling mostly the shock of being caught so off gaurd.

The blood spurted from his throat, dripping down the sides of his mouth, he felt the blade shanked into his lower back. Naruto doubled over, the man pulling the blade out, sending more shocks of pain to ripple through him. He stabbed him again, the tangy taste of iron swimming on Naruto's tongue, seeping through his lips, jaws clenched at the pain.

He wouldn't give up, he couldn't lose. This wasn't going to stop him, he was better than this.

He grabbed the pipe and in a split second, swung it at the man, hitting his solarplexus, knocking the wind out of him. He dropped Naruto's switchblade (Naruto cursing at the thought of having been stabbed by his own weapon) as he picked it up and ran off.

Naruto stood amongst the fray, holding his knife defensively; there were still thirty-some yakuza.

Naruto felt weak for a moment, his grip loosening, his resolve wavered.

_'D-dammit..'_

Naruto spat the blood in his mouth, taking in a slow steadying breath.

_"Don't give up." _He could hear her cheer on.

He realized he nearly lost his confidence, as he gripped tighter on the knife, he worked to harden his resolve.

Despite the confliction he felt in himself, in this situation, he held onto his resolve and regained his confidence.

He couldn't lose, not yet.

_"Don't give up!"_

* * *

She sat alone on the train, thankful to her relief that sundays weren't work days. She didn't like feeling like a sardine in her lolita dress. 

Hinata's cell phone vibrated in her hand, the midi-styled ringtone of _Mozart's "Rondo alla Turca"_ blowing up to her surprise. She pressed a few buttons before coming across a new text message.

_January __22__nd_

_Message Subject: Hina-chaaan! (Lol)_

_I'm bored! **(teardrop icon)**_

_...Lawlz! **(laughing icon)** _

_(wanna phone tag?) ;P_

_-Kiba **(heart icon)**_

Hinata giggled quietly to herself, softened by the random message, as she proceeded to reply.

* * *

The beer was splashed onto his face, drenching his hair, skin and clothes, wounds stinging like brand new, shivering with the cold. Naruto cursed at the cheap trick, wiping the chilling liquid from his eyes. 

A yakuza flicked a cigarette onto him, Naruto reacting instantly with a shout at the continuous burning sensation, knocking it off himself, all this a cheap distraction. The yakuza rushed up to him, steel pipe raised. Naruto reacted quickly with a frustrated surprise, putting his arm up to block, wincing at the creaking and cracking sensations in his arm as the yakuza struck and struck him, over and over again in the same spot. He kept pushing back, Naruto not seeing where he was going, stumbled backwards on a beer bottle.

The yakuza took this as his chance, swinging the pipe against his temple, felling Naruto to the wet dirty ground. Naruto brought his arms up once more, blocking him, trying to find an opening for himself. He was about to bring down once more on him, Naruto rolling away and swiftly getting to his feet, Naruto swung his switchblade, piercing him through the ribs, a bone already broken. Naruto pulled it out and stabbed him again, then kicked him to the ground.

Naruto heard footsteps rushing up to him, turning around to meet the man with a katana. Naruto kicked the fallen man's pipe up and caught it, armed with his blade in one hand, the pipe in the other.

He swung the katana hard in a vertical slash, pushing against Naruto, blocking him with the pipe and blade. Naruto fought hard enough against him, twisting the short sword away from the man's grip, and thrust the pipe for his neck, choking him momentarily before hitting him over the temple.

Another yakuza came around Naruto, smashing a bottle at the back of his head.

"Aaah!" Naruto clutched at his head as he fell to his knees, tears stinging his eyes, his vision jarred and dizzying. He felt more liquid soak his throbbing scalp, and run down his face, the familiar smell of beer waft up to him. He felt shards off glass, embedded in his scalp, broken pieces on the ground.

The man kicked him, pushing him to the ground.

Naruto curled up against the onslaught, the yakuza pounding the pipes and wooden swords at his back, bruising and breaking him. The tears stung his eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall.

_'Damn it.. I can't lose.. not yet.. not yet.!!'_

Naruto pushed himself off the ground, rushing up to a yakuza only to be pushed back down. He tried to roll away from them, going for an opening and ran out, only to fall flat on his face as a yakuza brought down a pipe at his leg. A sore and searing pain throbbing at his now broken ankle, Naruto moved to run on a limp, but he fell foward again, a yakuza bringing the pipe to the back of his knees.

Naruto cursed desperately, wishing he hadn't just dropped his knife, looking around for anything he could use.

Reishi had been on the sidelines since the battle began, observing Naruto and the near effectiveness of his ability to fight. He had surprised him, Reishi had just thought he was a dumbass. Now he was just a dumbass kid that could fight, and it just made him all the more motivated to end him.

"Shit.." He cursed as he took notice of the tossed gun from earlier. He ran for it, as Naruto fought to fend of five yakuza and their katanas, diving and ducking clumsily around them. The gun was right there on the ground, Reishi reached his hand out for it with a feeling of glorious victory.

The wild and vicious smile spread across his face as he brought his arm out, aiming for Naruto.

"The hell you think you're doing, Reishi?!" An older yakuza yelled at him, taking the gun away with a furious glare.

"Fuckin' idiot!! Give it back!" Reishi fought against, grabbing onto the gun.

"Chinpira! Don't! Handle the GUNS!" He roared out, playing a game of tug-of-war with the hateful young man. His fiery hatred flooded through him, seeing red, Reishi wrenched the gun away from the older man that was supposed to be his superior.

"High and mighty bastard!!" Reishi shot out with all of his hatred, cocking back the hammer and put the gun to the man's head.

The shot resounded throughout the alley. Time and movement stopped, all eyes turned to Reishi. And to the dead body of a comrade yakuza, a single shot right between the eyes.

* * *

It was quiet in the Kumicho's office, the older man stood overlooking the people out of his tall windows, hands folded behind his back. Both had known of the battle taking place, Aomori having had forseen it for a long time. It didn't trouble him, they hadn't been much of a real yakuza group anyways. He wasn't proud of it, he didn't feel like it was his own group, he had never cared for the men nor would have ran the group like this. 

This mess was something the Kumicho was not proud of.

They heard the shots echo, muffled, sounding like loud pops in their ears.

"Kumicho-sama.. we must take leave." Aomori advised him, a faint tenderness in his words, he had the full respect and care of the Kumicho and treated him with the same compassion.

The Kumicho nodded solemnly, uttering his affirmation in a low voice.

"Ne."

* * *

"Reishi!! Fuckin' TRAITOR!!" The voices roared out, few yakuza rising up against Reishi, with their swords raised for his head. The panic filled his adrenaline rushed body, pulsing with his abrupt fear and his heart pounding like a chaos in his chest. 

_PAM-PAN!_

_PAM-PAN!_

_PAM-PAN!_

_PAM-PAN!_

Reishi shot them all, aiming for Naruto's head, now that he had a clear shot.

Naruto froze at the sound of the hammer clicking, his heart stopping.

"I'M GUNNA GETCHA THIS TIME!!" He roared out zealously with a laugh, finger on the trigger.

_Click!_

"Fuck!" Naruto ran for Reishi, panic and swift movement exacerabating the loss of blood draining from his body.

"DIE!!!"

"NO!!"

_PAM-PAN!!_

Blood dripped down.

Reishi had pulled the trigger.

The victorious feeling left him like a draft through a hollow shell leaving him speechless and empty.

As he stared at the frightening focused eyes of Naruto, that other side of him that he kept hidden was on the loose and glaring its malevolence at him.

Blood dripped down his hand, fingers clutching at the barrel, the bullet had shot through his hand, and the slight victorious feeling blew through him with a devilish grin gracing his lips, making the chinpira shake and shiver under his gaze.

If he could see himself now, he would be so pissed at the prospect of being at the mercy of a child.

Naruto wrapped his fingers tighter around the barrel, wrenching the gun away from Reishi and smacked the hammer across his face.

Just like Kojiro had done to him that one night.

_"YOU STUPID SHIT! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Kojiro screamed in a grating and booming voice, as he tore the gun from Naruto's hand and swung it hard across his face. A searing pain shot in Naruto's cheek and the bridge of his nose, tears momentarily stung his eyes. He felt the blood run from his cuts, his hand quickly becoming coated in red, and all he could smell was the biting metallic tang._

And Naruto brought metal down on his bowed head, just like that night.

_"THESE AIN'T YOURS TO TOUCH!!" He screamed again, bringing the metal down on Naruto's bowed head._

_"I'm sorry!!" Naruto cringed on the ground, grabbing at the erupted pain in head._

_"YOU WANNA PLAY GAMES?! YOU THINK YOU'RE YAKUZA?!" He brought the metal down on his head again._

_"N-no! I-I'm sorry--Aaah!" Naruto yelped at the pain, his sight was starting to become dizzy. He clutched at his head, he could feel the blood on his scalp, on his fingertips. The yakuza bludgeoned Naruto a few more times, then dropped the gun onto the concrete and spat at his direction._

It had been his fault that happened to him, provoking him, tricking him. Reishi didn't get punished for touching their guns when he should have, instead the full blame going to Naruto, Reishi just laughing.

_Naruto could vaguely hear the chinpira Reishi laughing in the background, before Kojiro picked him up by his arm and started dragging him back to the car. Naruto wasn't sure if he black out, his mind barely conscious, his eyes barely registering. All he could recognize was the layer of blood on his hand, his face, and pain that made him momentarily numb._

Reishi didn't allow for this to go on. He shoved Naruto away and ran, looking for something to use.

_PAM-PAN!!!_

"Aaaauh!!" Reishi fell clumsily foward, his legs giving out from underneath him. Naruto dropped the gun aside after shooting him in the leg.

"You're the one whose dead!!"Naruto yelled with so much anger, as he loosened his school tie, pulling it over his head. Reishi's heart quickened several beats, hobbling along, just trying to get away from him now, apprehension filling him. He could feel the sweat roll off his face.

Naruto kicked him down, sick and furious about this whole thing, his own body still wracked with scrapes, cuts, punctures and pangs.

Reishi picked himself up again, glancing off to the side, with a smile he reached over for the switchblade.

"You'll always be an outcast, freak!!" Reishi grinned for a moment. Naruto picked him off the ground, grabbing him by the collar and slammed him onto the ground, Reishi's head hitting the asphalt. He gagged and coughed, feeling something constrict his neck. All the hate, all the anger fueled Naruto's actions, increasing the pressure, choking Reishi with his school tie, tighter and tighter.

His face began to turn red and lose color, he grabbed for the switchblade, wrapping his fingers around it and embedded the knife into Naruto's shoulder. Naruto winced at the shooting pain his shoulder, the blade still held there as Reishi struggled to push it in deeper, struggled to keep his grip on the blade. He began to feel lightheaded, his vision clouding.

_"Burakumin."_

_"You're a stupid little fuck..."_

_"You loathsome freak!!" He screamed out, grabbing at the lapels of Naruto's jacket and threw him to the snowy wet ground. _

_"Reishi does what Reishi wants." He grinned crookedly._

_"Deliver these to the Matsuraba-kai, you must miss being home." The dealer smirked as he walked away leaving Naruto to stand there, stunned and taking in the words._

_"I'M NO FUCKIN' CHINPIRA, IDIOT!!"_

_"I'm not like you fucks!" _

_Reishi just laughed, mocking him with his middle finger, giving Naruto all the provocation he needed. _

_"YOU BASTARD, I'M SO SICK OF YOU!!" _

_"QUIT MESSING WITH ME!!"_

_If Tsunade or Sakura saw him right now they'd really bite his head off. _

_"If you're going to keep up this attitude of yours, what will you be left with, huh?!"_

_Tsunade, she was one of the people he tried to get respect from, but he always failed at it._

_"It's your fault for the attacks! You shouldn't even be here! You belong in a lesser school!"_

_"YOU DID IT!! YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!"_

_"Is this where you've been all night?" Hinata asked in her quiet voice, peering down at him with those worried eyes that he wanted to laugh at._

_"Uh.. yeah." He answered after a long pause, still feeling drained and hazy._

_"He's a gangbanger! A gangbanger!"_

_"Don't worry about me, I can't be beat!"_

_"Naruto-kun..." She started out solemnly. "..you lied."_

Reishi's grip on the blade slackened, his eyes losing focus. Naruto pulled the tie tighter, hearing the harsh gasps and gags. The visible blue veins and red arteries stuck out against the skin of his throat, the pulsing blood slowing down every second, no longer able to breath.

Naruto ignored the blood running down his arm, focused yet blinded by what he was doing, only wanting to finish this.

His hand fell away from the blade's grip, Reishi lay there, the snarl dead from his lips, his eyes clouded and glasslike.

The alley was deathly silent, physical and emotional fatigue setting in, Naruto loosened the tie off of Reishi and picked up his switchblade, folding it back and putting it in his pocket.

He could hear the familiar sounds of the cars and the din of footsteps, as he dragged himself out of the alleyway, leaving the mess of dead and incapacitated bodies. Naruto knew he must look a mess, he wasn't sure what to do. He was torn, beaten and smeared with blood, his own and others. He threw his school tie away in a trashcan, as he entered the city streets of Kabuki-cho once more, and if he was lucky, for the last time.

He took no notice of the people that walked past him, whether they became alarmed and fearful of his appearance or not, he took no notice. Aimless and wandering, his mind a blur, dizzy and dull, he just watched the concrete roll under him, tired and painful step after another, his put a hand against the buildings, it started to become hard to breath and his head was swimming all of a sudden. He tasted blood on his lips, he felt hot and cold at the same time, shivering and feeling so lightheaded. His eyes ached, everything ached.

He kept walking, pressing onwards without a thought.

And he heard a little gasp.

Naruto paused. And looked up, into a familiar soft face.

He smiled. He let out a little laugh, ironic yet.. relieved. She had those sad worried eyes of her, he couldn't help but just laugh. He didn't understand why she would look that way at him. It was too funny.

She was like a breath of fresh air that he desperately needed, even in her strange outfit; black and white and pink, frilly and fluffy with angel wings on her back. He wanted to laugh again, looking at the angel wings.. he thought she looked like a..

"Shinigami?" He mumbled incoherently to himself, as he felt gravity take a hold of him, falling forward as the world and her sad lavender eyes falling away from his sight and everything turning black.

"Naruto-kun?? Naruto-kun!!?!"

_'Why would you look at me.. with those eyes?'_

* * *

Star - Oh..My...Gosh... I think I finally finished this damn thing. Wow... insane, the most I have ever written (34,000 words), I just hope it was worth it:D (Beams proudly) I had fun with this, as I always do. Wowie wow wow. O.o ... I.. don't think I even feel like doing my liner notes this time. Nope, I really don't feel like doing my liner notes haha. 

But I'll hafta anyways. I'm just going to do the most important stuff, promise. :3 (Ha! More OC deaths! Wowness... wonder how many times I'm gunna do this, huh:3)

* * *

Liner Notes: 

- Classroom 1-B: Is Naruto, Hinata and Kiba's homeroom, their teacher Harada Emiko-sensei. Normally classrooms hold up to 40-50 students, no different with their room. And I have created a character chart of room 1B, which includes roughly 17 other original characters. The ones that are not nice to Naruto are not in the character chart, and never worth giving a name or significantly mentioning. So just try to imagine that they've been in the story this whole time and that they're not as random as they really are. (eheh...)

- Police Box - Is a Police Station, they just call them Boxes cuz they're kinna small stations. :3

- Shinigami - Duh, Angel of Death. Death Deity. Death God. etc. etc. Naruto thought that since she was dressed gothic and had angel wings, that she looked like a shinigami to him, because he's being fatally ironic and thinking that he's going to die. ...don't kill me. Do you honestly think the story is gunna end just like that? C'mon, have a little more faith in me. ;D

- PAM-PAN! - Japanese onomonopoetia/ sound effects for Gun Shots. Bang bang! Pam-pan!

- Kamaguchi-gumi - Pseudonym/ play on words of an existing yakuza gang the Yamaguchi-gumi. Read up on them, they're the originals, and they're in Kobe, not Kyoto. :3

- Maajafakuru-da - I think you guys can guess what that sounds like, basically I don't see Naruto really saying that, so I made it Japanese, heehee. The "-da", is an informal version of "desu".

- Sokaiya - It's a yakuza racketeering tactic.

- Tsunade asking Hinata if she needed a tampon - You know what's funny about that? Tsunade assumed that Hinata isn't virgin, lol! XD

- Natto - Cold fermented soy beans. Probably the cheapest 'luxury' in Japan, lawlz. Cuz it ain't junk food, but it ain't that great either. Edammame is sooooo much better! ;D

- Minister of Foreign Affairs Mission - Don't take what I wrote seriously or critically, to those of you that might critique. I watch a lot of CSI and Law&Order, but I know I'm no good in making political black-mail look convincing, basically what I'm trying to say is... that scene pretty much sucked. But I can't improve it either, eheh..

- Reform School - Japan has these schools for reforming and rehabilitating youth that have gone "astray, awry" or have been convicted of crimes and murder. (BTW, Sakio-sensei is exaggerating!! RAWR!)

- Ramune - Japanese Soda, has a unique bottle design.

- BlackBlack - Japanese Caffeinated gum. Yum! XD That's what I need yo! Lawlz

- Nikuman - Japanese version of Chinese Baozi, a dumpling stuffed with pork or anything else I guess.

- Kotobuki Diner - Is a real place in Shibuya, and is a popular inexpensive little restaurant, often filled with youth.

- L'histoire - French for "The Story", this restaurant is fictional! Created by me! Yay! XD Lol, but it was inspired by a real restaurant in Shibuya called "Las Chicas", ethnic and known for its cake, I didn't like the name so I subsituted, lol. :3

- Triple Vanilla Cake - How is it "Triple Vanilla"? Well it's: French Vanilla, Vanilla Bean and plain Vanilla. :3 Yums. If you like vanilla that much I mean. ;D

- Chiba Port, Cut Off Section Mission - Human Trafficking is the Water Trade. So sad, but it does not make me like Japan any less, I'm just disappointed in people, hmm... sigh...

- "Why is it called the Water Trade?" - Back in the old day of samurai, there have been men who've created the ideality of "Fertility", or just basically the ability to freely have sex without love or fear of being immoral, which is actually a nice prospect long as the dude is still respectable right? Anyways, Water was always associated with Sexuality, due to open baths back in the era. Thus.. The Water Trade.

- "Why would Naruto have gotten in so much trouble for (accidental) possession?" - Umm.. cuz it's Japan. period.

- Naruto putting drugs in Reishi's warmed Sake - Okay one: Sake can be heated or cold. Two: I don't know if you get the same effects through liquid digestion and just plain digestion of the drug, but let's just go with what I had, and say it was pretty cool. XD

- Chinko - omg... yeah, it's um.. male reproductive organ. Ahhhahaha.. Ukue is so crude: "... Would you like it if I just grabbed your _chinko_, gave it a good tug, huh?!" XD Kyahaha! Sorry ;P

- Kumicho's First Words! - "Ne", apparently is.. "Yes" in Korean. (dumbfounded) Anyways, some Yakuza Godfathers are Korean. Why you ask? Because they are considered aliens in Japan sometimes or generally, no not everyone is racist like that I'm sure, but well.. apparently Koreans in Japan can be considered outcasts, and that's why some become accepted by the yakuza. If you are Korean, don't get discouraged or whatever, this is simply something I read on either Google or Wikipedia. Or both..

* * *

IT'S DONE!! OMG IT'S DONE!! PLEASES REVIEW, FOR GOODNESS SAKES REVIEW! Because dude.. not to be rude or seem conceited, but after a tiring long ass chapter like this, I think I deserve a review or two. Lol. 


	22. I'm Not Sure You're Trying Hard Enough

Star - I'm so SO sorry that this took me so long again, especially sorry because it's not even action-packed like the last chapter. T.T (sigh) Ah well.. so this chapter might be dull and contrast greatly to the last chapter, but eventually it'll start up again, I hope.. Wow! I still kinna can't believe that Reishi died! O.o Kinna feels like the Yakuza Arc ended too quickly huh? But it was on purpose, otherwise the whole thing would have felt repeative before it ever got good. Anyways, I'll shut up now! 

Really really hope you like this one, apparently I'm trying to break a certaint readers' reviewer curse! O.o;;;

Enjoi!

* * *

Scratch the Surface 

Ch. 22 - I'm Not Sure You're Trying Hard Enough

His face half-covered in blood, a deepness to his eyes that kept her still. Snow turned to rain against their skin and nothing else existed around them, around her, something she normally would have found strange. The people disappeared, the buildings pulled away, the sunlight highlighted every raindrop like smooth glass falling, twinkling and glinting prettily. The breath left her pink mouth, a quiet gasp, soon overcome with his hands on her. She closed her eyes, the blood washing away from his face, the rain leaving them in purity. She felt his fingers caress her arms gently, tenderly, her lips and heart quivering. These feelings overwhelmed her, she wanted to be held, to hold him. She wanted to keep him safe, she wanted to keep him warm, she wanted to keep him. It was sudden and so strange, even as the moistened flesh of his lips touched hers, she felt herself shaking, dizzy. The rain had cleansed him, yet he still tasted of blood, and she wanted to pull away. He caressed her arms, her shoulders, massaging his fingers tenderly into her neck, prodding her eyes open.

Carrot Cake.

Hinata startled back to earth, finding herself staring at her untouched carrot cake; she realized that she had zoned out.

_'Why was I just thinking of him like that?'_

Her heart began to beat a little faster, a nervous and embarrassed blush gracing her cheeks as she awkwardly clenched her blue handle fork.

She didn't understand where any of that came from.

What kind of daydream was that?

She turned halfway in her seat, glancing soft eyes towards the sleeping Naruto, his head in his arms. He had stopped wearing the hat, having no more need to hide and run anymore, and she was glad for him.

He looked like a child, even with the mild bandages he still wore, covering his face, arms and hands. She continued to stare, a light pink on her cheeks.

He looked so sweet... sleeping.. like a little boy.

_... the moistened flesh of his lips touched hers..._

"Eep!" Hinata squeaked, turning around and covering her burning face, not understanding where any of this was coming from, trying to will her blush away.

She never thought so romantically about a boy in all her life.

It's been more than a week since she had found him in Shinjuku, beaten and bleeding. She had been wandering around the city, looking for Kiba's mother's pet shop after he had asked her if she could hang out with him for the day so she wouldn't be all alone at the bridge. She didn't realize she had gotten off the wrong stop and wound up in Shinjuku, just wandering around aimlessly in her lolita dress, catching a few odd stares from the more 'regular' dressed people.

She had found Naruto, walking very slowly and leaning against a building, his face half-covered with blood, his school uniform torn, stained and dirty. He smiled lightly, mumbled something that she hadn't heard and then he just suddenly pitched forward. She rushed up to him before his head hit the ground, laying his head in her lap, holding him cautiously, gently. She wasn't sure what to do, even as he suddenly clutched to her dress, desperate words aching in his tired throat, pleading her over and over again.

_"D-don't take me to a hospital.. pl-please, don't take me to a hospital.."_

_"N-Naruto-kun..??!" She looked down at him startled, his fingers clutching her dress, burying his face lap, his voice sounding so weak and breathy. _

_"Don't take me to a hospital.. don't take me to a hospital.."_

She had been so scared, she didn't know what she was supposed to do, what he was expecting her to do.

He seemed so small somehow, frail and so lost, like a little child without its mother, she cried holding him. She didn't know what else to do for him; she had helped him to his feet, slinging a battered arm around her neck and trudged through the streets that way. Eventually making it home.

The police had arrived on the scene sometime after they were already long gone, unexpected and unprepared for what they had stumbled upon. They hadn't taken immediate action when Ukue had come in to report her assault, most of them saying 'We'll get on it as soon as we can', until it had been sunday afternoon, coming across the fray of beaten yakuza. The press soon made a quick meal out of the incident as well.

_"Seven dead and fifty-four found injured, one --a minor-- found in the building also injured. His name is being witheld at this time." said a female reporter._

_"We believe that what we have here was a war between yakuza groups." stated a high ranking official._

_"The Matsuraba-kai, known as the fifth smallest freelance yakuza group, were discovered earlier this afternoon! No one knows what had taken place here in Kabuki-cho, and investigations are underway as we speak." stated an anxious male reporter._

_"Police are on the lookout for Kumicho Dae Eun Sook, an illegal alien native of South Korea. He's been known for having control over several Korean gangs, such as the Sa Songarak, or Four Fingers Tribe." A woman on the NHK Five'o'clock news described, shuffling her papers on the desk._

_"Pictures of a missing woman, now confirmed dead, were discovered earlier by Lieutenant Honjou. He believes the Matsuraba-kai were involved with her death and several investigations of their deep rooted corruption are being probed. Officers are still searching for the body." _

_"The police are talking with those that survived, but the yakuza of recently dissolved freelance group --Matsuraba-kai-- refuse to speak."_

_"What really caused this?"_

Hinata would have never suspected Naruto.

_She lay on her stomach beside his bed, watching him breathe lightly, sleeping. She had been scared for him, when she saw the cuts and bruises, the scrapes and burns. She had treated him, took care of him and wrapped him up, but she knew that he needed more attending to, she wasn't skilled enough for the extent he was suffering from. _

_What had he gotten into?_

_Two punctures in his lower back, long and deep gashes in his palms, a fleshy hole in his hand, puncture in his left shoulder.. she did her best, despite shaky fingers. She couldn't understand, she wished it hadn't gotten this far. _

_It shouldn't have.._

_She felt so sleepy beside him, lying in the solitude of his little house, the sun soon setting, bidding the world adieu. The silence was calm yet somber, as she watched him, trying to figure him out. He slowly opened his eyes, reflecting her sleepiness, her eyes held him, kept him fixed on her; Tranquilized by tranquil eyes. Her face was shadowed, part of her in the dull orange glow of the sun, some of her black hair fell into her face, touching her partially opened lips, her little hands within reach._

_He still couldn't understand why she looked at him so. What did she have to look so sad about? Small and timorous, he remembered how gentle and nervous she was. He knew he hadn't give her much choice, perhaps she had been unlucky to find him, he was sorry she had to see him like this. Part of him wished she hadn't, but he never was going to go to a hospitable. They would have asked him how he got that way and they would have called up Tsunade, he couldn't allow for any of his recent mistakes to be discovered, he was sorry Hinata had to find out. _

_She sighed, her back rising and falling so pleasantly, he was absorbed, comfortable under her stare._

_He shuffled under the covers, pulling his hand out, his knuckles grazing hers as he did so. He placed his hand under hers, wrapping his fingers around her small hand gently. A tint of pink colored her cheeks lightly, she allowed Naruto to hold her hand, enjoying it herself though not consciously realizing it. He thumbed the smooth skin of her hand, reveling in the softness when his were so calloused and scarred. She began to tear up, because he was holding her with his bullet-pierced hand, the bandages against her palm making her remember and relive it, twin tears rolled across her face._

_He thought it was interesting how emotional she seemed, she cried so easily, he wished she didn't. She didn't have anything to cry about._

_She looked so vulnerable, as she sighed for breath again, her back rising and falling pleasantly. Her hands were so small.._

_At that moment, he wanted to hold her. _

_Just so he could be held too._

"Oi, Hinata-chaaan...!"

Hinata looked up to look out the classroom doorway, Kiba and Shino waiting outside, Kiba waving at her. She nodded to him, letting him know she was coming. She glanced back at Naruto and then at her cake, thinking that she wasn't going to eat it anymore. She glanced thoughtfully back at the sleeping Naruto, curled into himself, and put the plate on his desk as she got up to leave.

She knew he hadn't been eating much these days.

Naruto had been half-asleep, still aching somewhat from the wounds, he felt fatigue often these days. He picked his head up at the sound of something being placed on his desk.

And he saw cake.

A triangle slice of carrot cake, with chocolate-vanilla marble icing, fresh rasberries and dark chocolate shavings on top.

_'It is real?'_ Naruto thought to himself, disbelieving, his stomach gurgling in needy response. He slowly raised an unsteady hand, reaching for the cake, anticipating the first bite and everything. Until it disappeared completely from his eyes.

"Sugoi! Keki!" Masabo gushed, ready to eat it. Naruto shot up to attention, alarm and panic filling him.

"Hey! Gimme, it's mine!" Naruto retaliated, taking the cake from him before he got a chance to stuff his fat face or take away his first bite. A smile lit up his face, anxious and happy as he looked at the cake, never having something so perfect and decadent looking his whole life. He was so excited, he wondered how it wound up on his desk. Maybe Kami sent him cake! Maybe it was a heaven cake! Except angel cake would have made more sense...

As he stared at it in anticipation, something seemed amiss about it.

"Aww, what a cute fork." Came Masabo's slovenly voice again, sarcastically admiring the childish blue-handled fork.

"Idiot!" Naruto glared irritatedly at him, taking back the spoon. Naruto ignored the boy as he looked at the fork; a baby blue colored plastic handle with a chibi baby arctic seal on it; it was a small fork and immensely cute. He turned it over, the back of it graffitied with a name in curvy hirigana.

_Hinata_

He stared at it thoughtfully, absorbing her name gingerly with warmth, reluctantly endeared by this gesture.

"She's got really cute handwriting..." He mumbled to himself, ready to take that first bite. He bet it would taste as sweet as Hinata was, for giving him the cake he meant.

"You gunna split that?" Masabo asked dumbly, pointing at the cake and interrupting Naruto's concentration. He glared annoyed at him.

* * *

The day had been strangely quiet and pleasant. That's the way it's been lately, now that the terror on the school had ceased. Everyone thought Reishi had been arrested, lot of the girls thanking Ukue like she was Sailor V or something. She was happy to take the praise, sometimes getting a big head over it and just laughing brightly away. 

Naruto let people think what they wanted to think, he preferred it that way, it was better for him.

And Naruto didn't let himself think a second about what he had managed to leave behind, even though the victory felt hollow at times. He didn't want to wallow away like this, he was finally able to move on.

At least, that's what he thought. (As if there was much to feel assured about at this point).

Word got around about a "nice guy" with an armband and that he was waiting by the gates of the school, same spot as Reishi used to. Naruto hardly heard any of this girly gossip, but as the day ended, Naruto took notice of the young man, scanning the school yard deliberately, looking for someone.

He stopped a student for a moment.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a.. Uzumaki-san, would you know him?" He asked the boy gently. He shook his head, walking past the man. He continued to ask students, many shaking their heads. Apparently they didn't know Uzumaki Naruto, just 'Yanki'. ...or demon. He sighed, aggravated at that.

Naruto stayed away, surprised at this, he didn't know why he was the one being asked for.

Now what the hell was going on?

Naruto sighed again, leaning against the school's doorway entrance, apathetic and bored as more students filed out. Ukue and boyfriend Yamato eventually swum out with the rest of the salmon, Naruto passively avoided her gaze, feeling awkward after the words they said that one day. Maybe he meant it then, but he didn't agree with it now, and he felt bad about calling her such names. But he wasn't sure how to go about apologizing..

He continued to look down, suddenly someone's shoe came into view as they grounded their heel in his toes.

"...ow." Naruto said flatly, though it did hurt a bit. He looked up, seeing the mild half-hearted glare in short Ukue's eyes.

"That's for stepping on my feet." She told him firmly before softening up into a playful smile, and winked as she waved him goodbye. Naruto nodded, waving back with a small smile.

Well at least Ukue didn't care about names.

Naruto pushed off against the wall, proceeding to swim out with the rest of the fish, until eventually the young man halted him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but I'm looking for an Uzumaki Naruto. Do you know him?" He asked pleasantly with a plain smile, a sort of hopeful look in his face. Naruto remained indifferent, not understanding what was going on at all.

"Naw." Was all Naruto said, as he walked away, the man on a goose-chase sighed hopelessly to himself. He wasn't getting anywhere with this.

Just as Ukue and Yamato were leaving, the young man stopped them with a sheepish smile. He asked them a few questions, eventually Ukue pointing at the slump-shouldered Naruto slowly walking away.

"Yeah, he's right there." She said, not knowing that Naruto didn't want to talk to the dude. The young man's once friendly face turned flat as the realization soon dawned on him.

"LIAR!!" He shouted out, scaring the crap out of Naruto who started to run.

"Shit!" He swore, forcing himself to go faster, the young man with the armband already hot on his tail.

Ukue and Yamato looked on, confused and bewildered, as the dust disappeared, leaving an empty school yard.

What the hell just happened?

* * *

Naruto glanced over his shoulder, seeing no one there. 

He was back to work at the Ichiraku, chopping up the meat and vegetables. He was immensely grateful that they never fired him, they had actually been surprised when he asked them if he was, both shaking their heads. Teuchi had been perplexed and disappointed at first, same with Ayame, but they had come around a couple days after the mess had ended. They had figured that something was troubling Naruto and let it slide. Neither asked much about what happened, Naruto wouldn't have said anything anyways.

But he was still pissed at himself for letting Reishi steal and sell his bike, the bastard. All he had said to Ayame was that it got stolen and that he would get another one for the restaurant, Ayame smiling politely at him.

_"Don't work too hard over it." She joked with a smile, Naruto bowing his apologies with a sweatdrop, feeling awkward about the whole thing. _

He put down the knife and looked over his shoulder again.

He wasn't sure what he was looking for, he had outran the Armband Man a couple hours ago. He had ran all the way to the Shinagawa Station, pushing his way through the all the people and hopping over the turnstiles, as he caught the first train to Shibuya. The man watched him leave, baffled and out of breath, as Naruto waved him goodbye, sticking his tongue out at him like a smart-alecky brat.

But now he was worried if he would find him here. It'd been over a week since the yakuza mess, and Naruto hadn't yet been accused or found out. And everyone who watched the news thought it had been a yakuza group that beat the Matsuraba-kai, not some highschool kid.

Unless someone talked, he doubted he would get found out, he doubted any one of them in prison would admit that they had been overpowered by a brat.

This didn't swell him with pride, he didn't care about any of it.

But still, the risk of them talking hung over his head, he wasn't sure what to do, he would just try to move on.

He glanced over his shoulder again.

"Naruto-kun, why do you keep doing that?" Ayame smirked lightly, giving him an inquisitive look.

"Huh?" Naruto turned to her with a dumb look on his face, not hearing what she said. She sighed, shaking her head at him, wondering what she was going to do with him. He could be so dopey at times.

"You keep turning your head." Ayame told him, giving him a wierd look. Everytime he was glancing, she glanced over too, wondering what he was doing or if he was seeing something that, apparently, she couldn't see. Naruto just let out a little laugh, bringing a hand to the back of his blonde head.

"Oh yeah, um, it's my neck you know.." He fibbed, craning his head and shrugging his shoulders as he did so, pretending to be achy. Ayame quirked an eyebrow at him. "..yeah, my neck's just...sore." He continued lamely, making Ayame unsure whether she believed him or not, it's not like he something to lie about necessarily, but he wasn't convincing either.

"Hm, maybe I can help." She said casually, standing behind him. Naruto flinched nervously when Ayame started or was at least trying to massage his neck, sometimes touching the bandages he still wore (which still hurt).

"Ah, you don't hafta.." Naruto bit out weakly wincing, chuckling nervously as he glanced over to Teuchi, the older man giving them both confused looks. He hunched his shoulders up, pulling away from her a bit, feeling awkward and nervous. "..itai." he bit out weakly.

"Itai." Ayame parroted him flatly, shaking her head at him. "Maybe it's because of these bandages then, hm?" She stated pointedly, poking one repeatedly, only making Naruto wince more, a dull burning pain whenever she poked.

"Ow, stop. Don't abuse the cripple." He laughed weakly, swatting her hand away. Dammit, now it really hurt, he doubted the cigarette burn would heal nicely.

"Oh stop it, who'd abuse you?" Ayame grinned cheekily, poking him again, ignoring his irritated winces and having more fun teasing him. Naruto just grinned back weakly with a nervous sweatdrop, trying his best to hold back a cynical comment.

Funny how naive certain people could be...

.. Lucky them.

"And you're not crippled." She teased him, moving to poke him again, but he swatted her finger away in time.

"I was a cripple for a few days, eheh." He grinned sheepishly, remembering how swelled up his broken ankle was. But Ayame didn't believe him, brushing his words off as a joke from him.

"Lemme guess, those days you didn't come into work? Is that your sick days excuse?" Ayame put her hands on her hips, giving him a sharp look. Part of her was still curious and annoyed with him about the past couple weeks.

"Can we not get into that?" He challenged her with the same look, emotional fatigue setting in. He really didn't want to discuss anything right now. Or ever. Most likely never. He paused cutting the vegetables when Ayame suddenly snuck up to him, crouched low and looking very suspicious.

"Is it a secret?" She whispered in a strangely childlike voice, a hand over her mouth. "You can tell me, I pwomise I won't tell!"

Naruto groaned, annoyed and embarrassed by the way she was acting, wondering if she was making fun of him.

Why'd people have to pry?

* * *

Naruto lay in his futon, alone in the dark, the moonlight shining through and creating a white rhombus on the tatami floor beside him. He wasn't sure if he should get curtains or not. And he wasn't sure how he was going to get another bike. Maybe he should just hunt down the dude that bought it and take it back. 

He closed his eyes, weary and irritated about the whole thing, feeling very stupid.

And he couldn't seem to fall asleep either. Dammit, it was too quiet. What seemed different about this? He turned on his side, laying his hand on the floor and imagining holding someone's hand again. Hers were so small.. he was glad the bastard never got to her like he did Ukue.. he doubted she could have fought him off much better.

A loud irritated sigh left him, squeezing his eyes shut. He didn't want to think about it, he finally left it all behind. And he was afraid it would all find him again if he ever started obsessing over it, he couldn't allow that.

He clenched his tearing eyes tighter shut, anxious frustration filling him.

He hated to realize that he was alone in all of this.

"...this sucks."

* * *

Hinata and Hanabi walked out of the house into the mild morning air. Winter was soon at it's final days, the snow officially melting slowly away for good. Hinata glanced down at her little sister, absorbed with her cell phone screen and swiftly pressing button after button. She wondered who she was texting so incessantly, for the past month she never saw her without the damn thing. 

A door creaked and shut close. Hinata was the only one who noticed. She paused in the street as she watched a tired Naruto sulked down his steps. Hanabi was still walking ahead without them, staring at her cell phone screen with rapt interest.

"..um, Naruto-kun?" Hinata uttered in a soft voice, watching him cautiously. He glanced up from the road to look at her, apathy in his face and slight shadows under his eyes. She was going to ask if he was alright, but seeing him now, she shied away unsure what to do.

Then again after all that's happened, how 'alright' could he possibly be?

Hinata suddenly became depressed at the thought, feeling stupid and useless, as they continued on in silence, both ailing from lack of esteem.

Hanabi actually managed to pull herself from her cell phone, realizing that she had been walking alone for the past two minutes, as glanced over at the two, and sweatdropped.

_'What's with them?'_

They looked like zombies.

* * *

Naruto struggled to pay attention in class. He didn't understand a single word the teacher was saying and he had missed over a month's work of lessons and homework, so he had no idea where they were. He hadn't taken a look at the notes Hinata made him either, becoming a bit of a procrastinator. And being here felt odd, as he took a look around the quiet classroom, normalcy was foreign. 

He just didn't think it could have been this easy..

Apparently there were still some people that disliked him, mostly the bitchy girls that couldn't let down a grudge, as if he really did anything to them.

He put his chin in his hands, tired and bored out of his mind. He wished he understood without really trying, that'd make everything so much easier. Oh well.

Kiba just finished writing on a scrap of paper that he folded up once and passed to another student with a whisper. And that boy passed it to a girl with a whisper. And she whispered to another girl as she gave her the note, as she whispered to another boy by giving him the note. This bit of distraction did not deter the teacher from continuing his lesson, though part of him was irked as the chain of curt whispers continued.

Naruto glanced out of the corner of his eye, as a tall poker-faced girl handed him the note, not saying a word. Naruto didn't move to touch the note, looking between it and the hander blankly. She turned back to him, still not saying a word as she pointed. Naruto followed the direction her finger was pointing, his eyes falling on the back of Hinata's head. He then picked up the note and pointed to Hinata, the girl giving him a quick nod and turned back to the teacher.

He looked on at the note that was meant for Hinata, dubious though bored, and glanced quickly between Hinata and the note before deciding to open it, out of a careless curiousity.

The girl that gave him the note to begin with, watched on as he read it, brief shock on her otherwise cool-demeanored face, as she shook her head at him, thinking him typical. No one else read it, she at first couldn't believe that he was.

_Emiri-chaaan! __**(heart heart heart)**_

Naruto twitched out of irritation and embarrassment for the boy who wrote this; one, because of the amount of hearts. He must have it really hard for her or something... And two...

_'Who the hell is Emiri..?!'_

The note continued of course..

_I'd like to take you somewhere special! It's in Harajuku, so I know you'll really like it!_

_-Kiba X3 __**(heart)**_

_'Somewhere special? ..hn, and for a moment I thought he was making a pass at her.'_ He thought passively as he crumpled the note absentmindedly. He stopped at the sound of someone clearing their throat deliberately, the girl beside him scolding him with a glare, that clearly said 'Give it to Hinata!'.

Naruto sweatdropped, grinning sheepishly.

He leaned forward and tapped Hinata on the shoulder.

"Ne, Hinata-chan!" He whispered loudly as she turned around to face him, and he threw the note at her. Hinata was caught off gaurd, not seeing the note as it bounced off her forehead and landed on the ground. A tearful expression came over her, surprising a few students who watched what happened. Hinata held her hands to her forehead, pinning sad puppy-eyes on Naruto, looking as if she had been betrayed. All she knew was that he threw something at her.

Naruto didn't understand what got her upset, making the past two seconds very awkward, he did feel somewhat bad about it, it wasn't like he purprosely meant to hit her.

"Um.. note for you." He grinned awkwardly, the few classmates giving him dry looks as they sweatdropped.

* * *

Hinata was still pouting over what Naruto did, even as he followed out to the lockers with a sheepish smile. 

"I'm really really sorry Hinata-chan.. don't be mad, it was an accident." He sweatdropped awkwardly, a hand behind his head as Hinata switched her indoor shoes for her outdoor shoes. She glanced up at him briefly before looking back down to tying her shoes.

"You didn't read it did you?" She asked casually, not accusing him in any way, just out of curiousity. Naruto walked around her to get to his locker, taking out his shoes and standing beside her.

"Naw." He joked with a grin, and Hinata believed him, not knowing that he was joking or pretty much lying again. She just nodded as she waited for him to finish, leaning against the lockers and looking thoughtful. He wondered what she was thinking as she stared off into nothing, of if she just liked to zone out a lot. He smirked a little at the thought, then he wondered what she'd be like if she weren't so quiet and introverted.

"So who's Emiri-chan?"

Her eyes grew wide. Hinata slowly turned to face Naruto, speechless and caught off gaurd. Realization then sunk in, even when he looked at her with blank innocence, not a smile on his face to give him away.

"..You did read it!!" She blurted out, pointing a finger at him, only making him laugh.

"Yeah, yeah I did." He grinned cheekily, Hinata's little fist punching him lightly in his right shoulder as she pouted at him, an embarrassed blush on her face. He grinned playfully, wincing and rubbing his shoulder, faking hurt, only making her blush more, knowing that he was teasing her.

Why'd guys have to joke around so much?

It made her feel so embarrassed, thinking herself stupid and too naive.

They walked out together, Hinata still looking awkward and disgruntled with her blush and Naruto grinning wide all the while, chuckling to himself. A cool and warm wind blew past them, the temperature slowly getting milder and warmer every passing day.

Hinata continued on in her dainty steps, Naruto pausing a few feet behind her.

The Armband Man was there again.

_'Aw, what the hell is this about?!'_

Naruto sighed tiredly to himself, rifling through his schoolbag for something. He pulled out the black baggy hat and pulled it over his head, then pulled his snow jacket hood over his head, shadowing his face. He hoped this would work.

Hinata turned around, wondering where he went and blanched when he started coming up to her with his hood on. He looked kinna scary, she couldn't see his face at all. What was up with him?

"Naruto-kun? ..What are you doing?" She whispered loudly to him, feeling awkward around him now. He turned to her and took his hood off slightly, grinning sheepishly at her, the black visor of the hat sticking out now.

"Naruto-kun??" Hinata questioned, becoming concerned just as she was confused. But he just smiled.

"Anou, don't worry. It's not what you think."

Don't worry? What was he hiding from now?

"I gotta go to work now, I'll see ya later." He told her confidently, shadowing his face again under his hood as he walked off. Hinata was still unsure and confused, she tried to believe him, but she became alarmed when at the same time he was about to walk out of the gates, the man with the armband rushed up to intercept him.

"What??!" Naruto looked around when his hood was pulled off. Then the armband man plucked his hat off his head, a zealous victorious smile on his otherwise irritated face.

"Hey!!" Naruto shouted, jumping for his hat, but the man held it out of reach.

"You're not getting away this time!" He shouted back with a glare, grabbing a handful of his hood, making sure he wasn't going anywhere. All of this annoying Naruto, as those in the courtyard looked on with mild surprise and curiousity. Hinata was fretting; what was all of this now?

"Who the hell are you?!" He barked, pushing himself off, the man letting go and pointed to the white armband safety-pinned to his left upper arm sleeve.

"You see this armband here?! It's like a badge, see?! And you, Uzumaki Naruto, are coming with me!" He said in a voice full of authority, surprising many people in the audience.

_"Like a badge? What's he mean by that?"_

_"An undercover cop?"_

_"Is he getting arrested?!" _Came the students hushed whispers, hands over thier mouths as they talked amongst their friends and peers. Naruto took a step back, eyeing the man warily, he turned around and took off, but the man shot his hand out for his hood, stopping him from getting away. He began to drag Naruto the opposite direction.

"H-hey! Lemme go! Lemme go!" Naruto fought noisily, kicking and screaming, like a stubborn child throwing a tantrum. They all watched Naruto disappear, held hostage by the power of an unamed authority, many wondering what just happened or what was going to happen.

Hinata looked on as well, helpless and worried.

Where was he taking him?

* * *

"Take a seat Uzumaki-san." The man ordered, as he walked past the small table in the middle of the office, heading for the filing cabinets. Naruto stood, reluctant to obey; he wouldn't sit until he knew what he was doing here, and the man better have a good reason. He was about 25, 26 years old and a few inches taller than him. He had long-strand short brown hair and plain grey eyes, he was rather average in looks and seemed just as clueless and unassuming as a newborn puppy. 

"What the hell am I doing here?!" The poor blonde demanded irritatedly, still standing with his arms crossed. The young man pulled out a folder and fastened it on his clipboard as he pulled himself away to face Naruto.

"Mizuno Mizuumi, VPO." He greeted Naruto, dumbly with a hand extended and a generic smile on his face. Naruto looked blankly between the stupid smile to the random hand held out before him, before only one thing registered in his mind.

"Lake Water??" Naruto shot him skeptically, with a wierd look. Mizuno's eyebrow twitched irritatedly, realizing that Naruto would not return the courteous gesture, and embarrassed that he would immaturely focus on his name rather than the matter at hand.

"As opposed to fishpaste cake?" The man shot back with a mild glare.

"Hey! I happen to be a very important ingredient in ramen!"

An awkward silence filled the quaint office, Naruto the only one left fuming, the man named Mizuno Mizuumi sighed.

"This conversation is going nowhere."

* * *

It took a tiresome twenty minutes before Mizuno managed to get Naruto back on track, though the blonde still didn't know what he was doing here in the first place. He sat with his feet on the table as Mizuno flipped through the papers in the folder on his clipboard, the repetition of moving papers slowly grating on Naruto's nerves and ears. 

He looked around himself, surrounded by plain white; there was a set of two windows beside them, the blinds closed and pulled down. There was an ordinary watercooler in the corner, by a fake chinese rubber plant and a tall lamp. There were about four metal filing cabinets total, and a calendar on the wall. There was another door which led to a back room, not sure what for though. Naruto waited impatiently for the man to hurry up and get to the point, he wasn't sure what he was doing inside this building or what kind of building this was, all he got to see once he entered was a lobby, with a desk and secretary, and a hallway; where more people that wore similar armbands like Mizuno traveled to and fro, from room to room, many leaving and entering. They didn't look like policemen and women, but they were some type of authority.

This sucked for him, he was going to be late for work again.

"Quite a list you got here." The young man spoke up after the long silence.

"Huh?" Naruto pulled his straying attention back to earth, wondering what he was talking about.

"Yuh-huh.. Uzumaki Naruto, born October 10th.. blood type B.. You're from the Matsue Prefecture?" He asked simply, glancing up from the clipboard.

"Uhh.. yeah?" Naruto affirmed, not understanding what these questions had to do with anything. Was he in trouble or what?

"That's a quite the trip, and without parents..." He trailed off, peering over the clipboard at Naruto, taking in the subtle somberness that passed over his face. Naruto glanced off to the side, looking at the plain tiled floor. He wasn't sure he was liking where this was going.

"So what?" He mumbled lamely, looking at nothing.

"..And your grades aren't looking too good either, you started school here late as well." He read off of the files.

"So what?!" Naruto shouted from his seat, jerking forward with a heated glare. "What's that got to do with anything?!"

"Well you see, I'm a VPO--"

"Yeah, I still don't know what the hell that is." Naruto cut him off impudently, slouching back in his seat.

"Volunteer Probations Officer." Mizuno answered calmly, pinning Naruto with a significant look. Naruto's shoulders slackened, eyes grew slightly wide as he soaked in the new knowledge. A slinking fear began to crawl up to him, predatorily, his defense mechanism was a hope that this man didn't know. Didn't know what Naruto kept hidden, and now he was wondering what he meant before.. a list? Of what..?

He crossed his arms tighter, gripping his jacket with white knuckles, and tried to become as impersonal and detached as possible in order to protect himself.

"And it has come to my attention that you're in need of help." He finished vaguely in a comically dry tone, that confused Naruto for a moment.

"Help?" He mimicked, suddenly turning chibi and dressed in a kindergartener's school uniform with the yellow hat and everything, looking up at the probations officer blankly, before realization hit him again, like a slap to the face.

"I DON'T NEED A BABYSITTER!!" He said, slamming his hands on the table.

"I didn't say that!" Mizuno yelled back at Naruto's surprising outburst, waiting until he cooled down before speaking again. "Although, I do suppose that is what my job is like."

"You're not following me around! I didn't do anything!!" Naruto started to grab his things and get up to leave before Mizuno stopped him.

"Actually..." He trailed off deliberately in a slow drawl, the very tone of it making Naruto nervous.

"As of now, You are **my** responsibility."

"Why?! What do you know??!" Naruto blurted out, a bit paranoid and pointing a finger at Mizuno, who looked at him confused.

"What do I know??" He thought for a moment, wondering how to answer that, all the while Naruto realized what that his words slipped again, sweating nervous bullets, he hoped to heaven and hell that the man didn't take what he said seriously. It took the man a while before he answered him again.

"I know that you had been religiously skipping school for the past month."

Naruto had become tense and rigid, he nearly resembled a puppet with his stiff movements, he refused to move or breathe.

"Is.. is that all??" He bit out warily.

"Uh.. and I know..." He added haltingly, trailing off as he picked up to look at the clipboard again, leaving Naruto to hold onto the cliffs' edge, the waves lapping at the sharp rocks at the bottom. "...that.. you are failing all your classes." He finished dryly with a naive smile.

Suddenly out of nowhere, the ocean and cliff disappeared, and much to Naruto's relief he was standing on steady ground again.

He didn't know after all... He didn't care about any of that other stuff he mentioned, he could fix all of that. Everything was fine, long as he didn't know.

"I'm surprised you haven't dropped out of school yet, Uzumaki-san." Mizuno commented with an airy ease, quickly irritating Naruto.

"Say what?" He ground out, hands fisting at his side.

"Actually I'm surprised you're even in senior high." He continued, coming off as snobbish, as he shuffled through the papers in folder more.

"WHAT?!" Naruto blurted out, full of indignant disbelief. Dammit, who was he to judge him?!

"Because it says nothing here about junior high." He finished, as he held up a piece of paper; metaphorically slapping Naruto in the face again.

Naruto couldn't very well see the paper from where he stood, and he was starting to get really annoyed by this man's probing. What, was it like his whole life's story in that damn folder? Naruto stayed silent for a while, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, wondering what he should do now, he still didn't know what he was here for. Why a probations officer? He hadn't gotten arrested.. they weren't.. they weren't trying to follow him around and wait til he slipped up, were they? And how did they know?? ...AND WHO WAS THEY?!?!?! Naruto didn't even know if a "they" existed, he was creating too many assumptions too quickly and he needed to stopped his whirling brain before it got the best of him again.

"How did you get into High School, when you didn't graduate at your Middle School?" Mizuno asked somewhat firmly, yet still with a light and friendly expression, trying to get Naruto to open up, not realizing that was impossible.

"Can I see that, please?" Naruto bit out slowly, cautiously reaching his hand out. Mizuno nodded, giving Naruto the clipboard with the folder, trusting Naruto a bit too easily.

Naruto scanned through the papers, before swiftly turning on his heel and ran out for the door, abandoning the unsuspecting probations officer.

"OI!! Uzumaki-san!!" Mizuno sighed tiredly, running an exasperated hand through his hair, wondering what was with this kid. He took his hands away from his eyes to stare out into the empty hall where Naruto ran out of.

"Doesn't he know that's just a copy?"

* * *

Naruto sat on the sidewalks, propped against the brick wall beyond the building's courtyard, reading and absorbing intently every bit of what was written in the folder, most of the stuff depressing and pissing him off all at once. Practically everything was here, even the stuff that shouldn't be. He did a lot of these things sure, but there were also enough stuff he didn't do, just accused of, and it wasn't fair that they hadn't taken away these old accusations. 

This was all the same stuff the teachers knew, when he first got here and got in that fight, this was what they knew. He'd be damned if he let anyone else know about him.

He took all the papers and began ripping them up, one-by-one.

"Hey!!"

Naruto jumped scared, turning large eyes up to meet the glaring eyes of Mizuno.

"That's government property, you know that!!" He snapped, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. Maybe he was still new to his job, but he would never have suspected anyone of such recklessness.

Naruto shot up from where he squatted, throwing the papers onto the ground in careless abandon.

"Fuck it! This is bullshit!!" He fought back heatedly, stepping on the ripped up papers and grinding them into the ground. The probations officer shook his head lividly; he dealt with tempermental and dangerous children before, but never one with such lack of respect. How could he lack restraint, doesn't he know what's going on? _'Apparently not.'_ The young man mused, becoming irritated with his new charge.

"And that's just the attitude that got you thrown out of Matsushita!!" Mizuno threw back, not liking the boys' mouth at all. He'd have to ground in some manners into his impudent blonde head before he was through. He barely took in the shock in Naruto's eyes, confused beyond all hell.

"What?!" He blurted out clumsily, the words running over and over again in his head til they didn't make sense anymore. Thrown out?! No way! When the hell did that happen?!

"Well actually you haven't been thrown out.. yet.." Mizuno corrected himself absent-mindedly. And now Naruto wanted to smack him for practically exaggerating.

"What the hell are you talking about?! I didn't get expelled moron!" He yelled at him, knowing that for a fact he hadn't been thrown out. What kind of dumbass was this VPO?

"You're the moron, failing all your classes!" The VPO shot back in a rather lame and childish manner, their fighting words now reduced to vapid squabbling.

"Shut up!"

"And that is also why I have been assigned to look after you!" Mizuno added, Naruto not following a word he was saying.

"Why?! What'd I do?!" He was truly hating the idea of needing looking after, by a stranger and especially by government official. He was seventeen, he was an adult far as he was concerned. Its not like anyone cared about his living situation when he was younger... thinking back to it made Naruto resent a certaint someone when he used to secretly admire him at times.

"One of your teachers made a recommendation that you attend Tama instead of continuing your education in Matsushita! But since you have no parents nor a guardian, no one can force you attend Tama, yet at least!" He explained fiercely, making sure to let Naruto know who was in charge, making sure he understood this time, because he'd be damned if he was going to have to spell it out for him.

"Only a family judge can make that decision, and since your living situation has not become of community concern, no one can force you into Tama. Unless that is, I make a backing recommendation to the Chief Probations Officer to send you to Tama!" He finished in a confident tone, despite Naruto's clear confusion. All he kept hearing was 'Tama, Tama, Tama'. What the hell did a ball have to do with this?

"What the hell is Tama!!?" Naruto shouted full of frustration, straining his voice all the while. Mizuno was getting just as frustrated as him, not liking to raise his voice or have someone raise theirs at him.

"Tama Juvenile Training School, a reform school for delinquents like you!" He answered, wondering how far out of the loop this kid was. He lived on his own, and he has quite the record, didn't he expect something like this to happen eventually? And maybe if he were smart or smarter, he wouldn't have skipped school like he did, because that's what got the governments' attention in the first place. He was practically a special case. But Naruto didn't feel like such, and he didn't think anything so spontaneous and obnoxious as this would happen once he got out to Tokyo. He had arrived with high hopes and mild expectations; now he wasn't sure what was going on anymore.

"You make it sound like I'm some wayward criminal!" He fought back resentfully, figuring that's what everyone saw him as, some sort of leper or demon. And these damn files weren't doing him any good, he felt and feared that people were writing him off too quickly and it wasn't fair. Even though that's the way it's always been, he felt it was avoidable, long as he didn't talk about himself he wouldn't have to worry about opinion. Now these things made it near impossible, he doubted anyone saw past the paperwork to see who he really was.

Mizuno made an ironic noise in his throat, as he pointed towards the pile of torn papers. If that didn't count for anything, then he didn't know what did. Naruto followed his gaze, a sudden flame of hate passing through him. He just wrote him off, just like that.

"Hey! At least ten of those things I didn't do!"

"At least ten?" Mizuno mimicked with so much dry sarcasm it was scathing. "Anyways, I was actually talking about how you just destroyed government papers."

Naruto grabbed for his things turning his back on the parole officer, impersonal and cold, he glanced hardened eyes over his shoulder towards the young man. He wasn't going to take this bullshit if he didn't have to. He sighed.

"I'm late for work now, nice going." He muttered coldly, shrugging on his school bag and holding his jacket in his arms. He didn't yet see the feigned impressed look on the other man's face.

"So you do have a job." He joked, coming off as sarcastic and haughty. Naruto wanted to smack him so badly.

"Don't fucking follow me." He threw over icily in a hardened voice.

"You realize you'll be seeing more of me from time to time. My job's not done until you're well-adjusted into society." Mizuno watched Naruto walked off, giving him the birdy as he disappeared farther down the sidewalks. The young man sighed tiredly, wondering how he ended up with such a difficult boy.

And just when he thought this was going to be easy.

* * *

Naruto was beyond irritated. 

"Uh, Naruto-kun?" Ayame called out.

But he couldn't hear her.

"N-Naruto-kun??"

He kept focused on his task.

"Naruto! Quit it already!"

He finally stopped, not realizing what just happened. Ayame sighed much to her relief.

"Look, I know you're good with knives but.." She started out nicely before trailing off, Naruto's eyes leading to where she was talking about, taken aback himself.

"..you cut the vegetables too quickly!" She pointed out exasperately at the pile of sliced carrots, potatoes, celery, leeks, tomatoes, and bokchoy. It was liked an untossed salad tower.

"Sorry Ayame-chan.." He mumbled blankly, not really sounding or feeling sorry about it. He did think it was kinda funny though. She sighed, as she gathered a handful of vegetables and added them to the pot of boiling broth.

"What is with you?"

"You know me, always a hard worker! Hahaha!" He said, thumping his chest with pride and over-exaggerating on the laugh.

"Yeah yeah. Know what? I think you're just trying to get done faster!"

"Sure, you can go with that! Hahaha!"

"Baka." She muttered as she shook her head, Naruto grinning and Teuchi chuckling in the background.

* * *

The buildings and shadows passed across the train car windows, the closer lights and structures speeding past under the night sky while those farther away just seemed to shrug on by. Naruto stayed awake on the somewhat quiet night train, holding his things in his lap. 

He had ended his shift late as usual, the Ichiraku closing at eleven the latest, and now was steadily heading home, along with the rest of the folk falling asleep and falling over eachother on the train. Two waitresses, still in their uniforms, slept crookedly against the railings or the hard seats. Another seat over, six people; two college students, a business man, a working mom and her two children all leaned on eachother in one direction, like a fallen domino, the last person at the end looking to be the most uncomfortable. Poor people would probably wake up with sores in their necks.

He glanced off to the side of himself, a few feet away a young women in a business dress and surgical mask (she's sick), slept curled at the end, her jacket draped over her shoulders. He turned his head to the left, another college student sat at attention, listening to his MD player and looking out the window while he lightly bobbed his head to the music.

It was quite the interesting sight to see, though he saw it nearly every night he stayed to work late. First time he rode the trains and saw all the exhausted souls, he never once let himself fall asleep on the train, fearing he wouldn't know where he was going to wake up. Sometimes he saw the same people on the train in the same seat, and he wondered if they lived there.

He never had this sort of experience back in his hometown, everyone drove or walked to from the country to the city, the only need for trains was travelling between prefectures, one of those hour to three hour long trips. Or longer if you were travelling between islands.

Naruto couldn't imagine how these people manage to live so exhaustively.

He was beginning to figure.. someday he was going to end up like them.

* * *

The night was somewhat pleasant, the air chill not so chilly at all. Puddles had formed along melted piles of snow, and the moon shone through all of the little watery mirrors, lighting up the ground in scatters of white light, while the street lights shone slightly yellow and ambiguous. 

He was afraid to go home.

For some reason, he was anxious and extremely reluctant.

He was afraid of being stuck with his thoughts if he couldn't sleep.

He was afraid of waking up if he had nothing to look forward to.

He was afraid of tomorrow because he feared repetition or the uncontrollable.

He didn't want to go home, because he knew he wouldn't be able to escape whatever came tomorrow.

But he knew he couldn't just leave for a day or two like he used to when he was younger, because he had responsibility now.

And part of him figured, wistfully yet hopelessly, that he should have known..

..this newfound normalcy did seem too easy.

He looked up from the road to the steps to his porch to the house itself; empty, small and unwelcoming in its entirety.

Since when did coming home become such a burden?

* * *

Hinata hadn't been able to sleep either. She stayed up the rest of the night playing the entire _Phantom of the Opera_ Original Movie Soundtrack from her cellphone and trying to sing along with it, but only to mumble the words. She couldn't think of anything else to do, and it was mildly enjoyable. Half the time her mouth would be on the words and her eyes would be on the images created from the music, but half the time her mind would drift back to earlier this afternoon, everytime her eyes closed, images and memories came back to haunt her. 

What was it?

He was hiding something.

Aside from him, she was still hiding too, because he already knows about her.

She wasn't sure how she felt about it now. She still felt the need to stay in the background, nothing good ever came from attention when it came to her. And whenever she had been lolita around him, there had never been a good reaction.

But maybe it didn't matter so much anymore, since she knew how he felt about that part of her, at least she didn't have to fear it. And long as she was smarter about it, he wouldn't really see her like again, their lives were in different places of the city far as she knew.

She thought back to that day and the moments that proceeded it thereafter.

She started to feel sad and regret about blurting herself to him, especially since he called her melodramatic, she was embarrassed now. It would have been better if she kept quiet, he wouldn't have gotten the chance to think so little of her then or think of her at all. Then again how did she know if he thought of her at all? She doubted it, so she crossed out that thought and continued down a different path. Not that it was much better. She simply continued to wonder if she could have acted less stupid around him or if she could have stayed away from him entirely, always thinking with a preconcieved notion that he didn't like her, though knowing with a proven certainty that; yes, he thought her wierd.

But at one point he said it was okay... though she didn't know if that really meant that he liked her wierd or what. And even if she was a 'good' wierd, she wasn't sure she wanted to be known or labelled as that.

But then how did she want him to think of her?

Maybe she could have been nicer to him from the start, or maybe he could have been better off not knowing her at all. She couldn't help but feel like she screwed up somewhere. But she wasn't even sure why she thought she screwed up, because it wasn't like she was even trying at anything with him. ...was she?

She tried to keep away from the start, that didn't work out too well.

Now here she was.. overthinking in the middle of the moonlit morning and mindlessly humming to the low volume musical emitting from her headphones.

She was still trying to figure him out.

What was it?

He was definitely hiding something.

She blushed slightly at a far off memory; she hadn't payed too much attention when she had treating and dressing his wounds, but she had noticed... his old wounds. One she significantly noticed on his abdomen...

_Karan... Doka!_

_"Shit.."_

Hinata shot up at the sound, surprised as she pulled off her headphones and pushed her cell phone aside. She wondered what was going on outside and crawled over to her shouji door. She opened it just a creak, a light wisp of cool air brushing past her.

Naruto was just few feet away, standing on his porch and looking irritated. She was surprised to realize that he just got home, and feeling somewhat glad about it. He kept opening and closing his door, glaring at it analytically, as if inspecting it.

He was piqued, and far too tired to deal with this. Something was wrong with his door, the jamb was broken, and the door wouldn't stay solidly shut. He closed it, and began repeatedly banging his head quietly against the wood, cursing and wondering how did this happen?

Hinata felt somber and sympathetic, wondering what was wrong. From where she watched, as a mere spectator, she knew nothing. But felt bad, seemed liked nothing quite went right for him. She watched him open his door and disappear inside his house, her small voice calling out to him too late.

"Naruto..."

Her voice came out so meek, yet his name rolled off her tongue so easily and so nicely.

"Naruto.." She glanced down, bringing fingertips to her lips as a little half-hearted giggle escaped her. And she said it again.

"Naruto. ..Naruto.. Naruto.." She thought she must be really tired if she was having this much fun saying his name. She hoped he'd be okay.

Sleep started to finally claim her body slowly, like a large hand. She crawled back to bed, a different tune, sleepy and sweet, spilling from her mouth over and over again.

She didn't even realize she had dropped the honorific.

* * *

She was eating chocolate. 

Naruto's stomach grumbled and squeaked with hunger and stomach acids with nothing to digest, which basically meant he was really hungry. He slumped over his desk, his arms hanging lazily over the sides, and whining all the while knowing that Hinata was eating really sweet and yummy food again. He wondered bewildered, how she could always have sugary food, and really gourmet looking ones at that.

But then a thought came to him.

_'Oh that's right. Everyone's got more money than me.'_

He sighed, and whined again.

And Hinata acknolwedged this. She knew that he had nothing to eat again, and she could tell he was hungry, but she wasn't sure what to take from that puppy-dog look on his face. She kept glancing at him every now and then, a light blush on her cheeks, feeling awkward with him looking at her like that. Well he wasn't really looking at her, but it seemed liked his attention was on her. And every time she ate a piece of sphere-shaped chocolate, he would whine a bit louder.

Naruto actually didn't realize he was doing this, it was more like an internal thing that couldn't be kept inside. And every time he whined a bit louder, her blush grew a bit brighter.

What was she supposed to do?

She couldn't take it anymore, and she gave him the rest of her chocolatey handfull.

Naruto opened his eyes to the sudden smell of sweets, instant and immense happiness filling him. Hinata saw the large grin on his face and the happy sparkles in his eyes, and she had to turn around immediately, feeling like something really bad was going to happen if she didn't.

It wasn't much, eight lucky pieces of chocolate, but Naruto was more than pleased with it.

And then he realized that this was the second time in a row that she gave her lunch to him.

He grinned his patent kitsune grin, toothy and wide, the one that made him look so happy-go-lucky, and he chuckled to himself.

"ARIGATO, HINA-CHAN!" He exclaimed exuberantly, glomping her from behind and over his desk, surprising the rest of the class and scaring the crap out of her.

Her face exploded in color, and her throat became dry and sharp from the silent scream she squealed.

She didn't know what happened after that.

"Ah?! Hinata-chan?!"

"...You killed her."

* * *

Naruto ran a hand through his hair. He was slow and reluctant to take his outdoor shoes from his locker, going through the options in his head about what to do next. 

The days seemed shorter and a bit duller these days. Only a couple things hadn't changed. Like when he first arrived to class, several classmates appeared surprised or shocked to see him and he didn't understand it. Until he got called out by some screechy girls.

_"You're not supposed to be here!!"_

_"..." Naruto just stared blankly at them, wondering if it was even worth responding._

_"Yeah! Everyone saw your arrest!" a smaller girl added, getting nods from those around her glaring at him. Naruto lazily sweeped his glance around the group, dubious and exasperated. Were they serious? _

_"If I got arrested, then what were the charges?" He asked in a bored manner, somewhat amused by their momentary speechlessness. _

_"Um..." One girl stopped to think._

_"They finally caught you!" The first girl shouted, pointing a finger at him, eliciting a stress mark to appear on his forehead._

_"For what?!" Far as they knew, he didn't do squat this whole time, what the hell was she talking about?_

_"For..." She paused. "Truancy!!" _

_"You can't arrested for that, you freaking airhead!" Naruto exclaimed, nearly shooting up from his seat, making a couple of girls move a bit backwards._

_"Well then what'd you get arrested for?" Came a boys voice. Naruto looked up, suddenly finding an audience hounding around him, and definitely not the way he would have usually liked when he was younger. The girls were accusing him, as if he were some sort of leper, and the boys were just nosy. When he was younger, any sort of attention would do, but now that he was older he knew this was the only kind of attention he ever got and he hated it._

_"I didn't get arrested!"_

_"Did they shine a light on you?"_

_"Were you kept over night?"_

_"Were you forced to sit in a stationary position?"_

_"A what??" Naruto glanced at him dubiously, becoming confused and overwhelmed by the sudden bombardement of stupid questions._

_"Did you confess?!" _

_"Confess to what?!" Nruto whirled on another boy, slowly but surely getting pissed off. _

_"I know what you did!!" The first girl from before shouted, pointing at him again._

_"I didn't do anything!!" Naruto fought back louder, slamming his palm on his desk._

_"Liar!!" She retaliated, not even going into elaboration on her accusation. _

_There was a moment of silence before another voice spoke._

_"Did they show you pictures of your dead mother?" _

_Naruto turned his head slowly to look at the somewhat shorter and average looking boy that dared to say such a thing. All eyes were on the boy now, becoming perturbed by the silence and the lack of reaction on Naruto's part, this was almost becoming deafening._

_WHAM!_

_The boy fell backwards with an abrupt 'batan', as he landed on the ground. Everyone glanced between the punched out boy on the ground and Naruto, who stood at attention, face ashen and fist taut at his side. None of them even saw it. They took this as their cue to leave, as the boys and girls backed away. The boy gingerly got to his feet, holding a hand to his eye He gave Naruto a frightened and apologetic bow before running off._

That was pretty much the most that happened today. That and.. the irritable old man, Sakio-sensei kept glaring at him. More than usual...

* * *

Hinata was actively chatting with Kiba, Shino treading beside him silently, as they headed for the shoe lockers at the entrance of the school. 

"So you ready to go?" Kiba smiled congenially, Shino glancing towards their conversation every now and then. Hinata paused, shrugging her school bag onto her shoulders.

"Harajuku?" She asked, receiving an energetic nod from Kiba.

"Hai!" He said, Hinata thinking a bit more to herself. They had been talking about the usual stuff, eventually Kiba bringing up the note from yesterday.

"But what is it?" She questioned, not sure what to imagine or expect. Was it a restuarant? Or a clothing store? Had to be one or the other, Harajuku mostly consisted of clothing stores and not many new shops opened there, so she wasn't sure what he was hiding that she probably hadn't heard of before.

Kiba just grinned.

"A secret."

"Mou, Kiba-kun..!" Hinata pouted, wishing he'd tell her. She didn't know that he was trying to make it special by keeping shrouded in mystery, apparently his subtle intentions and advances went right over her head. Even the ones that weren't so subtle, like when he used to sneak chances to touch her hand or shoulder or hair.

"C'mon, you'll like it! Promise!" He gleamed, feeling needlessly proud of himself that he had an inexhaustible ability to entertain her. At least he figured he did.

Shino glanced poker-faced at his long-time friend, dubious and somewhat exasperated. He always knew him as confident and sometimes cocky, but this was nearly an entirely different side of him. When they were younger, there were probably.. only two girls he ever liked. Even then, he didn't dote much on a female interest as he was now with this pure-faced girl. And though he didn't know this girl that much, from where he stood.. he could tell she wasn't that type. He wasn't sure whether to feel bad for his friend, for making a sucker out of himself, or to feel bad for the girl, who was being given all the wrong kind of attention.

There were certaint things he was able to see ahead of time.

"What if she doesn't?" He piped in suddenly, Kiba pulling his attention away from Hinata to give him a flat look.

"...shaddup Shino."

Shino sighed tiredly, shaking his head.

* * *

Hinata waved Kiba off as she stopped by her shoe locker, telling him she'd meet him outside. He walked off, as he continued to bicker frivolously with Shino, who only continued to sigh and shake his head. Hinata sweatdropped, thinking her friends to be a funny pair. 

"What do you know about girls?!" Came Kiba's far away voice.

"Compared to you; more." Shino replied monotonously. Kiba was skeptical.

"Oh yeah? Nerd-fro?" Kiba said pointedly, a blinking red arrow appearing over Shino's head. Along with an irritated stress mark, with Shino glaring at Kiba.

"What'd you call me?"

* * *

Hinata pulled out her shoes, glancing with uncertainty towards the still Naruto. He'd been staring a tunnel vision into his shoe locker for a while, and she wasn't sure if he was alright or what he was doing. He was blinking, so he wasn't really out of it. 

She took her time tying her shoes, glancing up at him again.

Naruto was still thinking about things. He reached absentmindely into his pocket, and took out the last piece of chocolate he kept wrapped in section of loose-leaf paper. It was only slightly melted and Naruto ate it, finally snapping out of his thoughts and took out his shoes.

Hinata had been taken aback at first, then smiled and giggled a little.

"You still have chocolate?" She asked with an amused smile and cheeks a bit pink. Naruto turned around to face her.

"Hm?" He uttered cluelessly, not sure at first what she said before figuring it out. He grinned wide and goofy.

"Nope, not anymore. Last piece. Thanks again by the way." He told her, Hinata looking shyly away with a little smile. She nodded curtly, as she finished her last knot. Naruto was just starting on his second shoe, she decided to wait for him again, like she usually did. She became used to them leaving at the same time, even though they often went their separate ways.

She realized she wanted to ask him about yesterday. She was there when half the class was making a ruckus around his desk, and she had been sitting nervously in hers. She didn't like how noisy they had been. Even she found their bickering and questions stupid. And then she heard the one boy mention pictures of his dead mother? Then he got punched. That, she found, was fitting. But she couldn't help but feel sad and hesitant, wondering if his mother was really dead? And how did they know that? Naruto never said anything to her, she rather doubted he said anything to anybody else.. and then there was another question that came up.

Nurse Tsunade wasn't his mother? They both had blonde hair.. she figured.. but she guessed that she had been wrong after all.

She hoped she didn't insult Tsunade-san then, when she made an assumption about their relationship. She seemed like she was a mother-figure of some sort, that's why she thought that. Now she wondered if they were relatives at all or not.

She knew he wasn't here with parents, but where he came from he could still have them... right?

She felt a twinge ache within herself, even as she looked at his smiling face.

Was his mother really dead?

"C'mon, let's go." Naruto said with a seemingly sincere smile, as he stood over and waited patiently for her to return back to earth. She hadn't been zoning out, but she zoned out a bit then, trying to absorb and acknowledge his words into conscious thought. Hinata blinked and nodded mutely, as she got to her feet and they walked out together.

* * *

Naruto swore. 

"Shit.."

Hinata turned to look at him, wondering why he stopped. It was because he was there again.

The probations officer from yesterday, Mizuno, he was stood behind the gates with his arms crossed and eyes examining the yard expectantly. Naruto knew he was looking for him. Dammit, at this rate kids were going to start thinking that he really did something! Well.. he did do _something_...

He wasn't going to think back to that, the blood was on his hands, but he wouldn't look.

Hinata was starting to worry again, she wondered what made him stop so suddenly. He just stood there, staring out into nothing, his face serious. She walked up to him, calling out to him, but he wasn't hearing her.

Naruto acknowledged Hinata's presence, but thought nothing of it. He was occupied with himself, going over the choices and strategies in his head. He had a feeling this would happen, especially with the way he just blew the man off, he figured the man knew that he wasn't going to see him on his own. He absolutely refused to do so, and he refused having to deal with some volunteer bitch of the government to put him down and tell him how to live his life. He hated being alone, but with the way he had been forced to live his life, he valued his independence.

Besides, he was practically an adult, in his opinion anyway. What purpose did an adult "caretaker" have in his life now? He could take care of himself, part of his reason to come to Tokyo in the first place, he was old enough to be on his own. Despite whatever stupid mistakes he might still make. But after the biggest he made so far, he was certaint he was done being a jackass.

He could run. Again.

Well he had to go to work anyways. Seemed like his best bet, wasn't like he could do anything else. If he stayed here til everyone else left, the officer would just march right in here and look for him. And even if he managed to sneak past him at that point, that would take too long, and he hated waiting.

He glanced up at Hinata, not taking the time to recognize the clear concern in her face, and got up, taking deliberate steps back for the entrance gates. Hinata called after him again.

He finally took in the inflection in her voice, and vaguely wondered if he was making her worried. He wistfully doubted it and brushed the whole thing off, but decided to put a smile on for her anyways. Even as he looked at the worried and bewildered expression on her soft face, the nagging voice at the back of his head told him she wasn't sincerely concerned, that it was probably just second nature for her to look at him like that, and with those eyes. He pulled away, a memory washing through him like deja-vu, and somehow he felt overwhelmed and a bit hurt.

He sweatdropped nervously, with Hinata still looking at him in her soft and sad way, the fact that he was still grinning and the realization that he didn't feel the way he looked.

It was really awkward.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata mumbled, before Naruto quickly interjected.

"C'mon!" He blinded and surprised her with his smile as he grabbed her hand and pulled her along, running out into the courtyard. Hinata was taken aback, she had no idea what was going on, even as they ran into a crowd of students, Naruto smirked to himself that Mizuno hadn't seen him, and continued to run past the gates. Naruto took a sharp turn, with Hinata struggling to keep up behind him, and jogged down the sidewalks untill they came to the end of the white brick wall of the school.

Naruto was actually laughing a little, hearing Hinata's noises of protest, and enjoying the feel of her small hand in his. He stopped and pulled her behind the corner, squatting low in the shade and grinning.

"Alright! We dodged him! Haha!" He exclaimed rather happily.

Hinata couldn't figure him out. Did he have mood swings? Or was he just a complex person? Actually, he seemed like the simplest person she knew, next to Moe or her little sister, being that both were rather cheerful and see-through. So... what just happened?!

Hinata glanced down.

He was holding her hand again.

She glanced up. The light pink that tinted her cheeks grew a bit brighter.

He was looking right at her, with a bold warmth in his eyes, somewhat tender and a light smile that seemed sincere. She felt the habitual need to shy away and yet she couldn't.

For some reason he was feeling glad to be here like this with her, even if he was just playing a little. He just felt so comfortable and relieved, and her pale little hand was so soft and warm, he didn't realize that he was doing it again. But she did.

She finally shied away, glancing back down to find him caressing her with his thumb, back and forth, back and forth so gently. Her blush grew deep, and she tucked her chin in, trying to hide her face from him. This just made Naruto smile wider, liking her reaction.

She tried to pull herself together, she remembered that she couldn't stay here like this with him. She was pretty sure he couldn't either. He had work and she promised to go somewhere with Kiba soon. She realized that she practically ditched him after Naruto dragged her quarter of a block away.

"N-Naruto-kun... I have to go.." She mumbled, still staring at their hands between themselves and avoiding his smile.

"Oh, right sorry. You gotta get home." Naruto grinned, though he didn't let go of her hand.

"N-no.." She stuttered, shaking her head back and forth. Naruto craned his head to the side, confused.

"A-anou.. I-I'm going s-supposed to go s-somewhere with Kiba-kun.." She finished in a small voice, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear as she cautiously glanced up at him. He looked like he was pouting.. or glowering.

_'Shoulda known..'_ He inwardly sighed. Seemed like they were inseparable or something, he wouldn't be surprised if they were dating already. Maybe they were. Huh... But he felt one of these days she owed him her company too! ..except he couldn't really say that to her face. ..or could he? Knowing her, even if he offended her, she wouldn't hit him, so that part was cool.

"But you always go somewhere with the _kyuuketsuki_, Emiri-chan." He whined half-heartedly, subtley tugging her hand closer.

Her eyes grew wide. Hinata slowly turned to face Naruto, speechless and caught off gaurd. She was frozen. Naruto began to wonder if he did something wrong. It was her nickname right? It wasn't even a word in Japanese, he didn't accidently call her a bad name did he?

Hinata was still in shock, her face washed of colour and mouth gaping open-shut like goldfish. She tried to form words, even as Naruto continued to stare questioningly at her, and thought she was the funniest thing he ever seen. Well... next to a picture a friend drew of a cow with a Charizard coming out of its ass because of a random conversation they had once. But that was a different story.

She squeaked.

"Na-Naruto-kun.. you can't.. say that." She uttered with a bit of disbelief in her voice. Now it was Naruto's turn to blink and look as clueless as a goldfish.

"...Why not?" He asked in a disappointed yet still cheery voice, grinning sheepishly at her.

"Mm.. because it's my cosplay name." She told him simply.

"Yeah?" Naruto said cluelessly, not understanding the validity of her answer, or assuming that there was more to it. Hinata's brows furrowed together for a moment, thinking there wasn't more to be said, but apparently for him there was.

"A-and.. you're not a cosplayer." She backed up, bringing her eyes from the ground to look at him.

"..." He just stared at her blankly. She sweatdropped nervously. What else was she supposed to say?

"Naruto-kun?"

It took him a while before he came up with something to say. He thought it was just a name. How come he couldn't say it?

"But he gets to call you Emiri-chan." He added pointedly, still caressing her little hand, trying to focus more on the contact than what was going on now. He felt comforted and glad a few minutes ago, he didn't want it to go away, but now it seemed like it was; like a buzz kill.

"Yes, because he goes to Harajuku." Hinata answered back, brushing back a piece of hair, and feeling anxious. Aside from knowing that Kiba must still be waiting for her, this conversation was becoming increasingly awkard for her.

He still didn't get it. He didn't care that he didn't go there like she did, just seemed unfair that someone else could use her nickname but he couldn't. Maybe it was because he wasn't within her circle... but he was able to use her first name, didn't that count?

"Hm.. Emi-chan?" He asked her with a bright hopeful grin, thinking the name funny though, cuz he never really got to see her smile much. Either his cheeryness (which was actually half-hearted and more feigned than anything else) surprised her, because she kept expecting a bad reaction, or it was his continuance to try to use her nickname that startled her up again.

"N-no..! Y-You can't call me Emi-chan either..!" Hinata blurted out, her face bright with embarassement. She was fretting if she was acting rude and snobbish about this, but she wasn't meaning to. He really couldn't use her nickname.

Naruto looked at her dryly, dropping his playful cheery mask. He was used to feeling left out, more or less, but this was starting to annoy him. Mostly because he still understand what the problem was. He couldn't say it even once?

"What.. so he can call you a special name but I can't??" He asked her, pouting but not playfully, like he was earllier. He didn't get it, why couldn't he at least call her Emi-chan when he wanted to? The vampire boy gets to use it, what gives?

"Naruto-kun.. you don't go to Harajuku." Hinata tried to reason, but wasn't sure if it was working. This probably wasn't going to end well.

"So what Emi-chan?" Naruto sighed stubbornly, brows furrowed in an annoyed expression.

"So you can't call me by my cosplay name. It just wouldn't make any sense." She told him again, wondering why he hadn't let go of her hand yet. It wasn't like she didn't like it, she was just expecting it too much.

"Why not?" He asked her again, not realizing he was kinda stressing her out here, especially with his glowering expression (not realizing that it was half-hearted, and not meant to be taken too much to heart). She perferred nice conversations, this was an awkward one, and she was worried she was being rude again, like when he first met her. She felt really bad about it. She didn't want him to think less of her anymore.

"It just.. it wouldn't make any sense." She told him softly, trying to pull her hand away from his grip but he wouldn't let go.

"N-Naruto-kun.." Hinata protested sheepishly, still tugging for her hand back. She glanced up at him, bewildered when she saw that fox-like grin on his face. It was like he was playing with her. She got to her feet and he was still holding on her, not harshly, his grip was still gentle, but it was firm. Why was he acting like this?

Naruto was reluctant to let her go. He was feeling mischevious and stubborn too. He just wanted to hold her hand a little longer, feeling wistful about it. And she looked so funny when she scrunched up her face with effort, struggling against him. It was.. cute. He was annoyed that she had to leave him again. She wasn't even busy, she was just running around and having fun. Such is the lifestyle of the upper middle class, but it wasn't even that.. He wanted to hold onto the feeling he got when he lay in his bed and Hinata layed by his side and held his hand. He wanted to hold onto that, just like he wanted to hold onto her hand a little longer.

He inwardly sighed and let her go when she had stopped tugging, so she wouldn't fall backwards. Hinata blinked wide eyes at him, a rosy blush on her cheeks, as she stared at his half-hearted smile.

"Bye Bye." He said in a playful voice, a semblance of that endearing warmth in his eyes and rather charming smile, overwhelming Hinata even more. She gave him a quick bow and ran off, back towards the schools' direction. He watched her leave, his face wiped of anything but a detached expression, now feeling bored without her.

He no longer had anyone to play with.

* * *

It's only been nearly four months since he got here.. He wasn't sure if he was looking forward to the coming of spring or not. What was there to do in Tokyo? Well alot apparently, but he never really dreamed of coming here, he just always heard good things about this city. Apparently he wasn't living up to the Japanese Dream. ...whatever that was. 

Nearly four months and nearly a month into the new year... And the first month of the new year was spent...

_CHOKI CHOKI CHOKI!_

Naruto swiftly cut the vegetables, cutting off his line of thinking as well. Nope, he wasn't going to think about it. It's all over, no need to bring it up. He tried to tell himself...

_'I'm safe.. I'm calm.. I'm carefree.. I don't give a shit..'_

He actually starting to become bummed out by something else.

Nearly four months, and he has already become the people on the midnight train; Tokyo life's been nothing but a dull routine. He wakes up, he goes to school, he goes to work, he goes home. He wakes up, he goes to school, he goes to work, he goes home. Again, and again and again and again. Doesn't anybody ever go crazy? How does anyone keep up with this?

He glanced over to Ayame, and her father Teuchi. They were talking a bit, greeting customers, the whole bit. Not that he cared what a old man like Teuchi did, but what did Ayame do on her time off?

"Say, Ayame-chan?" Naruto called out, as he walked over and poured the freshly chopped vegetables into the pot.

"Hai?"

"What's there to do in Tokyo?" He asked her simply though seriously, receiving only a carefree smile in return.

"Everything!" Was her chipper reply, and far too vague for his liking. He sighed tiredly, not in the mood to have her elaborate.

"Awesome." He muttered in a sarcastic rhetoric that went over her head, and she just smiled again.

_'I'd go to an arcade dammit, but that costs money!'_

Maybe moving here was pointless...

* * *

What the hell was he expecting for anyways? What did he want? 

Friends? A steady job?

He moved because he felt that nothing was working out back at his hometown, and that nothing ever would. Because everyone always said great things about Tokyo; you make it big, you'll become successful, you'll find love, they have the greatest restaurants, the nicest apartments, its the best environment, they have Disneyland, they have the Mohri Garden! ...what the hell was so great about a garden?! Who told him that one?!

Naruto paused in the middle of the street light, holding his school bag in one hand while he tried to think.

"...I think it was Ino-chan..."

He continued walking down the sidewalks, side-stepping piles of slushy snow and dirty puddles, a cool wet wind blowing every so often. He thought maybe he should give it a rest and stop complaining, things just started after all and it's not like anything ever started out perfectly.

He glanced off to the side, coming up just over the swell of the hill was their street and his little ole house.

It was all going to be the same tomorrow as it was today.

Real question was: Will he be lucky enough to escape Mizuno's eye twice?

* * *

Apparently not. 

"You realize you're heading dangerously close to that commitment recommendation I'm willing to make, aren't you?" Mizuno asked him, annoyed.

"Alright."

"You'll be pulled out of Matsushita Gakuen and thrown into Tama!" He shouted, pointing a finger at Naruto, not understanding how he could be so indifferent about this.

"Alright." Naruto shrugged simply, making Mizuno sigh.

"Because you know that you're just putting up all kinds of red flags." Mizuno said.

"The hell are you talking about?" Naruto fixed him a dubious glare, irritated for having to be here. Mizuno's flat faced suddenly turned authoritive and serious, slamming his hands on the table.

"Your blatant evasions of meeting with your parole office!" He told him, holding his glare against the impudent boy before him.

"I'm not on parole!" Naruto fought back, thinking this man to be stupid beyond belief. Except that's usually him..

"But I'm supposed to look after you!" He shouted, banging his fist against the table, trying to look like he was in control but Naruto remained unmoved and unconvinced. The boy sighed, a caustic pissed off grin on his face as he sat up straight in his seat and leaned a bit forward.

"And you caught me this time! Good for you! High five!" Naruto said with mock-cheer, holding his hand up as if he really expected a high-five, but obviously was being sarcastic. Mizuno looked at him flatly, glancing at his hand held in mid air, and wondered why it was so severly bandaged, before he spoke again.

"...You don't have to be so sardonic." He told him, watching Naruto slouch back in the chair, and put his feet on the table.

"What can I say? I'm a sardonistic bastard when I have to deal with people like you." He sighed, craning his head backwards against the seat and looked up at the drab drywall cieling tiles. Something about this seemed obnoxiously familiar... except this man was an idiot.

"Sardonistic isn't a word, it's only sardonic. ...idiot." Mizuno sighed under his breath, wondering if this was what he was going to have to put up with every time.

"Whatever. ...bastard." Naruto muttered, wondering the same thing.

* * *

It took them another thirty minutes and cup of beef ramen for incentive, in order to get back on track, with Naruto being so stubborn and difficult. At first he was pissed off at Mizuno for taking him out of class, because now he knew for sure that the upperclass idiots thought he was arrested. But he was always happy to have free cup ramen, especially since he hardly got lunch anymore, (aside from Hinata's little charities). 

He slurped loudly on the noodles, savoring every bit of it like it was his first and last meal ever. The damn probation officer was looking through more paperwork again.

"Alright, so you mentioned having a job?" He asked, still looking between two different papers.

"Yeah."

"And it's a part time job?" He asked again, glancing up at the hungry boy before him, wondering why he was eating so slowly.

"Supposed to be." Naruto answered him after swallowing a mouthful.

"..." Mizuno looked at him flatly, not understanding what that even meant. "Okay.." He started back again. "..Where is it?" He asked simply. Naruto halted his slow and deliberate slurpings, long strands of noodles hanging out of his mouth as he stared blankly at him. He slurped them all up and swallowed, lifted up his cup ramen and pointed at it.

"I work at a ramen stand." Naruto said, only to get another dry look from the young man.

"Alright, but where is it?" He prodded again.

"I'm not telling you!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, throwing the man off guard for a moment.

"Why not?!"

"Cuz you're just gonna hound me at my job!"

Mizuno sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Alright fine! You don't have to tell me where! Just tell me how much you earn!" The probation officer settled, hoping it would be enough. Naruto thought for a moment, taking the time to finish his cup ramen; noodles, broth and all.

"...900 yen a week." He told him straight, receiving a grateful nod from Mizuno, glad to get such a clear-cut answer for once. He observed the details and numbers on the papers a bit more, questions filling his head.

"Pretty lame job, dont'cha think?" He commented airily, not really thinking about what he said.

_SLAM!_

Mizuno jumped startled, looked up at the tempermental face of youth, and wondering what got Uzumaki so upset.

"No it's not! Ramen is awesome!" Naruto glared at him, getting tired of being insulted or at least hearing this man insult every little thing.

"I was talking about the pay! It's weak!" He explained, before continuing. "How are you paying your rent?!"

"I don't have rent."

"Mortgages then? Heating bills?"

"I ain't got those either."

"..How's that possible? ...This isn't _"Binbo Danshi"_..." Mizuno muttered to himself in confusion and awe, Naruto glaring at him still, wondering if he was making fun of him now. Mizuno looked up, with a question in his eyes.

"Do you live in a tent?" He asked matter-of-factly.

"NO!" Naruto yelled out, exacerbated. Mizuno suddenly gasped, and Naruto had to ask why. What was with the sudden aghast look on his face??

"You're a squatter?" He accused with disbelief, as he looked askance at the exasperated blonde.

"Huh?" Naruto uttered dumbly, squinting his eyes as if he couldn't see something very well, clearly expression his confused and exhausted patience. Mizuno suddenly shot up from his chair.

"No, you're a moocher aren'tcha?! You entertain lonely older women in exchange for food and a place to stay!" He blurted out, slamming his palms onto the table and knocking Naruto off balance.

"WHAT?!" Naruto screamed out mortified, falling out of his chair. Mizuno craned his body over the side of the table to see a heap of Naruto on the ground.

"C'mon Uzumaki-san, we gotta finish this. Quit fooling around." He told him in a dry, matter-of-fact tone, he was clearly the one not being serious.

Naruto was having just about enough of this nonsense.

"Damn you..."

* * *

"Can I leave now?" The blonde asked impatiently, arms crossed and slouched back in his chair. 

"No. You ran off yesterday when I was supposed to interview you. Now we're going to finish this." The probation officer told him firmly, with just as much impatience in his voice. Naruto just shook his head with disbelief.

"Is that why you blocked the door with one of the filing cabinets?" Naruto asked him dubiously, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb at the closed door, with a cabinet situated in front of it.

"Um.." Mizuno paused dumbly, as if trying to remember. Then he nodded, answering him chipperly. "..Yep!"

Naruto found himself running his hand through his hair in an irritated manner, and wishing he could have another ramen. He glanced up at Mizuno.

"Can I have another cup ramen?" He asked him, hopeful and hungry. Mizuno shook his head.

"No." Was his plain reply.

"You suck!" Naruto shot up from his chair, pointing irate at the man.

"I don't have anymore ramen!" Mizuno fought back impatiently, wondering what was this kids' deal. If he had ramen, he would get him some.

"You suck!" Naruto shouted again, wondering how someone couldn't have anymore ramen. Ramen is everywhere, you don't just run out!

"Just answer a few more questions for me, then I'll let you go! Alright?!" The probation officer sighed aggravatedly, his face in his hands. He waited til Naruto sat back down.

"You're not going to follow me home after that, are you?" He asked huffily, kicking his feet onto the table again and trying to look out the window. But the blinds were closed.

"Well in case I need to keep in contact with you..." Mizuno started matter-of-factly, only to get interrupted. Naruto probably should have just kept his mouth shut.

"I don't want people to think I've done something!" Naruto jerked forward from his chair rather threateningly, when it was actually himself feeling threatened. Mizuno blinked at him blankly, wondering what to take from what he said. Far as he knew he did a lot of things, he was quite the troublemaker back home. And part of his job now, he had to make sure he was no longer troublemaker, had to reform him somehow.

"What, haven't you?" Mizuno asked him questionably, craning his head to the side.

"...!" Naruto breathing hitched with a sharp inhale. The colour left his face, the fear slinking up on his like a slow cold flash.

"I've seen your schools' uniform. Where's your tie?" Mizuno asked him, rather innocently, not accusing him in any way at all, having no suspicions whatesoever. He didn't realize how close he hit with that question.

"...I.." His hand instinctively touched his collarbone, realizing he was caught, if only for a moment. He had to think of something quick. "I, uh.. I th-threw it out." He told him plainly though truthfully, taken aback by the man's chuckling. The cold flash seemed to increase, his palms becoming clammy the more seconds passed on by.

"Heh, why'd you do that?" Mizuno asked dubiously in his light and friendly voice, wondering why Naruto would do such a thing.

"I didn't like it. It-it made me look like everyone else." He fibbed somberly, his voice suddenly small as he looked to the side, unable to keep his guilty and fearful gaze with the unsuspecting man.

"I think that's the point of a school uniform, Uzumaki-san." Mizuno laughed a little, glancing back down at his papers and rifling through them a bit.

"..." Naruto didn't say anything, this was getting a little dangerous.

"Even in Tama, you'll have to wear a uniform." He told him matter-of-factly.

"You keep talking about that place. Why am I supposed to go there?" Naruto asked him, mildly curious as he shrugged his shoulders.

"We don't know if you're supposed to, unless you continue to misbehave."

"Misbehave, ha. Right." Naruto just laughed, wondering if they thought he was some bratty child. That's what they were making it sound like.

"You ripped up government papers yesterday." Mizuno told him flat out pointedly, scolding him with a glare.

"..." Touche, Naruto sweatdropped, finding himself caught.

"You wanna take a look at Tama? See what you'll have to look forward to?" He asked, since the topic was raised. It was on his itinerary anyways, to show Naruto around.

"Sure. Fine." He complied nonchalant, not thinking much of it.

* * *

Naruto took notice that the school day was almost over. Well, at least at this rate he wouldn't have to go back to class. They had walked around and took the train to Hachioji-shi, which was halfway across from the Tokyo Innercity. And he thought Chiba port was far away, the trip from Shinagawa-ku to Hachioji was a good fourty minutes and ten station stops. He was starting to take this situation a bit more seriously. 

He wasn't liking being so far away...

Naruto glanced over his shoulder, watching the train leave behind them, a creeping feeling of abandonment filling him. A feeling far too famliar.. sadly.

People had been giving him looks. You couldn't decipher or name what kind of looks, just that there had been constant and continuous glances on the train and wherever he walked. It was because of Mizuno. He must look like a juvenile offender, having a probation officer stick by so close to him. It was unnerving and disappointing, to be labelled and written off by strangers with just a look.

It wasn't right.

"The Tama reformity holds roughly 200 inmates.." Mizuno started off as they stopped before the facility grounds.

_Inmates.._

Naruto pulled his eyes away from the ground to look up. There were about a hundred boys under twenty lined up in front of the school, performing excerises under the signal and command of their instructors, their loud voices ringing in his ear.

"The regime is strict as you can see..."

They all had their hair cut in the same manner..

"Group asslemblies are held, and they hold a strong focus on education with academic and vocational training..."

They all began to run laps around the courtyard..

"There are five dorms, with about forty inmates assigned to each..."

There was that word again.. _inmates.._

"But this is not a place to make friends, and personal conversations are prohibited.."

Naruto stopped him for a moment, not understanding what his purpose here was.

"Why is it thought that I need to be sent here..?" His voice came out low and hoarse, as he looked on with apprehension, the instructors running alongside and blowing loudly on their whistles; like drill seargents in disguises of tracksuit coaches.

Mizuno glanced down at him, the tone of Naruto's voice catching his attention. He wondered what Naruto thought of this.

"You are without parents, you have no custodian. Your living situation is questionable to say the least, and you had been skipping school for a month. That raised a concern to your teacher who felt you would be better off here..."

Naruto couldn't believe that. Better off here? No way.

"..not just that, but.. Your record?" Mizuno pointed out, topping the list off with the most obvious factor. Naruto wondered where he fit in all of this, if at all.

"What are they here for?" He asked, still in that somber and low voice. He wasn't feeling too good anymore...

Mizuno let out a little sigh, conflicting with himself if he should answer him. After all, he just said that personal information was prohibited, it wasn't his place to reveal other inmates crimes.

"They're bad. Rape, assault, robbery, homicides.." Mizuno answered him rather grimly. Naruto took a small step backwards, feeling cold in the warming air. He couldn't believe this, who the hell was it that thought he should be here? What the hell made them think he was better off here? What made them think he belonged here?!

"It's really not so bad. At the end of ones' time here, the government usually provides the reformed offender with a steady job. You'll still get the same education you would at Matsushita and you'll only spend the first week in solitary confinement." Mizuno smiled naively at the end of his oratory. It was quiet for a moment, Mizuno was expecting some sort out loud and indignant response. Instead all he was geting was silence.

"Uzumaki-san?" Mizuno turned around, not finding Naruto anywhere.

He had run off again.

Mizuno sighed lazily to himself, thinking to himself that this would probably happen often.

"He's a real ninja, that one."

_

* * *

Solitary confinement_.. 

_"It's really not so bad... you'll only spend the first week.."_ Mizuno's naive cheery voice rang inthe back of his mind, Naruto trying his best to outrun the hollow darkness that threatened to swallow him whole. Just the thought of it, scared him more than anything. He'd been left alone far too often, he wasn't going to go through it all again in a damned youth prison. The moment Mizuno uttered the words, he felt himself fall into the bottomless hole he knew all too well, and for a split second he couldn't breathe.

He kept running down the sidewalks, maneuvering past the pedestrians, the baren tree scenery and houses blurring past him. The loneliness was overwhelming now. He was niether in his hometown nor in his new neighborhood. He was forty minutes away, lost and feeling abandoned, he wasn't sure how to get back.

He didn't want to be left here, he didn't want to stay here. And he didn't want to come back here ever. They wanted to send him away, he just wanted to have a normal life for once.

Maybe he was supposed to be alone.

But he didn't want to be alone anymore.

* * *

Naruto had found the station that he and Mizuno came from when they had formerly arrived. He rode it, counting ten stops and got off. But he wasn't in Shinagawa. He wandered around the station until he found a JR Line map, and found that he was even farther away from his neighborhood. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He took a different train and waited for forty minutes until it stopped and hoped it worked this time. 

The houses and trees passed by through the windows, the sun situated fifty degrees in the sky from the horizon, the day slowly and soon setting. He didn't have a watch nor a cell phone, so he only assumed that school ended a while ago. He wanted to go home before heading to work.

It felt like it had been forty minutes, Naruto walked off with the other half hundred of people and entered the station. He looked up at the sign, decorated with perfect katakana.

Shinjuku Station.

Well, at least he was back in the inner city of Tokyo. He was only ten minutes away by train from Shinagawa. He sighed to himself, walked through the crowds, wandered down the familiar streets of Shinjuku. He wasn't downtown, lucky for him. He didn't think he could take being in Kabuki-cho again.

* * *

Hinata was just getting back home after eating fruit cups with Kiba at a little desert parlour in Kita-Shinagawa. She smiled lightly, enjoying her time with him like she usually did with her friends. And she smiled a bit more thinking back to the secret in Harajuku. 

It hadn't been too far from the Harajuku Bridge, _The Rose de la Lune Shoppe_. It was a lolita parlour, part gift shop, part cosplay cafe. It was cozy yet somewhat spacious, and well decorated. They served all sorts of cakes and baked sweets, even chocolates and little gourmet candies. The atmosphere had been nice, and the cake had been good. There were all sorts of lolita-esque cosplayers there; gothic, visuel-kei, sweet, pirate and punk. She felt strangely out of place when they entered in their school uniforms, but there had been a couple of school kids there too.

Only thing that seemed strange was when Kiba bought her another bag. She energetically displayed her pleasure with a happy squeal, but at that same time, she hadn't been that excited about it. He was already paying for the food again, why did he go and buy her something else? She didn't know what she was going to do with a second bag and she kinda wished he hadn't done it.

She felt bad about it, wondering if she had lied to him by overexaggerating her reaction to a new item. She wasn't sure what else to do, if she just said "Oh, thanks." Then she would have ended up disappointing him and possibly hurt his feelings, maybe. But exaggerating wasn't good either, she didn't like lying like that. But it had been spur of the moment and he kinda gave her no other choice. Maybe part of her did still like getting free stuff, but so often she didn't enjoy.

She wasn't sure if she should express that to him or not. She didn't want to seem ungrateful... she didn't understand why he did so in the first place; buy her so much stuff. She still had the 50,000 yen from two months ago, she never got a chance to spend any of it yet.

She had been worried when Naruto got pulled out of class. The armband man was just outside of their classroom door and knocked on it lightly, interrupting Ishida-sensei's math lesson. She wondered if Naruto got anything to eat after that, since he hadn't returned in time for lunch. She had actually brought a second piece of light strawberry cheesecake with her today, prepared to give it to him and everything. But he wasn't around, so she ended up giving it to Kiba after Shino turned it down. She laughed a little when Kiba was trying to shoo Shino away like a fly, something he said.. she didn't know, it went over her head.

_"Go away, you're ruining our date!"_

_"Date? Are you so delusional?"_

_Hinata just kept giggling, she didn't even realize what Kiba was saying, taking it for a joke._

_"Shoo fly, you bloodsucker."_

_Shino gave him a flat looked, inwardly shaking his head in pity at his friend._

_"I thought you were the bloodsucker." He said in his annoying way, pointing out Kiba's frivol mistake. Kiba glared lightly at him, blushing a bit embarrassed while Hinata continued to giggle._

_"Shaddup Shino."_

_"You shouldn't treat your friends that way." Shino replied, the memory now fading out._

If only Hinata could pay more attention to the signs Kiba was sending her.

_Karan...Doka!_

Hinata's head shot up at the sound, pausing in the middle of the sidewalk, so see a familiar blonde haired boy open the door to his house. Naruto was home! A content and wide smile appeared on her lips, as she ran up to him, hoping to catch his attention.

"A-anou..! N-Naruto-kun!" She smiled shyly yet brightly, seeing Naruto turn around, a dull look on his face. Hinata stood nervously now, wondering if she was bothering him or not.

"Anou... O-Okaeri nasai!" She stuttered a bit cheerfully, feeling like a moron as soon as the words left her mouth. Okaeri nasai? Welcome Home? Was she serious? They didn't have a home together, what was she talking about?! Hinata wilted inside, completely depending on Naruto's response to save her and her self-esteem. She just acted stupid in front of him again, didn't she?

...Why wasn't he saying anything?!

Hinata looked away, a need to run filling her, when Naruto didn't react or respond in anyway to what she said, and she ran for the shouji to her room. When his voice finally stopped her.

"Arigato."

Hinata turned around, lavender eyes wide with question and surprise, not sure if she heard him right. There was still that hollowed out expression on his face and she wasn't sure what to take from it, until a light smile blossomed on his face.

And he said it again.

"Arigato, Hinata-chan." His voice came low, yet so endearing sounding and it made Hinata blush bright. She curtly bowed and ran inside her room. Naruto watched her disapear. And he was about to enter his house with the recently broken door and luckily nothing stolen (not like he had anything worth taking. The fridge was old and puny, the tv was out-of-date. seemed like if it were a theif, they were picky sonsabitches).

He stepped inside and took off his shoes by the genkan, and closed the door. When suddenly it flew open.

**_DOKA!!_**

"THE HELL?!" Naruto whirled around, seeing a familiar face and long blackish-blue hair in the middle of the doorway, when just as instantly as she came, the door impacted against the wall and flew back shut, smacking Hinata in the face.

What the hell just happened? Naruto stayed in the same position for a few minutes, waiting for something, trying to figure out what that was all about.

From Hinata's perspective, what had happened was that as soon as her face grew warm with a blush, she bowed to Naruto and ran into her room. Then she dropped all her stuff from school and ran into the bathroom and fetched the first aid kit. Naruto never had been home early, and so she never got the chance to check up on him since last week. She sped out of her bedroom, forgetting to close her shouji and leaving her bedroom wide open, and hopped onto Naruto's porch. She saw Naruto close his door and burst right on through, scaring him and herself to death. The door flew into the wall and swung back into the jamb, smacking her in the face and causing her to fall flat on her back. Again. (Considering this was the same thing, but reverse version of events of chapter 4. Instead of her being sneaked up on, she sneaked up on him, but either way she still fell down.)

Naruto finally decided to open the door, cautiously peeking outside. Hinata was flat on her back, he looked down and.. he quickly closed the door, and awkward blush on his cheeks. He saw something he definitely wasn't allowed to see. Hoped she didn't know that. He opened the door a creak with his eyes closed, and stuck his head out, an awkward and sheepish smile on his lips.

"Uh, Hinata-chan?? You okay?" He laughed a little, trying to make the situation light.

"...Itai.." He heard her squeak out.

"Itai?"

* * *

Naruto shook his head dubiously, chuckling every now and then as he treated Hinata's wound. The door that attacked her left a splintery cut on her knee, he still couldn't believe how shocking and random that scene was. Probably the most spontaneous he ever seen her. 

"You're such a spaz." He laughed, smiling warmly, even though Hinata was too busy avoiding his gaze, far too embarrassed with herself.

"...I'm sorry.." Hinata apologized despondently, tucking her chin in again, making an effort to hide from him. Great, now he thought she was a klutz and an airhead. _'This sucks.. why me?'_

He wiped away the bit of blood and tore open a square band-aid. He applied it onto her carefully, smoothing it over, and Hinata couldn't help but blush in darker.

Did this seem scandalous?

_He ran his fingers over her knee, the heat in her face increasing down her chest, the more he carressed her, and brought his fingers closer to the hem of her skirt, touching and feeling the warm skin of her upper thigh..._

_'OH NO I'M A PERVERT!!'_

"Hinata-chan? Hinata-chan?" Naruto had been calling her name several times, wondering what happened to her. She wasn't responding at all, how spacey was she? "Hinata-chan?" He called again, bringing his hands to shake her shoulders, her bright red face bobbing back and forth, a dopey smile on her face and dizzy swirls in her eyes. What the hell happened to her?

"Oi! Oi! Hinata-chan?!" Naruto called her repeatedly, shaking her more harshly though that probably wasn't helping her recovery any.

"I'm fine...!" She squeaked out, still dizzy-eyed. "Are you okay Naruto-kun?" She asked, sounding a bit drunk.

"Huh?" Naruto looked at her blankly, not understanding why she was asking him 'daijobu'. Hinata finally pulled herself together, grabbing her head as she tried to focus. She still couldn't believe the random daydream (if she could even call it that. Maybe it was more like a spontaneous thought.) anyways, she surprised the hell out of herself.

Hinata turned around and grabbed for the first aid kit, smiling lightly at Naruto, hoping her good intentions would be appreciated, and not go unnoticed.

"Anou.. I was just wondering if you were okay." She mumbled in a small voice, looking shyly to the side and biting her pink bottom lip. Naruto blinked, taken aback. Sure she had been nice and caring towards him before, but this was the most blatant and he wasn't sure how to respond, it was something he never quite got to experience often.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He answered her simply, not sure what she really meant by that, it was a pretty ambiguous question. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, nodding softly.

"Why do you ask?" Naruto asked her in a low voice, making Hinata hesitate for a moment.

"A-anou.. it's just that.. you're never home the same time I am.. and well.. I just.." She trailed off, suddenly shoving the first aid kit between them. Naruto just stared between the kit and the hiding Hinata, trying to figure out what she was trying to say.

"You said.. you wouldn't go to the hospital.. but I..." She mumbled again, a sad inflection in her tone, her words finally registering in Naruto's head.

"So.. what do you want to do?" He asked, even though having an idea what she was trying to say, he wanted to see if she would be able to come out and say it. The breath hiccuped in her throat, a startled blush across her face as she looked wide eyes at him. He was staring right at her, so serious and stern, and she felt like she was being put in a corner.

"J-j-just a ch-check up..." She stuttered clumsily, holding the first aid kit over her face. Naruto felt a tickle in his side and a laugh nearly escaped him, quickly biting down on his bottom lip, he struggled to hold down his snickers. She was so wierd, but kinda funny. Was Hinata talking or was she trying to make the first aid kit talk? He sighed after the giggles died down, an upward twitch stuck on his lips.

"Alright." He said nonchalant, catching Hinata's attention. She didn't realize until she peeked over the box that Naruto was unbuttoning his school uniform. Her eyes widened, watching him get rid of his dress shirt. She was starting to wonder if this was a good idea or not? What did she get herself into?

_'Not a pervert. Not a pervert. Not a pervert. Not a--Kyaaaaaah!'_

Hinata breathlessly squeaked a high-pitch and feverish squeal, putting the box over her face again when Naruto was lifiting his undershirt over his head. He was actually beginning to feel embarrassed and a bit vulnerable about this too. Sure she saw him without his shirt, but it was a different situation because he wasn't doing the undressing.

Was this scandalous?

Naruto just wondered if her little squeaks and squeals were good ones or not. He shook his head, and threw the shirt aside.

Niether moved after that.

Hinata still sat there, hiding behind a white box.

And..

Naruto still sat there, sitting before her shirtless.

He actually wasn't liking this.. feeling exposed like this..

He fought against his own embarrassed blush and cleared his throat. This was getting a little ridiculous. He reached his hand over to pull the first aid kit away from Hinata's face, hoping to catch her atttention.

"Oi, Nurse. Wake up." He grinned, trying to make her feel more comfortable. "You gonna do this or what?" He asked her with half-hearted impatience. This was her idea afterall. She nodded shyly, wondering what had come over her. She never acted like this before. She pulled her eyes away from all the other pale and smooth scars on his body, especially the large one on his navel...

Naruto watched her move tentatively and carefully, taking out the gauze and bandages. He hadn't been changing them often, he probably should have. Hinata slowly moved to take off the bandages over his lower back, careful to peel the adhesive tape away. He absorbed every feather light touch from her, looking between her small hands with tapered fingers to her pink stained cheeks, becoming interested with the concentration she held in her face.

She put the old bandages aside, examining the week old gashes. She was surprised how quickly they closed, but she was afraid if they would heal right or not. She believed they were supposed to be stitched right? She picked up a cloth with peroxide on it and cleaned around the two closed punctures, flakes of dried blood coming off. Naruto turned to look at the wall and sink, then moved to stare at the floor, feeling odd under her touch. He heard her rip open a package of gauze and applied it against his skin, and taped it down.

She stopped moving. He wondered why. He turned around and heard a frustrated sob hiccup from her, quickly becoming alarmed.

"Ah?! Hinata-chan?!" He blurted out, whirling around on her and gently placing his hands on her shoulder.

"I-I-I.. I d-don't know if I'm doing this r-right..." She whined depressed, looking down at the ground, unable to look at him. _'Oh gosh..'_ He thought, not knowing what he's supposed to do now. She was crying! Again! ...How do you make a girl stop crying?! He had absolutely no experience with this, he never knew any weak girls. _'Dammit.. what the hell man..'_ He sighed to himself, racking his brain for something to say.

"Hinata-chan, don't worry! I'm not dead!" He assured her cheerfully, only eliciting another sad hiccup from her. _'Why's she so sad about this?!'_

"Uh.. uh.. Hinata-chan, I think it's fine, dattebayo!" Naruto paused for a moment, shock coming over him. _'Oh my god, I have said that since I was twelve...'_ Naruto glanced down at Hinata, finally noticing that her little hiccups stopped, a bare smile on her lips. But she was still fretting over Naruto, despite the funny word he blurted out.

Sure he wasn't dead! Sure he seemed fine!

"But.. N-Naruto-kun.. I d-don't know if these are h-healing r-right.. what if you get infections?" She depressed again, looking like a human with her soul sucked out, her self-esteem seeping out like blue ghosts.

Naruto sighed, watching Hinata wilt and deflate before his eyes. He was wondering if she cared this much about him.. or maybe she just couldn't bear the feeling of failure in case he did die or get sick. But he was a notably fast healer back home. He wanted her to stop crying, she never needed to. He decided to help her get this whole 'ordeal' over with. He started taking the bandages off around his left shoulder, feeling a dull ache there as he did so, especially when he moved it around too much, the muscle pierced.

Hinata sniffled, now berating and hating herself for crying in front of him again. She could have held it in, at least she felt that she should have tried. She watched him finish her job for her, now feeling useless. She should have just dropped off the first aid kit and let him do it, he didn't need her. Not like he ever did.

The wound on his shoulder was healed closed, a narrow pinkish scar there.

Naruto glanced at Hinata, notice how she was watching him, seeing the dim hopelessness in her eyes.

"Look, see? I'm alright." He tried to assure her, flexing his arm for emphasis. She didn't seem affected or convinced.

"I don't see why you couldn't go to the hospital." She whispered, looking him straight in the eyes for the first time in a long while. He blinked, holding his gaze with hers.

He couldn't go to the hospital.. because.. they would have asked him questions... and if they didn't call Tsunade up.. his injuries might have caught the attention of the police. He wished he could express his reasons to Hinata, but chose not to. She still didn't know why that happened to him, she never bothered him with questions. He felt she did a good job, he didn't feel any odd pain and she was great when his ankle was broken. Afterall he outran Mizuno at the beginning of the chapter, that had to say a lot. Maybe he could have gone to Tsunade to sew him up, if he had felt he needed it, but that would have been a very bad idea. Especially with the way things were between them, he didn't want to make her hate him by pissing her off further.

He wondered if Hinata would understand any of this..

She wiped messily at the moisture in her lashes, smearing the saline across her face.

Suddenly Naruto just grinned.

"Hinata-chan! You're so sweet!" He laughed cheerily, glomping her and pulling her into his arms, grinning at the surprised squeal she shrieked out. Naruto smiled happily, that glad feeling washing through him again. Hinata blushed deep bright scarlet, her eyes wide like O's. He was shirtless and she was so close, he was holding her in his arms! His hands were on her back!

Naruto thought it was funny, he could feel an immense heat radiate from her face, he wondered what that was about. He just rested his head against hers, her hair smelling heavy yet lilting like magnolias, her body so petite in his arms, even as he lightly and playfully smoothed his hands over her back.

"Yanwari.." He breathed out with a goofy grin, the heat from Hinata's face increasing in reaction to his words.

And that did it for her.

"Hinata-chan??" Naruto said aloud, getting worried about her now, especially since she suddenly slumped against the crook of his neck, and he could feel the heat full on. He coughed a bit nervously, realizing how close they were.

"Hinata-chan?" He called out again gently, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her away. Her face was flushed and her eyes were closed again.

"Oh no..." Naruto's eyes widened, realizing what just happened. "I killed her again!"

* * *

Hinata heard a voice, though she couldn't see anything. 

_"Hinata-chaaaaan... Hinataaa-chaaaan..." _

She tried to create some form of tangible thought but wasn't cognitive enough yet... Why did it feel like her skin was trying to come off?

"Hinata-chan?"

Hinata eye's fluttered open, first thing she saw was his blue eyes looking straight at her. Then he bit his bottom lip, and starting snickering.

"Nan--to-kuu.." Was all Hinata could utter, Naruto laughing more openly now. She realized what was going on, and why her face felt wierd.

When Hinata passed out, Naruto tried to waking her up by tapping her cheeks. But that wasn't working, so he tried pinching her cheeks. That didn't seem to work, so he pinched her cheeks harder, but she was still unconcious. Then he got curious, wondering how funny he could make her face look, since using markers would be too mean.

So here she was, on her back and Naruto hovering over her, pinching and playing with her cheeks.

Hinata began to whine loudly, uttering butchered protests, only increasing Naruto's amusement.

"Sss-top..Nan--to.." Hinata pouted, Naruto giggling every now and then.

He squished her cheeks together, making her lips protrude.

"Sunfish Hinata-chan."

"Nn-nnnn!" She shook her head, defenseless against him.

He pushed her cheeks in different directions, making her look quite odd.

"Alien Hinata-chan."

"..." Hinata glared poutily at him. "Nnn-to-ku!!"

"Wait, hold on!" Naruto laughed, pushing her cheeks up and backwards, making her eyes squint and her lips smile in an exaggerated manner.

"How come I don't see you smile like this? You look so happy." He teased, Hinata crying out in frustration.

"Me..meanie!"

"Hinata-chan, you look Korean." Naruto told her in a matter-of-fact tone, still holding her squishy cheeks in his palms.

"...!!!?" Was all she said, not really saying anything, just glaring brightly at him. She crossed her arms and looked the other way, becoming passive-aggressive and seeing what would happen. Naruto saw the upset expression on Hinata's face, seeing how she just stopped fighting with him and made herself lax. He hoped he didn't really piss her off, he was just playing.

"Anou.. Hinata-chan?" He asked carefully, finally letting go of her cheeks. He moved to leaned closer to inspect her face, her cheeks red with a blush and red from his playful abuse. She rolled away, grabbing the first aid kit and ran off. Naruto watched her leave, shutting the door a bit loudly, the broken jamb not holding it and it creaked ajar.

He wished she didn't leave so soon, hoping she wasn't too peeved with him. At least she didn't hit him. That was a good sign, right?

* * *

Hinata threw the first aid kit aside, collasping on knees at her bed. Her face was so hot, as she held a hand to her mouth, dizzy.. confused.. and she wasn't sure how to handle this. She couldn't erase his face from her mind. The way he would smile or laugh.. or the rare times he looked so stern and serious.. even the time he yelled at her once, but he didn't mean to.. or when he looked so vulnerable and he held her hand... and then her new daydreams.. 

She didn't know what to do or what to think of this, it beginning to become overwhelming.

She had been annoyed when he was teasing her, but she couldn't ignore how... cute.. he looked.

"This is getting dangerous..." Hinata reached up to touch her sore cheeks, warm and stained with a blush.

"...my face hurts."

* * *

Star - Yay it's done. ...worst chapter ever. Please review, g'night.

* * *

Liner Notes:

- Yanwari: Japanese sound for "Softly, Gently.", meaning Naruto was describing Hinata and the way he was touching her in present-tense verb "softly, gently". Whichever one sounds cute and smexi at the same time. ;D IMO, softly. :3

- Choki!: Sound of chopping, with a knife or scissors!!

- Karan: Japanese sound for "Door opening".

- Doka!: Sound of "Impact".

- Kyuuketsuki : Bloodsucker/ Vampire.

- Emiri-chan : Emily-chan

- Emi-chan : Smile-chan (aw, so cute).

- Kindergarteners' Yellow Cap : The yellow cap means "I need help!!!". Those poor kindergarteners. ;D (SHIN-CHAN! XD)

- VPO - Volunteer Probation Officer: Japan has an interesting kind of probation system. And volunteer probation officers work casework on their clients, and work to make sure that the juvenile or offender is well-connected, well-adjusted, well-off and um.. into society, because they believe that widening their experience and getting them used to the world will help them. Something like that, I'll fix this later, I'm lazy.

- The Rose de la Lune Shoppe: FICTIONAL! Yay, I made it up:3 Haha, the name is bilingual, when you think about it. Anyways, if you've taken French, it means: The Rose of the Moon Shoppe. Or... The Pink of the Moon Shoppe. But because the last one doesn't make much sense or sound as cool, also because I think French for pink has an accent-mark over the 'e', It's basically: The Rose of the Moon Shoppe, mmkay?

- Shino's Hair: I always called it a nerd-fro! XD C'mon! It's so poofy! XD I mean, for asian-hair. :3

- Hinata gets teary-eyed when things are thrown at her! Why?: Remember Chapter 15?! And Hinata got bullied, and part of her torment was getting stuff thrown at her?! Yep, Naruto incidently brought up childhood trauma. XD Ahaha, poor girl. Sorry, not laughing at you Hina-chan.

- Tama Juvenile Training School: Is a Reformitory, where juvenile offenders (usually ages 16-20), go to rehabiliate after their actions and crimes. Because Japan is about rehab-ing their youth, not punishing them. Ain't that nice? But Naruto doesn't feel like he's that kind of headcase, he doesn't need rehab.

-"Batan": Sound of small impact, equivalent to "Thud".

- "Binbo Danshi": It's a new J-Drama! About a poor college student who believes there is more to life than money! Yay! Um, only reason why I used this as a cultural note, is because of the premise that protagonist Koyama is a student living in poverty. Aparently so is Naruto, well just slightly.

- Sunfish Hinata: He gave her a fish face, and because she is "Towards the Sun, Sunny Place." She is Sunfish! XD

* * *

Review Onegai, Review Kudasai, Review Onegai, Review Kudasai... Do It For NaruHina!!! XDDD Because Is Love!!! La La La! Ha ha ha! XD 


	23. Add it Up! Feelings of Affection Unclear

Star- Kyaaaaaaaah! XD Giddy girl right here! ;D NARUHINA FOREVAH!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! I'VE GOT THREE FOCKING BEAUTIFUL WORDS FOR YOU BLOKES!!! ...(okay four actually..) **Shippu! Konoha Gakuen Den**!!!!!!!!! GAH!!!!!! I'm freaking out!!!!!! But in a damn good way!! XDDD Sigh.. omg omg omg kmg!!!!! I blurbed ALLL about it on my DA page. ;D

NARUHINA POWAH FOREVAH!!!

_Yzma: Feel the power Kronk! (devious chuckle)_

_Kronk: Oh.. I can feel it. _

Alrighty! I decided to do something new! :3 Hopefully this'll cheer you guys up or something! From now on, I'll have the Japanese terms right here, so that way when you come across them, you already know them! XD Yay!!

**

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Nihongo Terms:

- Tamago: Egg (The way they do their eggs is different I think, so I thought it better to call it Tamago, and not just Egg.) (Feel free to disagree)

- Oremi: Is a play on the words "Orenji" and "Emi". Orenji being Orange, and Emi meaning Smile. You'll see how this one goes.

- Gu: Japanese sound for "Grabbing or Pulling". This also works because it sounds like "Boo." (You'll see! ;D)

- Meganneko-moe: Meganneko are "Glasses Girls". And Moe sometimes equals "-philiac". So that means one who is a Meganneko-moe, is a person with a "Glasses girl fetish" or "Glasses-philiac".

- Okuchi-chan: Mega-Minor OC. "Kuchi" means Mouth, and the "O" means Nothing or Zero. Which means, that his name still means "Mouth". (It's like Shikamaru, "Maru" meaning Circle or Zero or Nothing. It's just an asthetic extension.)

-Ahou: Stupid, Idiot, Simpleton. (It's a bit softer than saying Baka.)

- Ekiben: Railway Boxed Meals (AKA, Bento you buy on the train or at train stations). Alternatively, the term "Ekiben" also is a way to describe a certaint sex position. Just keep sex in mind when you get to the scene and you'll get it. ;D

-Ganbatte: Good Luck!

**I dedicate this chapter to my friends** out there: TheYaoi Twins (you crazy perverts you, haha), Nekokami-chan, Sarah-sama, Yoshichon-kun, L-chan, and whoever else I missed that likes street fashion, visuel kei and stylish asian boys.

NaruHina! Onwards! XD Even if this isn't a completely fluffy chapter, let us still be happy for NaruHina! ;D ....OMG OMG OMG! Rageofkyubii, I LOVE YOU!!! XDDDD And I think you know why!! Moohahaha.. alright, I'll shut up now..

(**Warning**: This chapter contains sexual innuendo, lots of food, and random acts of self-insertion/ fourth-walling. HOORAY FOR BREAKING DEH FOURTH WALL, WHOO!)

ENJOY!

**This chapter has been revised, but not Rewritten**

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch. 23 - Eventual? Accidental! Love or Infatuation?! (Hinata's Feelings Arise?!)

It was like a whirlwind had entered the Hyuuga Home.

"I OVERSLEPT!!"

"I OVERSLEPT!!", came the twin female cries, both Hyuuga girls running around like stampeding monkeys. Hinata hastily threw on her clean uniform, swiftly braiding her hair into two tapering pigtails, fastening the ends in white ribbons. She smiled and nodded at her reflection in the mirror somewhat confidently before tearing out of her room.

"Hanabi-chan! Hurry up!!" She yelled out, slapping her palm against her sister's door, eliciting an equally loud and booming response from her.

"Hold on! I can't find my socks!!" The younger girl threw pillows and stuffed animals across the room, searching for the socks she specifically planned out for her modified uniform.

"Come on and get some breakfast!!" Hinata called out from across the hall in the kitchen, grabbing some pieces of wheat toast and cold tamago that Neji made but hadn't eaten. Hanabi heard her, getting frustrated, she threw herself to the floor and began scurrying around.

"Hanabi-chaaan!" Hinata called again, running down the hallway for her sister's room. "We're going to be late!!"

Hanabi emitted a sound under her breath, like a strangled mix between a cry and a whine.

"Hanabi-chan?!"

"Hold on!!" The smaller girl called out, digging through the bottom of her closet for a different pair of socks, choosing a lilac pair of loose socks.

"What're you doing anyways?!" Hinata sighed out, knocking on the door lightly, hoping she'd open up so they could go already. Naruto probably already left without her. A touch of warm pink tinted her cheeks at the thought and a mopey little whine cried its disapppointment in the back of her head, a zealous rush of impatience filling her. "Hanabiiiii-chaaaan!" Hinata whined, wishing her to hurry.

On the otherside of the door, Hanabi paused mid-step to stare at her door, sweatdropping at the sound of her older sister childish cry. Wierd, did they switch bodies or something? The small one sighed, fixing her hair and pulling it back with a white Alice band. She smiled at her reflection and nodded to herself with ready confidence. Not realizing her sisters' growing impatience.

Hanabi threw her door open and flew past her sister, Hinata running in tow. Hinata fitted on her penny loafers at the door, anxious and excited to leave, she turned back to her sister.

"Alright, you ready?" She smiled pleasantly, her partly sunny expression falling away almost instantly.

"Hold on.." Hanabi mumbled. Much to Hinata's disbelief and dismay, Hanabi was on her cell phone again.

"Can't this wait?!" Hinata blanched incredulously, a petty anxiety urging her impatience further. Somehow she just couldn't wait to get out of the house.

"No-ooo.." Hanabi dragged out, staring at her screen as she ended her succession of pressing buttons. They waited for a few seconds. Then a bell-like 'ding' emitted from her cell phone, Hanabi's face lighting up with a swelling smile. "Yes!!" The petite Hyuuga exclaimed, Hinata standing there miffed and annoyed, sweatdropping as her little sister made a little happy squeal before putting away her cell phone in her school bag.

"Alright, I'm good."

* * *

It was bright out, almost glaringly so. The sun shone clear in the sky with only white wisps of clouds stuck in the washed out blue sky. Like permanent smudges from a frayed brush. The weather had been progressing slowly, the snow melting and the air drying out, these days would be cool and dry before spring ever truly kicked in. The sounds of neighborhood dogs fighting with the neighborhood cats echoed off the streets as the young children ran to their elementary.

Hinata swung her bag as she walked for school, her own way of trying to seem interesting, when at the same time she was feeling so shy and self-conscious that she didn't really want any attention drawn to her. She glanced over her shoulder, taking a discreet peek at the boy trailing a couple feet behind her. He pulled his eyes from admiring the birds in the barren trees to grin at her and she had to turn away, continuing to swing her bag back and forth, her own way of trying to dispel any attention from herself.

_'Look at me. Don't look at me. Look at me, Don't look at me. Notice me, but don't look at me...'_

She couldn't make up her mind. Her mind was a whirlwind, her emotions swirling around in her chest, down to her legs, making her feel jittery; flight or fight. Run away or try to talk to him for once. Could she do it on her own? She never purposely struck up a conversation with him before.. it just sorta happened between them.

Hinata glanced down, scrutinizing the soft, thin braid in her hand, held in a white bow, meant to contrast against her hair and complement her eyes. She wondered if she looked alright.

_'Maybe he noticed?'_ She thought to herself hopefully, turning her head to glance over her shoulder. Before soon, stopping altogether. He was right there, she didn't even notice that he had snuck up on her, the look on his face ominous to her. But what held her fearful and anxius attention most, was the hand ready to make a grab for her cheeks.

"Gu." Naruto said in a dry yet spooky manner, a fox-like grin stretching from ear to ear.

_'Oh no...'_ She thought with dread.

Here it goes again.

"Kyaaaa! No!!" Hinata squealed frightened, Naruto's fingers nearly pinching her cheeks as she ran off. He hadn't forgotten yesterday.

_(The OKGo "Here it Goes Again")_

_It could be ten, but then again, I can't remember half an hour since a quarter to four.  
Throw on your clothes, the second side of Surfer Rosa, and you leave me with my jaw on the floor.  
Just when you think you're in control,  
just when you think you've got a hold,  
just when you get on a roll...._

"Wait!! Hina-chaaan!" Naruto laughed, running after her. "Get back here, haha!"

"Never!" Hinata threw over her back, speeding past her little sister with Naruto in quick succession. Hanabi stopped mid-step in her confusion, sweatdropping and feel the utmost embarrassment, left alone in the middle of the street and unable to believe what she just saw, or rather the way they were acting. Like a couple of six year olds. Maybe that was just her, but Hinata had yet to notice how her little sister was swiftly growing up.

It was just so strange to see two seventeen-year-olds acting so juvenile.

"Hina-chaaan!!"

"No!"

Hanabi sighed to herself.

"What the hell?"

_...Here it goes, here it goes, here it goes again.  
Oh, here it goes again.  
I should have known,  
should have known,  
should have known again,  
but here it goes again.  
Oh, here it goes again...._

"Why are you running??!"

"Why do you think!!" Hinata called testily over her shoulder, bringing a laugh out of him.

"Heheh, here squishy squishy sun-fishy..." Naruto dragged out with a laugh, amused with her reaction and how fast she could run.

"Squishy?!" Hinata repeated indignantly to herself. _'Is he talking about my cheeks??!'_ Hinata ran with her hands on her on face, her best defense against him trying to pinch her again.

"You've got no chance, I'm gunna get'cha eventually!" He grinned broadly, the trees and buildings blurring past them, the sidewalk rolling underneath their swiftly moving feet. Hinata pouted as she ran, inner Shinagawa pulling them in closer and closer to the city.

"Nya!" Hinata threw a look at Naruto, pulling her eyelid down and sticking her tongue out. "I'd like to see you try!" She smiled with a tickle of butterflies in her chest, as she taunted him, she patted her butt at him.

And that actually stopped him for a moment.

And Hinata surprised herself as well.

_'I can't believe I just did that!!'_ She squealed to herself, the jiggly-ness in her legs increasing even more and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to keep up running before she ever reverted back to her usual awkward self. For within that brief moment she felt confidence.

Confidence enough to do something playful and silly, most unlike her and she didn't know where it came from.

It took Naruto a second or two before he recovered from his own shock, surprised that someone like Hinata would have acted so imprudently. It only lasted a second, but he was sure it happened, and he still couldn't believe it.

It was extremely encouraging.

"Ha! Do you know who you're dealing with?! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I don't have to try!" He called out after her, forcing himself faster but never pushing himself.

Hinata turned her head at the rapid sound of footsteps behind her, a rush of anxiety and adrenaline washing over her with alarm. He was barely three feet behind her now and there was a zeal to the determined look in his eyes that caught her off guard.

"No! _Damedamedamedame_!! Just leave me alone!" The poor girl cried out, braids whipping behind her. She had no idea what made him so aggressive now, was it something she did?

Hinata sprinted across the street, past the waiting cars at the red, and seeing their school building steadily pulling up. Naruto was still hot on her heels, and she knew it. She wasn't sure if she was having fun too or if she was truly scared for her life. Whatever it was, she at least knew she couldn't take it if he touched her face again....

Yesterday had been too close.. and she hadn't been able to drown out the images of him shirtless... it had been too much.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto called out. Hinata glanced over her shoulder and ran into the school yard past the gates, unaware of someone just ahead of her, calling out her name as well.

"Oi! Hinata-chan!" Came another voice just ahead over her. Hinata turned to look forward, Kiba walking in her direction to intercept her.

"K-Kiba-kun! Look out!!" Hinata shrieked out, unable to slow down her running. Kiba's eyes grew wider and wider, his arms held out and prepared himself for impact.

She crashed into him hard, Kiba went down with a "Whoa!" and a THUD!

....

....

It seemed quiet for a moment. Where was she? Hinata had forgotten what happened for a moment. She had her eyes closed, squinted tight shut. She could feel herself firmly wrapped or held down by something. It was warm. It smelled like a deep sort of incense and dog.

Hinata blinked. She opened her eyes, finding herself held snugly in Kiba's arms. She thought she fell, but they were standing. She glanced shyly up at him, seeing his warm smile and a look of half-hearted disbelief and concern, an eyebrow quirked at her.

"What's going on? Are you alright?" He asked her, making her blush self-consciously. She felt odd, unsure how to answer him when nothing was wrong. But she had been running.. how to explain that one, she wondered.

Suddenly footsteps stopped in front of them. Kiba's arms seemed to wrap themselves a little bit tighter around her shoulders, and Hinata had to peek up over his arms to see what was going on.

Naruto stood there, bent over somewhat and pincer-fingers held mid-air towards Hinata, a blank wide-eyed expression on his face.

Kiba thought he was wierd.

"What the hell d'you think you're doing?" Kiba demanded full of distaste, as he looked at him askance. Naruto stood still, his mouth hanging open and closing, trying to explain, while hopelessly looking towards Hinata. He couldn't believe she was using her boyfriend to duck from him. What a cheap move.

Naruto finally looked towards the other boy, as he put on a clueless, innocent facade.

"I was just showing Hina-chan what crabs look like." He told him confidently, while pinching his fingers like pincers before finally walking away from the awkward situation altogether. The yanki's simple words created strange and confusing thoughts in Kiba's head.

_'Crabs??'_

Kiba watched him go, waiting for him to get out of his sight before turning back to the still Hinata.

"Was he bothering you?"

Hinata blinked.

"Huh?" Hinata uttered, glancing up and seeing the detestation and concern in his dark eyes. Was he talking about Naruto?

"If he bothers you again, don't be afraid to call out for help." He told her seriously. Suddenly he sighed. "Man, I already feel bad whenever I leave you alone.." He started, looking downcast and regretful as he spoke, confusion filling up in Hinata's brain. What was he talking about?

"Ne.. Kiba-kun." She mumbled unsurely, going unheard.

"..And he sits right behind you too.. I was never comfortable with that.. I'm still not.." He continued to ramble on, Hinata trying her hardest to comprehend his words but failing miserably.

"Kiba-kun..."

"Just remember. I'm here for you, Hinata-chan. " He grinned charmingly at her with a thumbs up, his words flying over her head while she tried to catch his attention for the third time.

"Kiba-kun. The bell just rang." She told him in a soft and concerned voice, feeling awkward, noticing that she was still in his arms. The smile and charm fell from his face as he blinked blankly at her, realizing that he hadn't even noticed but that she must be right.

The school yard was empty. And they were the only ones there.

"....Oh."

* * *

Hinata pulled the earbuds from her ears, nodding towards Kiba and Shino as they left to get lunch at the bread sale. She set aside Kiba's mp3 player, giving up on the band Kiba suggested she listen to. It wasn't like she didn't think it was good, she just never understood the glamour-rock of Visuel Kei. The guitars were often too fast and too loud.

The day had passed on, same as the first, same as the latest.. limited and dull. She spent her time doodling along the margins and in between the negative spaces of her notes, decorated the lined paper with chibi kitsune, grinning broadly and their tails flowing and wagging behind them. Charmmy Kitty would be jealous.

She began to care less if she was doing well in school or not, knowing full well she had been slipping little by little the past few weeks, barely able to pay attention during lectures.

She felt him the whole day through. Knowing he was sitting right behind her. Feeling like she should make the most of it somehow, but in the end only keeping to herself. It'd be a lot easier if he initiated a conversation instead of her. She was never good at that kind of thing... At least in that situation, she'd know that he was interested in her in some way.

She opened up her heart-shaped bento box, chinese rouge in color with a golden and black laqueured peacock standing regally across the top. She pulled it off, revealing three thick slices of confectionary-dusted golden pound cake, tucked amongst a fray of orange slices and strawberries.

She always had the sweetest looking food. And the aroma instantly wafted to Naruto's hunger and attention, his lackadaisical state steadily dissipitating.

He just watched from afar as she took a delicate bite of her cake slice, next eating a little red strawberry. The familiar whine cried in the back of his head. It was so unfair.... to be poor. Well, mostly poor. Suddenly Naruto gasped silently with awe, still staring at Hinata's goodies.

"I love oranges."

Hinata turned around at the sound of his voice, an orange slice nearly touching her strawberry stained lips, confectionary sugar stuck on the corner of her lips, unbeknownst.

"Huh?" She uttered cluelessly, not catching what he had said. Then he smiled.

"I love oranges." He told her in a simple-minded tone, smiling wide and pleasantly at her, eyes somewhat wide with hopefulness. He appeared like a child to her, like a child asking for candied apples at a festival, but she wasn't quite taking the hints.

"Okay." Was all she said, turning her attention back to her food, figuring maybe it was best not to ask follow-up questions. Perhaps he needed sleep.

"Can I have an orange?"

Hinata blinked, before turning back to Naruto's pleading puppy eyes. A tint of pink touched her cheeks, she couldn't ignore him, even if she wanted to.

"Huh?"

"Can I have an orange?? Pwease?" Naruto begged in a silly whingey manner, leaning over his desk and appearing as if he was on the brink of starvation. Hinata was bewildered.

_'P-pwease??'_ She questioned him, wondering what kind of word or form of speech that was. She glanced back at her bento box, seeing how it wasn't even very large to begin with. There were probably only seven orange slices. Did he want a whole orange or just a slice?

She glanced between the fruit and the beggar, slow and unsure, eventually nodding towards him.

"Alright.. one orange.." She spoke softly, Naruto waiting excitedly at his desk, like a puppy wagging its tail. Hinata turned around to pick up another slice, placing the first one in her mouth, Naruto soon interrupting her when she turned back to him with her handout.

"Heyy, wait wait wait now..!" He said with disapproval. Hinata glowered her confusion at Naruto, not understanding his sudden protest.

"What?" She replied testily, taking the half-bitten orange slice from her mouth, Naruto suddenly jumping from his seat.

"I wanted the first one!" He told her, pointing a finger at her.

"W-why the first one? I got you this one." Hinata reasoned, handing him the pristine slice, only to have him not take it.

"The first one is always the best." He grinned half-heartedly. Hinata just gave him an odd look.

"You don't still want the first one.. it's already been in my ..mouth.." The last word came out so softly and so slowly, pink tinging cheeks once more, feeling awkward in all of this.

"Did you suck out all the juice already??" He asked her cluelessly, poor Hinata inwardly blanching.

"N-N-Naruto-kun! It's been in my ..mouth.." She mumbled out, wishing he'd just get over it and take what she was more than willing to give him already. This had to be by far the wierdest conversation they ever had.

"Yeah I know, I still want the first one. Gimme!" He grinned widely, hold his hands out and expecting something to land in his palms. So far nothing but air. He was being pretty self-confident if he thought he could talk so bluntly. Hinata beginning to doubt if he was worthy of receiving food now.

"Wh-why should I give you the first one anyways? It's my food, I don't have to give it to you, you know." She told him straight, turning back to her lunch and choosing to ignore him. She slowly began to put the orange back in her mouth...

Naruto pouted before grinning, an idea popping up in his head. Grinning mischeviously to himself, he leaned over his desk, reaching out for her. Hinata paused, eyes widening, she felt his fingers on her cheeks again.

He leaned in close to her ear. Hinata was starting to think him devilish.

"Surrender the orange, or I won't be forced to make your cheeks look like pikachu." He threatened in a sharp whisper, pinching her cheeks playfully for emphasis. Hinata quietly swallowed, finding herself trapped. What else could she do? Hinata grabbed a whole bunch of orange slices and handed them over her shoulder.

"Here. Just take them..." she said, her voice coming out breathy and quiet. She sighed a bit of relief when he relinquished her cheeks, her shoulders relaxing from being so tense.

"Thank you, Hina-chan." Naruto smiled playfully, taking the orange from her hand. And as he did so, leaned in close to her and pecked her abused cheek ever so slightly, a surge of warmth rushing through her face. Hinata squeaked. The blood swam in her face, she could feel it, like a heartbeat. And stiff like a wooden puppet, Hinata awkwardly sat in her chair, eyes wide and staring at nothing, the shock never leaving her.

Naruto was happy a clam eating her oranges, a content smile on his face. He never even thought about what he did, he wasn't even paying anymore attention to Hinata.

He didn't even notice the menacing vibe aimed towards him, like several sharpened razors.

Kiba stood at the entrance of the classroom door, face ashen and jaw slackened with disbelief. Shino stood behind him, an eyebrow quirked above his dark glasses.

They had witnessed the exchange.

And Kiba wasn't the least bit happy about it.

_'WHAT THE HELL!!?? HE JUST KISSED HER ON THE CHEEK!!'_

He was positively speechless.

"Well, that was interesting." Shino commented passively, ignoring his friend in distress and observing the way Hyuuga-san and 'Matushita's Only Yanki' behaved around eachother. The sun shone through the clouds and through the windows, lighting up the classroom and warming the atmosphere. Naruto laughed at something as Hinata turned to face him, pouting, exchanging small words, Naruto only chuckling more every now and then. The sunlight and the picture they made, it seemed oddly ironic. Almost surreal and perfect, as if it were done on purpose and straight out of a shoujo.

_'I don't think that's the kind of story I'd want to be in..'_ Shino turned his musings back to glance at his frozen friend, sweatdropping much to his chagrin; Kiba continued to look on dumbly. Shino could sense the slowly growing detestation and anger from Kiba.

He never predicted a rival to appear.

Neither had Kiba.

"Ne, ne Hina-chan!" Naruto laughed out, tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention. Hinata turned around, a small sweatdrop forming on the back of her head.

"Oremi!!" He exclaimed proudly, pointing at the orange slice stuck in his mouth, looking like an orange smile.

_'Oh! Orange Smile! ..I get it.'_ Hinata thought to herself happilly, niether her nor Naruto acknowledging the pair of eyes observing them past the classroom's walls.

Kiba had snapped out of his state of shock, his grip tightening on the pile of packaged breads he held in his arms, glaring at the troublemaker that he assumed was trying to put the moves on Hinata. He scoffed irritably at the boy's idiocy.

_'No way Hina-chan would laugh at that creep.'_ He assured himself confidently, waiting for Hinata to turn around and tell him off.

She just giggled.

_'WHAT THE HELL!!???'_ Kiba looked like he had just been slapped across the face. He had to ask himself again.. _'WHAT THE HELL!!??? She just giggled!! ...WHAT THE HELL!!!'_

"They look pretty chummy." Shino commented to Kiba, referring to the way Hinata was helping mop up the orange juice that dripped down his chin with her hankercheif, a light blush and smile on the girl's lips. _'Maybe even more than that.'_ He kept to himself.

Suddenly an enlightened look came over the shock that previously plagued Kiba, an absentminded han shot up to cover Shino's mouth, shutting him up momentarily.

"I got it!! There's a reasonable explanation for all of this!" The dog-like boy exclaimed all too eagerly, trying to stay confident in Hinata. Shino just quirked an eyebrow at him, unable to speak as it were, silently replying an 'Oh yeah?'.

"Hinata-chan is just being polite! She completely not the type of girl to tell anyone off!" Was his answer, a broad and happy smile appearing on his face, looking as if he had found nirvana. At first Shino wanted to roll his eyes, but then he began to consider and agree with his words, albeit with a grain of salt.

Possibility was... the pure-faced girl could just be overly-polite.

And the other possibility was that there was something else going on between them.

He could never be sure, but she did look pretty happy around him. (Rather than the platonic, somewhat one-sided, somewhat artificial happiness that Kiba gave her with purchased gifts.)

"He did kiss her on the cheek though, Kiba." Shino commented airily. He turned to his friend, seeing the same broken look on his face, sweatdropping with much embarrassment.

"It didn't mean anything!!" Kiba fought intensely, still holding out hope for the little lolita sweetheart. Shino quirked an eyebrow at him again.

"It didn't?"

"It meant nothing! Hina-chan didn't even like it!" Were his words, leaving Shino speechless.

"How would you know?" The bug-like boy asked him bewildered.

"Sexual Harrassment!" Kiba blurted out, dropping the bread from his arms as he pointed at Naruto, ignoring their pleasant image. Shino couldn't help but wonder which direction Kiba's brain was running. Seemed like it was backwards and going diagonal. At this rate, he was certaint Kiba would run him up the wall.

"Kiba?" Shino asked.

"Hm?"

"Are you serious?" came the dry and caustic rhetoric.

An empty wind blew through the silent and awkward hallway, a lone sheet of paper skidding across the marble floor. Kiba suddenly fell apart.

"Shino!! You've got to help me!!" Kiba blurted out, nearly clinging to his friend, even though he had his collar in aggressive fistfulls. The poor boy sighed.

"With your obsession?" He asked rhetorically, knowing full well where all of this was stemming from. Kiba just shook his head vehemently.

"She's gunna leave me!" Kiba exclaimed, appearing quite devastated, but Shino knew he was just overreacting. Clearly.

"..Hyuuga-san??" Shino asked bewildered and sincerely confused for once, receiving a solemn nod.

"I don't think I could take it..." He muttered despondently, slackening his grip and staring at the floor.

"You guys were never together to begin with.." Shino informed him pointedly, hoping to get away or get this over with as soon as possible. If Kiba was going to become an idiot, he'd rather not deal with him.

"..sh-shut up.. asshole." Kiba bit out, feeling betrayed by his friends' brutal and blunt honesty. And honestly he didn't have to be so all the time.

"Look, I'm going back to class." Shino sighed out, exasperated and annoyed, doubting if he had the ability or patience to put up with this. He wondered if he really was serious. Seemed laughable, like middle school.

"No wait! Don't!" Kiba called out, Shino just waving him off.

"Later, Kiba."

"Aww, c'mon!! 'Ey! Don't be that guy Shino!!" Kiba whined.

"..." Shino chose to ignore him, leaving Kiba alone to stew. Suddenly a thought came to him, and Kiba shouted a single word across the hall.

"Worm!"

Shino paused. Then turned around.

"What the hell?"

"Remember the time I first taught Akamaru a few new tricks and you said 'That's nothing, I can control worms.' So you stuck stuck it in your shirt and it was supposed to crawl out your sleeve. But instead it crawled down your pants? Your 'rents were so steamed, and they--" Kiba rambled on, his friend Shino glaring irritably at him, a stubborn blush growing under his glasses.

"We were five, stupid!" The embarrassed boy with the poker-face called out, stomping back over to Kiba, who was secretly smirking inside. "And if this is you trying to blackmail me, it's not going to work." He told him firmly, Kiba pouting somewhat.

"How come??"

"Because we were FIVE!"

"Alright.. well.. then what about the time when you stuck a grasshopper inside your sleeve and instead of flying out, it just bit the crap out of your elbow??" Kiba tried again, with Shino becoming weary.

"Just drop it." He bit out icily.

"You know, as I recall.. that's what your mom said, when you picked up a cicada and tried to put it in your shirt pocket for a travel buddy." Kiba retorted, nearly snickering badly at the end of the sentence.

"..." Shino's stubborn blush and sweatdrop seemed to increase, his aggravation growing.

"_"Shino-chan! Drop it! Drop it now! It will displease Buddha if you kill another insect!"_ Those were funny times, weren't they?" Kiba grinned in a happy-go-lucky manner, laughing in the back of his head at his friend's face upon the impression he tried to make of his own mother. Shino looked so embarrassed. ..and cheesed off.

Shino slowly approached Kiba, growing bigger and bigger, til he was nearly towering over him, his face ashen in a menacing and dark way.

"...I'm going. To take. Your head off." He bit out roughly in a cold-blooded voice, appearing nearly convincing that Kiba shivered somewhat, but still couldn't help but laugh inside his head.

"Oh, c'mon. They were funny times though, right?" He grinned complacently, trying to ease his friend into a good mood.

But he didn't. The reminiscent memory didn't work.

"What's your point?"

"That we're childhood friends and you're going to help be win Hinata-chan over." Kiba answered matter-of-factly and in a cheery voice. "I mean, think of it this way; I'm the charismatic yet unsuccessful protagonist, and you're the rational supporting character. Your role is to help me, the hero, get the girl. In the end; it's a starry, summer Tanabata night, and you get the last line before the credits roll. Sounds nice, right?"

"Kiba?"

"Hm?"

"Fuck you."

"Hey! ..." Kiba paused, left momentarily speechless. Shino hardly had the need to swear, but he felt it was neccessary then. Kiba had stopped to think of what to say to that. "Stop molesting insects! They don't want to be inside you!"

"Your sister is a werewolf and you're supposed to be a vampire. Something wrong there, don't you think?" He pointed out plainly and in a sahara-dry tone. Geez, he was cold as ice now, wasn't he?

"....You gunna help me or what??!" Kiba fussed, pointing a finger at him in an accusatory manner, appearing like a whiney and spoilt child to Shino.

"What do you expect me to do?! Just ask her out already!" Shino raised his voice, first time in the longest time, stunning his friend in the hallway and bringing some other eyes to look curiously at them. Kiba stood still, arm hanging, finger poised in the air, and the mechanisms in his head slowly churning.

Starry eyes widening with enlightenment, a smile blossomed from ear to ear on the puppy's face.

"...THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!!"

"I can't believe you hadn't thought of it yourself."

* * *

The departure bell rang off the station, accompanied by the generic and courteous voice of the stewardess as she announced the trains' leave. The white noise of the city -- cars and taxis, pedestrians and peddlers, digital ads upon large flatscreen tv's -- stirred up the familiarity of an adolescence long forgotten.

Neji had decided to step out of the house as soon as Hiashi had stepped in. He took notice of the older man's unusual late arrival but ignored it with a blatant indifference. This behavior of Hiashi's seemed to have been frequenting the past couple of weeks, neither him saying anything nor the small family questioning it. Maybe his cousins hadn't noticed. Neji chose not to care.

It'd been so long since he was outside, away from the house or their quaint neighborhood street.

He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his plain white jacket, the sun shining warm through the trees, and casting shadows across the sidewalk. The birds chirped cheerily from branch to branch, 'piyo chi chi chi', a welcoming sound to his ears.

He paused in front of an impressive sight, nolstalgia enveloping him, like stepping into a sepia tone photograph; untouched and gently adored.

The Liberty Tower of Surugadai Campus of Meiji University in Chiyoda-ku, stood proud and tall in the partly sunny skies. Light hit against the grey east wall, a diagonal shadow casting long across Medai Street. He remembered when he used to stand here like this, for ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes.. wanting to walk past those doors to catch a glimpse of lie inside for him when the day came.

But that had all been when he was in junior high, before he jumped three grades and graduated ahead of time. Even back then he hardly conversed with those of his age, he hardly made any social effort. He had been the elite class president, the quiet type that exuded intelligence and superiority.

Neji never quite saw himself that way, but he knew that had become his label. And he stuck by it throughout his younger days, focusing on nothing more but himself.

Maybe nothing much has changed since then.. only.. he couldn't help but wonder...

_"How come? ..Do you think, you'll ever reconnect with the outside world?" She asked, rolled on her side, her large lavender eyes pinning her unanswered question on him. _

When had he suddenly become a social shut-in?

_

* * *

_

Alright.

_It was about time._

_He was gunna do it._

_He was going to finally ask her._

_He was gunna do it._

Kiba just stood there.

_Anytime now..._

He wasn't moving an inch.

_He was going to ask her..._

He just kept still.

_Anytime now..._

He watched Hinata walk away.

_...This is getting ridiculous._

Shino knew Kiba missed his chance, not that it mattered much to him, but if his friend didn't get it over with.. the longer he'd have to deal with this pathetic middle school-esque melodrama of his.

And he really wasn't willing to put up with that sort of crap.

So he kicked him.

"YAOW!!" Kiba barked, falling forward and impacting dully on the ground. Eyes of the school glanced their attention to the scene, some girls giggling at his embarrassment. Shino hardly cared, he was going home.

"She's leaving, you know that?" Shino spoke rhetorically, walking past his collasped friend in his monotonous manner. Kiba just groaned lazily on the floor, partly disappointed in himself and feeling lethargic. He had no idea or clue what to do. And he couldn't believe his friend just kicked him to the ground. Shino felt the need to add something, as Hinata left and Kiba remained a useless lump on the ground.

"And she's leaving with The Yanki." He said, somewhat intrigued himself, and hoping that would motivate his friend to act. He left Kiba there, walking into the partly sunny school grounds with the other kids. He thought it interesting, how warm and friendly the two of them appeared.

Alarm shot through Kiba's system, eyes shot open wide. He looked up to see the blonde idiot walk beside Hinata, both in smiles as they talked. Their congenial picture looking more and more volatile as the seconds past, and Kiba knew this couldn't be right.

_'Why is she still talking with him?! ..She must be too scared, so she has to humor him! That bastard!'_

"Poor Hina-chan." Kiba mumbled to himself, almost heroically, as he pushed himself to his feet and followed Shino outside, an embarrassed and irritated look coming across the silent boy.

"Kiba, are you serious?" He sighed incredulously, honestly wondering where his friends' brain went, because clearly he was in la-la land.

"I must protect her!" Was the last words Kiba uttered dumbly to himself, rushing past Shino without a moments notice, leaving him to sweatdrop.

_'Yep, clearly la-la land.'_

_

* * *

_

'What's going on here?? Why won't he leave Hina-chan alone already?!'

Kiba continued to stare suspiciously at the two, mostly at Naruto, from behind a telephone pole. They continued to laugh, smile and talk, leaving Kiba feeling lonely and confused. They walked together down a small street crossing, a single car waiting for them to pass. Kiba followed after them shortly, the single car lurching forward to an abrupt stop when he finally saw him, the driver angrily honked his horn in a long, loud and abrupt blare. Kiba payed no mind, keeping his eyes on the two. As soon as they came to another pedestrian crossing, Kiba ducked behind a wooden bench, with an elderly woman and a large man sitting there.

Kiba huffed, glaring at the blonde dumbass that wouldn't just leave his Hina-chan alone. Something seemed fishy about this, as he peeked from behind the bench, Hinata appearing a bit awkward to him. She was fiddling with her braids, a light blush on her cheeks and a worried expression on her face. That one look, it was all he needed to motivate his backbiting resentment into unfounded assumptions and misunderstandings.

"She looks scared..." He said aloud to himself.

"Muh.. Who does??" A deep, groggy and lazily sounding voice said, coming from the large man sitting on the bench as he turned his head slightly to the side. Kiba nearly jumped, giving the fat otaku a wary and somewhat disgusted look, the situation now awkward.

The two just stared for awhile.

"Oi, don't you have any cat girls to dream about?" Kiba bit out sarcastically in a dry tone.

"For your information, I am not a furry. I am a _meganneko-moe_." The man told him matter-of-factly in a somewhat haughty voice, as he pushed back his big glasses on his nose bridge. Kiba sweatdropped, realizing this was really really random.

"You're wasting my time." Kiba sighed out, as he turned away from the otaku and got to his feet.

His eyes settled abruptly on Hinata, as she crossed the street, Naruto following right after her. The sight of it did it for him.

_'STALKER!!!'_ Kiba inwardly cried out, his feet already quick to move, the chilvarous gentlemen beneath his wolfish exterior called out to Hinata, like a knight to a damsel in distress. If only she were actually in distress.

"Hina--!!" Kiba called out, an sharp interjection cutting him off.

"Ki-nii-chan!!" Called out a somewhat tall girl, her dark eyes settling on Kiba as she marched up to him.

"Onee-san?!" Kiba blurted out, taken aback. He didn't even see her there, where'd she come from?!

"Oi! What're you doing here, huh??" The older girl accused, almost towering over her smug little brother.

"N-nothing! What're you doing here?!" Kiba bit out, backing off a little. He jumped a little, trying to catch a glimpse of Hinata over his sister's shoulder, but she was blocking his path and his view. _'Dammit! I can't believe this!'_

"Um. Okuchi-chan works here? I was just stopping by to see him, fool." She said in a matter-of-fact yet insulting way, thinking that it was so obvious he should know by now.

"OH, like I know where you're boyfriend works." Kiba muttered under his breath, glaring begrudgingly at his sister, miffed now that he missed his chance. _'Damn, I can't believe this!!'_

"Ne, Kiba. What do you think you're doing?" Came another voice behind him, nearly scaring him shitless as Kiba fell forward to the ground.

"Oh, heya Shino-kun." Kiba's sister said casually, the name sending waves of irritation through his body. He immediately got to his feet and whirled around on his friend, grabbing his collar by the fistful, glaring his aggravation towards the monontous boy with dark glasses.

"Shino!! WHAT THE HELL!!?" He yelled, shaking the boy slightly. Shino just sighed exasperated, as he fixed his glasses on his nosebridge.

"I can't believe you were stalking Hyuuga-san." He sighed out, somewhat disappointedly yet he also had expected it.

"IT'S NOT ME! IT'S THE YANKI!"

* * *

Naruto looked up at edge of his overhanging roof as he stood before his house, a creaking and rustling sound picking up speed above him. Before his knew it, a large slushy pile of snow slid off the edge of his roof and landed on him.

"Aaaugh!!" Naruto exclaimed as he was bombarded with a wet and heavy weight. Amidst his chilly shock, bright little giggles rang softly overhead. Hinata stood aside, holding a hand up to her smiling lips, a blushing warmth in her face. She had seen the whole thing, surprised that it happened in the first place.

Naruto swiped some of the snow from his eyes, peering up at Hinata's upside image as he lay buried and on his back. He quietly muse about her. She was average, only cute every now and then. Yet she radiated a sweetness all over, appearing almost remarkable in the sunlight, dark pigtails swaying and bounching with every little giggle.

It was all rather pleasant.

"Hey! Don't laugh!" Naruto scolded, pointing a finger at her and appearing irritated. It didn't bother her and she just smiled lightly at him, her face shadowed as the sun hung cover her shoulder, as if trying to compete with her.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, not appearing apologetic at all but still remaining sincere. And that soft smile of hers, it made him feel so relaxed, laxadaisical and he didn't feel like moving. Even when the snow was soaking through his clothes. And this, Hinata noticed.

"Anou.. don't you think you should get up?" Hinata asked, looking at him sheepishly and wondering if he was going to move or not. He looked rather funny on his back and covered in after-winter slush.

"Eheh, yeah.. maybe I should." Naruto replied, rolling off his back as he got to his feet and swiped the rest of the snow from his clothes. Suddenly he gripped his arms, a chill coming over him.

"Dammit! Fr-freezing!" He complained, fervently rubbing his hands over his arms, Hinata giggling at his comical bit of misfortune again. Naruto huffed. "I ought-t-ta get inside, I have t-to go to w-work soon.." He said shiverly, receiving a nod from the neighbor as he turned towards his house, muttering to himself about getting attacked by snow.

Hinata stood still for a moment, wondering if she should speak up or not.

"A-anou! N-Naruto-kun, I c-could.. get you a t-towel if you need.." Hinata offered with a stutter, fiddling around with the end of a braid. Naruto stood for a little bit, taking her words in with consideration before giving her a grateful smile.

"Yeah, that'd be cool. Thanks." Naruto thanked her congenially.

"Mm!" Hinata nodded again, running for her engawa and disappearing inside her own home. For a brief moment, he hoped that Hinata would't burst through his home and get attacked by the door again. That had already been too awkward.

With that worry tucked away, Naruto turned back to his door, taking a hold of the knob but stopped before turning to open it. There was a voice on the other side.. no, a couple voices... no wait.. more than that, there were several voices.. and laughter??! What the hell?! Did he leave the tv on this morning??

_'I could have sworn I didn't!'_

He turned the knob, and forced his somewhat broken door open. What lie inside surprising the hell out of him, he took a step back before slamming the door behind himself.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Naruto snapped incredulously. Mizuno just looked blankly at him, with the ole 90's mini-fridge wide open and small television displaying an old anime.

_"Yo dad?"_

_"What is it, Shin?"_

_"My grapes are turning into raisins.."_

Silence reigned in the small home, both at a meager standstill. In a moment, Mizuno pulled out a can of beer with the plastic rings still on the lip, and gave Naruto a significant glare.

"What are you doing with beer in your fridge?" He asked critically with narrowed suspicious eyes, obviously changing the subject.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!" Naruto confronted skeptically again.

"I think my question was more important. So tell me, what is BEER doing in YOUR fridge, Uzumaki-san?"

"Who gives a rat's ass?! It's just one can, anyways!" Naruto huffed aggravated, slouching his shoulders tiredly. _'Why is this happening to me? Why??'_

Mizuno just cleared his throat in response, a condescending trait he often did that annoyed Naruto. It'd only been a few days since Naruto met this man, and it'd only taken the first five seconds to dislike him. He had to leave sometime, when would that be??

"The plastic rings are still on this one can! Don't tell me you didn't have a full pack at one point!?" Mizuno fought in his condescending parental way, holding the evidence out in front of his face and waving it around in a way that was meant to show Naruto that he was guilty, guilty, guilty.

"Okay? So?!"

"You're underaged!!"

"OH C'MON!!" Naruto threw his stuff to the ground and approached the probations officer with heavy feet. "Are you serious right now?!" He confronted cynically, as the older man stood up and nodded to him. Naruto couldn't believe this. It's not like he cared about the beer or whatever, he was just irritated the man would fly off the handle about it.

"What--What worse do you think I could possible do drunk?!?! And what are you doing in my house?!?!"

"Well.. all I did was look up a list of foreclosed homes within the past five years --as you've described the other day--" Mizuno paused, glancing at the tempermental Naruto glaring up at him, before continuing. "And _voila!_ Here it was." He finished with a simple smile look on his plain proud face. Naruto sweatdropped.

"Are you stalking me?" He asked dully, receiving a belittling pat on the head, Mizuno grinning dumbly at him.

"Hey kid, I'm a neighborhood watchman. I have to keep an eye on all my delinquents." He smiled graciously as he patted Naruto's head repeatedly, ignoring his indignance.

"I swear officer, that's not my crack." Naruto replied sarcastically in a dry tone, waving a hand back and forth in a gesture, Mizuno glaring at him in response.

"Really. You don't have to be so sardonic." He told him plainly, before huffing disappointedly, becoming questionable. "Anyways, it's too bad.." He started out with, Naruto raising a curious brow at him. "I'm going to have to take note of this offense. In the mean time, I'll be confiscating your beer." He finished, appearing disappointed and let down, but Naruto knew better. "Also, I'm going to have see your fake ID."

He smacked his hand away, wishing he could've twisted his wrist instead, and glared irate at Mizuno.

"I ain't got a fake ID, dumbass!" Naruto argued.

"Well someone had to have carded you for the beer!" Mizuno told him confidently, knowing he couldn't have gotten away with purchasing alcohol if no one checked his ID.

"I got it from some people!" Naruto blurted out, realizing too late that he let his words slip again.

"What people??!" Mizuno shouted dubiously. He was afraid to think of what kind of people Naruto hung around with or used to hang around with.

"J-just people. Some ..f-friends." Naruto bit out, lying through his teeth, feeling disgusted. He could hardly call those people his friends.

"Your classmates?" Mizuno asked, always having a naive way of thinking.

Naruto nodded somberly.

"Yeah."

"Who?"

"I don't really know their names. Does it even matter?" Naruto glared up at him, wanting to get this over with.

"I don't know, that depends. You have a history as well for sticking up for your 'friends'." Mizuno pointed out, recalling some notes from former teachers and from local police officers from his area. It was all in the files.

"Yup. Makes me pretty damn admirable huh?" Nauto grinned half-heartedly, being a smartass on purpose.

"Or suspicious." Mizuno countered plainly.

"..." Naruto scowled irritably at him.

"You're stonewalling me and so I don't believe you." The officer said matter-of-factly, pissing Naruto off. He briefly wondered how many time he's heard that one. This guy was being freaking ridiculous.

"Che! Just take the stupid beer, and get the hell out of my house, ya screwed-up 5-O!!" The fuming blonde bellowed, pointing fiercely at his door for Mizuno to leave.

"Couldn't have been a little more polite?" The officer asked rhetorically.

"OUT!!" Naruto bellowed again.

"This behavior you're displaying isn't helping your situation. Realize that don't you?" Mizuno continued dryly.

"You gunna leave or what?!?!" Naruto whined, exasperated.

"Maybe if you could be a little more accomodating, I wouldn't have to make suggestions to Tama." Mizuno didn't budge.

"..." Naruto stared at him blankly, at a tired loss for words.

"Alright, I'm leaving. I'm leaving. But we're going to have a long talk next time I see you." Mizuno said, moving towards the genkan and doorway. Naruto watched Mizuno opened and walk out the door, waiting til he was gone completely. He sighed his relief when the door closed, his shoulders slumping.

"Oh, and I seriously suggest you fix your door."

"WAAUGH!??!" Naruto jumped and fell to the ground from shock, having had thought he was alone. He looked up to see Mizuno just outside his doorway, looking dumb and naive as he always did, but Naruto couldn't help but feel like he was the smuggest bastard alive since Sasuke or Sai. Or a really sober Jiraiya. Actually, even a smashed Jiraiya was just as smug.

"I'M DONE F--KING TALKING TO YOU!! GET OUT!!" Naruto shouted, still flat on his ass.

"But Uzumaki-san, I think we need to discuss your living situation. You have absolutely nothing in your fridge." Mizuno pointed out dumbly, irritating Naruto further because he knew this man was messing with him on purpose.

"YOU TOOK MY BEER!!" Naruto pointed out, as if it were the obvious. "Anyways, I have..!!" Naruto halted dead, staring blankly with wide eyes at the probations officer. Mizuno had a bag of Hot Garlic Shrimp Fries in his possession and ate a baked fry, an obnoxiously innocent look on his face; it was almost like looking in a smartass mirror. Naruto was in disbelief. "..Are those my chips?"

"...maybe." Mizuno dragged out slowly, eating another fry casually.

All Naruto could hear was the light crunching of his snacks and the low volume of the television.

_"Okay, that's enough young man! You know, you're never going to get your stupid toy with that kind of crappy attitude!"_

_"When you say that, I die a little inside. I'd do anything for that belt!"_

"... ... ..." Naruto was without words and intelligent thought. If this man was supposed to be helping him, why was he screwing with him at the same time? Those 50 yen chips had been his prized possession for the last twenty hours since he bought them, he was looking forward to eating them with the beer and his Kimchi Pork Cup Ramen.

"My ramen..?" Naruto mumbled aloud, a hollow gurgle echoing from the recesses of his stomach.

"It looked questionable, I thought it was going to go bad. So I ate that too. ..You really like the spicy stuff, huh?"

"But.. but.. ramen doesn't.. it d-doesn't.." Naruto looked like he was the on the brink of his patience, wavery blue eyes looking on in disbelief. That was going to be his dinner. He just ate his dinner..

"RAMEN NEVER GOES BAD YOU F--CKING MORON!!"

"When you say that, I die a little inside." Mizuno mimicked perfectly from the tv, ignoring Naruto's pissed off state.

"....!!!" Naruto held his fists taut at his sides and teeth clenched, unable to speak at this point and struggling to keep his temper down. He willed it away, at least for a moment, long enough to appear mostly cool on the outside. Mizuno found it curious, as Naruto loosened up and unclenched his fists. A level-headed look came over him.

"You know what?" Naruto started out, Mizuno raising an eyebrow. "You're right, come back inside and we'll talk." Naruto gestured with a sweeping hand into the den. Mizuno then smiled, proud and grateful at the sudden mature change in the boy.

"Alright, good form Uzumaki-san. Much better." He grinned, taking a step forward through the doorway as Naruto moved to meet him halfway. At least until..

**WHAM!!**

Naruto slammed the door right into Mizuno's face, a devilish grin stretching mischeviously from ear to ear. That was Naruto's best comeback, at least until he could come up with a better revenge plan next time, he was just fine with this.

"UZUMAKI-SAN!!" The older man shouted, pounding his hands on the closed door, pissed off himself at Naruto's behavior.

"YEAH, I HOPE I BROKE YOUR DAMN NOSE, YA RAT BASTARD!!" Naruto fought back, hitting a fist in return to the other man's poundings. He stopped, and sighed to himself.

"When are you gunna learn, huh?" Mizuno sighed, giving up for the day. With that, he turned around and stepped off the porch, heading back for his office in the city.

It became quiet for awhile, Naruto slumped on the ground and slouched against the door with his arms crossed. He huffed irritatedly to himself, silently fuming and stewing until a knock came to the door.

_'I'm getting so sick of this..'_ Naruto cursed acridly, clenching his fingers back into to taut fists.

The knocking continued.

Naruto truly had just about enough of this.

"GET LOST ALREADY, DOUCHEBAG!!" Naruto screamed out, pounding away at the door.

"Naruto-kun??"

"WHOA MY GOD!!" Naruto collasped clumsily on the ground, his eyes wider than saucers, the shock of the soft voice threw him off guard and off kilter. In the brief seconds of deafening awkward silence, a dizzying and sheepish question came to Naruto.

_'Did I just call Hinata-chan a douchebag??!'_

* * *

"Maybe what you need is a second job."

Naruto took a look around his empty apartment, giving it a once over before a sad truth came to him.

He was poorer than dirt. All he had was the house and his old clothes. Other than that, he was practically a squatter in his own home.

He had been pissed off when he found out that Mizuno had eaten his food while he used his television. Oh yeah, he had made himself real comfortable. And exactly how old was he? Twenty-five? More like a damn ten year old!

Naruto walked towards his old mini-fridge and opened it.

Nothing.

Hinata was taken aback to watch him stick his head inside and rest it on the tray, slumping spiritlessly on the ground. He looked quite odd, it was sad. And a bit disturbing. Hinata sweatdropped, feeling awkward and out of place. Honestly, what was she to do?

"Anou.. Naruto-kun??" Hinata bit out tentatively, craning her head to the side in hopes of getting a better look at him.

"This wasn't supposed to happen.." He mumbled incoherently under his breath.

"Naruto-kun??" Hinata tried again, not catching what he was saying, wondering if he was talking to her or to himself.

"..I can't use that money for living expenses.." He said, his voice tired and strained.

"..." Hinata continued to watch him quizzically, unsure what to do for him.

"..they'll catch me if I start taking out odd sums of cash.. otherwise I'm poor as shit.." He sighed sadly, feeling tired and lost. Hinata blanched when he started to bang his head lightly against the fridge tray, over and over again.

"Anou?! N-Naruto-kun...!" Hinata called out, sweatdropping at his odd yet sad behavior and sat beside him.

"..need a legit way of getting more money.. Other than the Ichiraku..." He mumbled out again, Hinata hearing him. Whatever he meant by that, she didn't know. But she just brushed it off and placed her hands on either side of his face so he would stop his banging.

His skin felt cool, after being in the fridge for so long and the freezer air blowing through like drafts from an aircon. Dull, half-lidded eyes kept their tired stare on her, lethargy in every muscle, fiber and nerve. Naruto had forgotten that she was there, wasn't even cognitive at the moment, but felt comfortable and somewhat relaxed with her beside him. Her hands were soft too.

Hinata blushed, a rush of heat glowing in her face, she realized what she was doing and was immediately shocked. The way he was looking at her, the fact that she was holding him, it all seemed too intimate, she couldn't believe it.

"Etoo.. Naruto-kun.. m-maybe.. a second job..??" She offered hopefully, as she absentmindedly stroked his face once with the glide of her thumb. The lines on his cheeks weren't smooth at all, she felt them there. She blushed hard again, realizing what she just did.

It was like last time.

It was getting dangerous.

_'Too close.. I-I'm too close..'_ Hinata swallowed lightly, lifting her palms from his refridgerated face and scooted a couple inches away from him.

It became silent for awhile. Naruto finally spoke up.

"Yeah.. maybe I need a second job.."

* * *

Hinata lay on her futon, her cottony down comforters spread all around, like lying in a marshmellow mess. She actually liked her room to be a little unkempt. After always being the 'housewife' and almost forced to clean constantly, the only place she didn't want to have to clean was her room.

She was worried for Naruto. He had gotten up from his slump, a small grateful smile on his weary face. He had gone off to work after that, not too long ago, and not looking as enthusiastic as he used to when he first got here. She wondered what how bad his financial troubles were.. or how he came to run out of money all of a sudden. She didn't mind giving him her lunch every now and then, but it's just that.. before he used to buy an armfull of bread snacks from the school sale himself, with his own money of course.

"Maybe I should start making him bento everyday?" She asked aloud to no one in particular, staring lazily at the ceiling, her own words floating around before she finally acknowledged and heard them herself. And a blush came to her steadily, from a light pink to a deep peach.

_Make bento for him?_

_Everyday?_

_M-make bento for h-him??_

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST SAID THAT!!" Hinata squealed out breathlessly as she tossed and turned and flailed on her bed spread in girlish hysterics, an enormous smile on her face despite feeling embarrassed with herself.

Neji had to stop by her door to ask if she was alright.

"Hai! Hai! ..I'm alright!" Hinata answered back a bit louder than she meant, holding both hands over her mouth to hold back her giggles and keep down her blush.

For some reason she felt really good.

* * *

The sun shone through the rice paper of her shoji screens, in transparent square beams.

Her eyes shot open, wide awake.

Finally, morning has come!

Hinata threw on her clothes in such a haste, her tie was barely on straight and the back of her skirt was caught in the elastic of her panties. She was so anxious and unusually giddy, happiness swelling in her chest. Last night she couldn't wait for tomorrow, and she was glad it had finally come today.

She swiftly braided her hair again into twin tapering pigtails, trying something she felt was drastically different than yesterday: Strawberry hairties instead of plain white ribbons. She hoped that he would notice them this time and hoped they were cute on her. She knew her sister made them look good. Which by the way, they were her sister's hair accessory. She had found them in the watercloset yesterday. She hoped Hanabi wouldn't mind.

Hinata ran out her door, Hanabi coming up right behind her in the hallway. She sweatdropped with alarm when she looked at her sister's butt and shot her hand out and pulled out the skirt.

Hinata glanced back at her confused for a brief moment, Hanabi patting her on the back and mumbled out "Ahou.." under her breath. Hinata, still oblivious, let it go and ran to the front door. She jogged in one place by the door as she waited as patiently as she possibly could for her sister. She huffed when Hanabi finished putting on her shoes but was wasting time in trying to straighten her loose socks, looking extra cutesy and made over as she had been looking lately. Not that the elder sister minded, lately she hadn't been paying much attention to the goings on in her family.

Her thoughts had been consumed by something a little more close to home. Literally, he was right next door afterall.

Hanabi glanced pointedly up at her sister, noticing her strawberry hair ties in her elder sister's hair, and glared mildly at her, like a mother scolding a child. She had been looking for them all last night, she thought she just misplaced them. Apparently not.

Hinata grinned sheepishly, sweatdropping albeit nervously. Hanabi just shook her head, walking past her for the door and opened it, letting the sun shine in.

"We're leaving now!"

"We're leaving now!"

* * *

The sun filled her like a flower thirsty for light and water, the emotions blooming in her chest. She was loving the weather, warm and cool at the same time, spring was soon at hand. Just a few more days.

"Nee-chaaan! Waaaait!" Hanabi called out, struggling to keep up with her, giving up halfway. Hinata smiled up at the sky, coming to a halt in the shade of a budding tree and turned around on the balls of her feet, running back towards her little sister. Hanabi scowled at Hinata, not understanding what was making her so hyper and restless, it was strange.

"Come on, hurry up! Hurry up! Heehee!" Hinata teased in a childish and breathy voice, pushing against Hanabi's back, annoying her little sister.

"Heyy! Quit it! 'Nee-chan! Stop!"

"We gotta get to school, hurry up your lazy bones child!" Hinata giggled, continuing to push her, but never getting far.

"You're the child, stupid!" The poor Hanabi whined, shaking her fist at her sister as she dug her heels in the ground, putting all her weight into her feet.

Their cries, bickering and her laughter rang out in the local street, a somewhat broken door opening, the person inside wincing at the bright sun. He stepped out into the light, peering out with curiousity and interest. The antics of the two Hyuuga sisters was bit of a sight to see, Hinata revealing the bright side of her personality. He never saw her so cheery and playful, poor Hanabi almost paling in comparison with the sincere scowl on her face. The upward twitch came to his lips, a little tickle in his sides.

The sun was hitting Hinata in a lucid and lazy way, her thin and shiny braids bouncing around as she moved and laughed. It took her a few seconds before she realized that Naruto had finally made it out of the house.

The breath caught dry in her throat, the smile dropping slightly.

His blonde hair, unusual whiskers.. his somewhat innocent face..

Naruto was surprised to see her run off.

"Nee-chan!!?" Hanabi fumbled out in schreech, watching her sister's spontaneous getaway. The alarm shot through Naruto like a static shock, uncomfortable and abrupt, and he knew that he was not awake enough to run yet.

Naruto jumped from his porch and sprinted after Hinata, never realizing that someone else had just been left behind.

"Neighbor too??!" Hanabi blurted out, drop-jaw and wide-eyed, pausing for a mere second or two to scowl before shouting again. "...What the hell is going on?! Why are they acting so wierd?!?"

Hanabi crossed her arms, tapped her foot testily on the ground, looking like an irritated young mother. She spun around on her heel once, then spun again in the opposite direction. It wasn't for a few more seconds that she realized they weren't coming back for her.

"YOU GUYS SUCK!!"

* * *

Hinata saw this as her chance.

Naruto couldn't believe what was going on. He didn't even have a clue.

Hinata glanced over at the side, running beside a crowded medium red bus, she looked over to the horizon and spotted a bus stop just ahead. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing the blonde fox-boy running a few feet behind her tail. She wasn't entirely sure how this all happened, but she kind of liked it, enjoyed it.

She grinned, a blush complimenting against the uplift of her lips. It felt like she was treading across a trail of butterflies, thousands of them, lifting her up with every step, higher and higher each time.

She was having fun. She never thought a boy would be chasing after her. Hinata giggled at herself, knowing it was hardly that way, but still enjoyed the idea, thinking to herself..

_'If only.. heehee..'_

She really didn't know how she ended up running, running away from him. She felt a jerk, sharp and electrifying, in her feet, in her legs and knees and just ran off, with her whole being feeling far too warm in the bask of his existence. Maybe she was just out in the sun too long. That's how it had felt and the nervousness she often felt when around him (more intense these days than ever), swelled too heavy in her chest and she had to escape it before the lightheadedness set in.

Naruto wasn't sure what was going on, as he watched her stop at the end of the street suddenly, he thought the reason why she ran was out of a realization. He thought that they were going to be late for school. He decided to save his strength and jog up to her, never realizing the bus stop in front of her.

And this was when she finally saw her chance.

She hopped on the bus.

Alarm startled through him again.

And the bus shifted into drive within a minutes time.

He didn't even get a chance to react.

Naruto stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, connecting eyes with Hinata for a brief moment, seeing her smile sheepishly and wave at him. Then she disappeared from his sight.

"Hinata-chan!! What're you doin'?!?!" Naruto called after her, forcing himself to catch up, soon becoming breathless. Honestly, who could keep up with a bus?

_'If only I had my bike, dammit.. What the hell is goin' on?!' _

He ran after her, struggling to keep an eye on her. She was like a sardine in a can full of grown kippers, as she tried her best to squeeze out of a tight spot and get to the windows. Man, the bus was packed! She shrugged on through, sticking her face by the window and waved at him, able to see him in the corners of her sight.

She couldn't help but laugh.

"Naruto-kun!! Don't follow me, haha!! Go to school!" She shouted out he window, waving her hands at him in a shooing manner and watched him drift and inch farther at a time. She wasn't sure what he thought he was doing, she didn't know where the bus was going to take her, but schools weren't bus stops. So he should know that this would never lead him directly to school if he chose to follow it.

The bewildered expression on his tired face was too cute.

"Go to--?! Are you skipping?!!" Naruto called out as loud and clear as he could, Hinata drifting farther from his sight, an inch at a time.

Hinata nearly let out an obnoxiously loud and high-pitch laugh, almost coming out like a strangled and breathless squeal.

Naruto nearly tripped over some poor pedestrian's dog.

He was really confused by what she said.

Wasn't she going to school too? Unless.. a realization hit him as he thought back to yesterday.

"HINATA-CHAN!" The tired blonde yelled out, catching her attention from the window. He was only able to see half of her face, but it was enough.

"I'M REALLY REALLY SORRY I PINCHED YOUR CHEEKS!! I WON'T DO IT AGAIN!" He finished, hands over his mouth. He was oblivious to the wierd looks his words recieved, upon offending some older men and older women, some young adults sweatdropping incredulously at him with sheepish blushes. He felt the vibe of their stares, but ignored it as Hinata disappeared from his sight.

He barely saw saucer-eyed expression she held, the bright and embarrassed blush in her face.

By that time she was gone, the bus disappearing amongst the fray of taxis and grocer trucks.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, realizing that he was on his own now and felt out of place because of it.

Where was she going anyways??

* * *

He had been meaning to ask her all day.

Kiba sat on the roof, back leaned into the net-wire as he stared a hole at the object in his hand. He had snipped off his second uniform button, the one closest to his heart, with the firm intent on giving it to her. But every time he glanced at her, his willpower disintegrated into vagueness and dubiety. This was less effective than any other time he snuck a chance to touch her, his affectionate ulterior motives flying out the window like a bird he could not grasp.

_'And that's why I like dogs better. You can put a leash on 'em.'_ Kiba glanced thoughtfully towards the sky, smoothed out clouds gracing against the blue. And like the clouds, his thougths went a little south.

"..wonder if I could do that with Hina-chan..(metaphorically that is)... then I wouldn't have to worry about her going anywhere..." Came his words, not truly hitting him until seconds after they left his mouth. His eyes widened, blushing hot as a particular image came to him, shame coming first before any other hormone-triggered emotion.

"No no! Th-that's really b-bad! M-mustn't think of her like that.." He berated himself with clumsy words, clutching at the fence, the image still burning in his mind as hot as his cheeks. Silence passed through the rooftop and knowing that he was alone, Kiba decided to dwell on the image a bit longer, trying to take some comfort in the universal excuse that; One, he was a guy. And two.. teenage hormones.

"..then again it is really hot.." He continued to muse, imagining Hinata on her hands and knees with a pink puppy collar around her neck, as she pawed at her black labrador ears, a silky black tail sweeping back and forth from the end of her spine on her rear.

And Kiba realized that this was actually really bad.

"Shit.. either this makes me a furry or a BDSM.."

* * *

He had been meaning to ask her all day too.

Naruto hadn't gotten around to do so until sixth period lunch, the mystery of her morning getaway plaguing him somewhat. He had been surprised to watch her rush in this morning, minutes after he got to his seat. He was almost certain she was going to be late, but she made it. Then again, what did he know? He could barely get around Tokyo or Shinagawa, and he was lucky he hadn't been stranded in Tama for too long that one day. He'd have to be a real dumbass to get lost there.

Maybe there was a trick to all of this.. navigation.

Naruto leaned over his desk and tapped Hinata on the shoulder, quickly withdrawing his hand when she turned to face him. There was a delicate smile on her lips, hesitant and restricted, an eagerness beneath her light demeanor. Even though they had managed to become a bit closer over the past couple of months, she had never appeared more easy-to-approach than she did now.

It made him feel more at ease with her.

"Ne, ne. So.. where'd ya go this morning?" Naruto asked, craning his head to the side and looking like a curious little monkey. Hinata could barely hold down a squealish giggle nor her pink blush. She wondered if he knew how he looked or if all of this just came naturally to him. To always look so dopey and cute.

"Mmm.. it's a secret." Hinata answered him coyly, a soft sly smile on her lips.

"Tch, no it's not." Naruto scoffed, grinning somewhat himself.

"Do you like _ekiben_?" Hinata asked simply, her question catching him off guard.

"Huh?" He bit out 'intelligently', a blank look on his somewhat innocent face.

"Do you like ekiben?" Hinata tried again, anxiety nagging at the back of her head. She hoped he would, otherwise she would just have to give him her lunch, because it seemed that he really liked to eat her food.

"Whaddya mean?" Naruto asked warily, a skeptical worry niggling at the back of his head. What was she trying to ask, anyways?

"Ekiben, do you like ekiben?" She persisted, clutching at the back of her chair and peering at him with her big eyes.

"Do I like ekiben?" He echoed, still not understanding what was going on.

"Yes, have you ever tried ekiben?" Hinata huffed, leaning over her chair and peering up at him a bit impatiently. It was an easy question after all.

Naruto slouched back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face as he tried to decipher her words and come up with an answer. He closed his eyes, looking as if in deep concentration and mulled.

Has he ever tried ekiben? It was an awkward question, he couldn't fathom why Hinata was asking him. If a girl were to ask about these things, they usually discussed it with other girls and in the bathrooms or whatever it is they do in there. Why she have to ask him? The more he thought of it, the more his mind began to stray, and the discomfort he felt showed more and more on his face.

"..can't say that I have." He admitted low under his breath, a light blush on his face. Hinata quirked an eyebrow on him, giving him a curious look.

"..." She opened her mouth and paused before speaking, unsure at first what to say or ask. "Do you think that you would like ekiben?" She asked hopeful, figuring he was bound to say yes sooner or later. It was just bento after all. She didn't want to give it to him if he wasn't going to like it. If all else failed, she planned to give it to Kiba. She knew he wouldn't mind. He was a sweet guy.

It looked as if the question struck something within him, jolting him in his seat. He almost fell to the side, an awkward blush on his face. Would he like it??

"Wh-why??" Why was she asking him this? Naruto wondered, feeling utterly incredulous, his mind treading through a murk of perversity.

"Well, would you?" Hinata prodded further, not giving up and not quite catching that Naruto was thinking the wrong thing here.

The blush seemed to increase, darker, deeper. Naruto glanced off to the side, unable to look her in the eye like this. He recrossed his arms, the concentration set in his face. Mostly he was concentrating on keeping a straight face, only becoming somewhat successful.

She was asking if he would like it. He wasn't sure how to answer that. He didn't have any experience, could he tell her that? What kind of answer did she want to hear??

He began to rub the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"..I guess I would.. but that all depends if the girl likes it too." He answered sincerely. It was the best he could come up with.

"The girl??" Hinata blinked, becoming entirely confused. Was he saying that he would only like the ekiben if she liked it too? _'Perhaps.. I mean, he likes to eat my food. So.. maybe I should have bought this as if I was buying it for myself.. But he says it depends on the girl..'_ Hinata inwardly sighed, trying to remember what kind of bento she bought for him and wondered if she liked any of it too or not. _'Well.. there's the sweet bean mochi cakes.. I like mochi well enough.. No no, this doesn't make any sense! And our tastes are entirely different! ..At least, I think they are..'_ Hinata sighed outwardly, exasperated and confused. She was overthinking this all wrong. What did he even mean by that anyways???

"Well yeah, you know.." Naruto mumbled equivocally, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked off to the side, avoiding her precocious stare. This was such an odd conversation to have with a girl. Probably the wierdest conversation they've ever had.

"I'm afraid I don't.." Hinata sighed out, shaking her head, with a sheepish smile.

It stayed quiet for a second or so, Naruto wondering briefly why she didn't catch his drift. It was the most clear he could possibly be without actually being lewd. And even that was hard not to be, with her words rolling around in his head, and he could not help some of the images that came up, his mind filled with confusion and questions. He shook his head, taking his hand away from his neck and glanced back at Hinata.

"..So, what's this about ekiben?" He asked warily at first.

"I was just wondering if you would like it." Hinata openly admitted, surprising Naruto with how she managed to keep such an innocent face. How could she be so calm when he couldn't be? ..Unless she was experienced and this kind of thing didn't bother her. Which he found interesting, because she seemed like the most sheltered and uptight girl he ever met. Like.. some sort of rich girl. And with a house like that, she actually must be.

Naruto nodded, looking serious.

"Yeah, I guess I would. ..Sounds pretty hott." He answered sincerely, his face still somewhat flush. He let his mind wander for a bit, now curious himself what it would be like. Shadowed and partially faceless girls appeared in his mind, imagining them calling out his name as they proppd up against the walls, each voice a variety of cute or husky.

"Oh... I'm afraid this one isn't.." Hinata mumbled out sadly, disappointment filling her. Naruto snapped out of his vague daydreams, taken by surprise.

"It's not?" He asked automatically, not even thinking about what she said.

"No it's not." She repeated, shaking her head softly. "B-but.. would you be willing to give it a try anyways, if I give it to you?" She asked hopefully, peering up at him with her big lavender eyes again, her words shocking him through til the butterflies that lived in his loins flew into his stomach and tickled his heartbeat faster. And blood filled his face.

"G-g-gi-give wh-what??" He stuttered and blathered clumsily, his thoughts going completely south. He sat there, blinking rapidly and looking at her as if her clothes had just exploded off her body, and that right now she was half-naked before him. ..Almost like in Fumoffu episode 15. Actually.. if that episode truly happened, it would be an absolute godsend! Didn't even matter if there was a fat girl in the class.

"Ekiben! Naruto-kun, Ekiben! Would you like it, since I'm offering??" Hinata huffed out impatiently, wondering what was wrong with him that he couldn't grasp the topic at all. Nor even answer her clearly. If he would like it, then she'd give it to him. But so far he was just side-stepping her. Either he'd like to have the bento or not, it was so simple.

But not so simple if you're mind is thinking all the wrong things at once.

"W-would I l-like it??" He echoed again, unsure what to make of this. It was such a shocker! And so unexpected! She said she was offering! She was asking if he would like it! ..WHAT THE HELL DO YOU SAY TO THAT?!?!

"Yes, I'm offering.." She answered incidently in a breathy way that sent shivers down his body, a nervous jolt in his loins as he kept flexing and unflexing his fingers.

Naruto froze up.

"....I...don't...know...." He strained out, fright and anxiety ridden in his face, his whole body rigid in place. Part of him was damn sure he would like it! She was cute sometimes, so hell, it wasn't like there could be a downside to it! And the other part of him told him to keep shut and never say a word, to lie politely as much as possible or else he get flung out the window. Not that he thought she could do that to him, but he kept having the distinct fear and expectation that a certaint girl with pink hair would appear behind him and do him bodily harm without so much of a fair warning.

He'd just hear the crack of her knuckles and that was it.

But what could he possibly say to this girl with the all too trusting large eyes? He was afraid to have been more forthcoming yet felt as if he should have been. She was putting herself on the front lines here, asking if he'd like it with her! What he couldn't believe she was that she was freaking offering!!

_'I THOUGHT SHE WASN'T THAT TYPE OF GIRL!! SHOULD I HAVE JUST SAID YES?? WHAT'S THIS GUNNA LEAD TO?! Is Hinata-chan a closet kink?!?! ...She sure had me fooled.. and I thought that Ukue-chan was a mad flake...! (Probably more of a flake than Ino-chan..) Oh god.. What kind of boyfriends did Hinata-chan have?!??' Or how many?! Do numbers even matter?? ..Is it a full moon tonight?? What's going on??'_

_(author: ...But Naruto-kun.. it's the afternoon..)_

Hinata had kept silent for awhile, taken aback by Naruto's awkward red-face, not understanding what was going on with him. She sweatdropped when he suddenly sploded, cartoon puffs of steam coming off his face. What on earth was going on with him??

"What's wrong? You wouldn't like it??" She asked him hesitantly, becoming sad at the thought if he didn't want or wouldn't like the bento she bought him. She bought the biggest box she could find and it was orange too. It reminded her of him, and it had other good stuff inside. Like three curry pork tonkatsu sandwiches, the mochi cakes, chinese cabbage with sweetly pickeled ginger and good ole white rice. It was all cold because she bought it from a refridgerator case in the Shinagawa station. She even bought him a juice box, if he didn't mind. It was orange juice. She remembered he said he liked oranges after he made such a big deal out it yesterday.

_'Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes.'_

"I'm afraid." He said.

"SAY WHAT?!" Hinata practically screamed out, floored to the ground by his response. Her expression was purely comical.

"I'm virginal.." He mumbled out, a shameful and ashen on his rigid, red face. _(: KAWAII!! XD)_

Hinata stared at him, blinked at him, blankly. No words or thoughts in her own mind at the time, she had to wait a second or too before her brain rebooted and her thinking processes were fully functional.

"...so you've never tried ekiben before..?" She echoed back, straight-faced and simple.

"...no." Naruto mumbled back, avoiding her eyes as he shuffled in his chair uncomfortably. What was she going to think of him now?

"So you wouldn't like it, then? I mean, this one isn't hot.. so I'm afraid.." Hinata started out, trailing off unsurely, still hoping that he would want it.

Suddenly Naruto just shot out of his chair, startling Hinata nearly half to death.

"Oh, no! Hina-chan, don't put yourself down!" Naruto assured her compassionately, standing up and his hands on the desk, all eyes on him now.

Hinata blinked at him several times as if he were crazy before exclaiming.

"..?!?! What are you talking about?!"

It was Naruto's turn to blink cluelessly.

"A...A-aren't we talking about stand-up sex??"

...

...

...

Hinata's face exploded with color.

Pink.

Rose.

Peach.

Rouge.

Scarlet.

Infuriated Red.

"NO! I was t-t-talking a-ab-bout b-b-bent-t-to!!" She squealed, hands fisted up to her flaming face, becoming dizzier by the minute.

"..oh.." Naruto drew out slowly, realization and understanding finally sinking in. Then he nodded, smiling at her as if nothing ever happened.

"Yeah I'd like some."

* * *

The bell rang, signalling the cue for everyone that another school day had ended.

Naruto and Hinata were already by their lockers, getting their things together. Hinata felt for certain that her face was permantly stained red, unable to live down or forget what was said. She couldn't even begin to understand what made Naruto think that..

She didn't even know what 'stand-up sex' was exactly, yet she couldn't stop the image of him shirtless from popping up in her head. And she couldn't ignore when his hands would drift down to the edge of her skirt.. or when he touched the side of her face, and grazed her neckline, down to her...

_'OH MY GOD, KNOCK IT OFF HINATA!!' _She cried out, banging her head lightly against her locker door, not acknowledging the wierd look that Naruto was giving her.

"Are you thinking about me?" Naruto asked sincerely, quirking an eyebrow at her. Hinata instantly stopped her banging, whirling around on his with her face inflamed and eyes so wide it was either really funny or really worrisome.

"WHA-WHA-WHAT?!" She shrieked out, appearing like a frightened cat, tense and wild-eyed. _'OH GOD, DOES HE KNOW??! Am I so transparent?!?!'_

"Ahahaha, just kidding Hinata-chan." Naruto laughed heartily, having no idea how right he was. Unfortunately his admission of 'just kidding' didn't ease her, the statue formerly known as Hinata stood so stiff and so still. The only way you could tell that she was still alive was the heart that couldn't stop pounding against her ribcage.

Naruto blinked, wondering if she was alright. He thought her reaction was strange. If she could calm talk about 'ekiben' with him, then why did she freak out so easily now?

_'Oh.. wait a second.. No, she was talking about bento.. I was talking about sex.. alright, I get it now.'_ Naruto nodded to himself, turning back to Hinata.

She hadn't moved an inch. Now it was getting worrisome.

"Hinata-chan??" He called out to her.

"..."

Nothing.

"Oi, oi! Hinata-chan??" He tried again, waving his hand in front of her face.

"..."

Still nothing.

Naruto huffed. She was so strange. He never knew anyone who freaked out like she did. What did he do anyways? Naruto glanced around, getting glances and odd stares by the students and classmates that passed by them; a few recognizable, the rest were strangers from the older student ones he knew from his class whispered to eachother as they walked on by, Naruto scowling at them, partly wishing he knew what they were saying so he could pick a fight with them. He hated when people blatantly talked behind someone's back, especially when they weren't even doing a good job at it.

He glanced back at Hinata.

_'Oh wow.. she's still like that??'_ Naruto blanched, wondering what it would take to get her out of her state of shock.

He scratched the back of his head, forming an idea.

He walked up to her, leaned in close. He could feel the heat come off her face, a good sign that she hadn't died. He paused to look at her wierdly, inwardly shaking his head at her. He waved in front of her eyes again, testing if she was conscious or not.

She didn't blink, no acknowledgment.

Naruto sweatdropped impatiently.

He moved to pinch her cheeks, pulling at them roughly, Hinata wincing tearily at the uncomfortable pain.

"Oi, stupid, wake up already. You're makin' a fool of yourself." He grinned half-heartedly, feeling somewhat annoyed and embarrassed. A group of girls gave them odd stares as they sized them up, before giggling haughtily behind their hands. He wasn't sure if they were laughing at him, her or them both at the same time.

* * *

Kiba had been moping all day. He never got the chance to ask Hinata out. He was certaint he could do it. But he kept getting shy and flustered, especially when he couldn't stop imaging her half naked and in puppy form. Shino berated him once when he came into his homeroom, Kiba almost immediately making another obnoxious comment. Shino kicked him out room 1-D after that. Next time it was out one of the windows.

Kiba's feet dragged across the linoleum. He kept telling him, trying to revive some confidence in himself..

_'Tomorrow I'm gunna ask her out. Tomorrow I'm gunna ask her out. Tomorrow, tomorrowtomorrowtomorrow...' _He kept it up in his mind until the words blended, becoming repeative and indistinct. He wasn't sure if it was working or not.

There she was.

The wilted Kiba looked up from the linoleum to find Hinata. ..with The Yanki.

_'Freaking... shit.'_

Kiba stood in the threshold of the schools' genkan, students walking past him for their lockers, like walking past a ghost. He just stood there, watching them.

Naruto managed to get Hinata out of her state of shock, her face still bright beet red. Naruto laughed with that boyish smile of his, Hinata stuttering and mumbling to herself, trying to calm herself down.

Kiba glared.

"Hey, thanks for the ekiben, Hinata-chan." Naruto grinned, appearing innocent and sincere, a mischevious edge to his lips. He was expecting her to walk right into his trap.

"Oh.. w-well.. y-you know.. Naruto-kun, it was m-my pleasure.." She stuttered in her soft way, fiddling with her braids. Kiba couldn't believe she had just addressed the blonde dumbass by his first name. And Naruto couldn't believe Hinata had said that, making this joke all to easy for him.

A glint came to his eyes as he grinned mischeviously like a kitsune, a full blown smile.

Kiba saw this as dangerous.

"Actually.. I was talking about the sex." Naruto said straight out, barely able to keep a straight face at the look that Hinata made; mortified and dangerously deep red. Naruto began to laugh really really hard, gripping his sides and doubled over in the fits.

Niether victims Hinata nor Kiba caught this as a joke, poor Hinata stuck and still as a statue once more. And poor Kiba, actually believing what Naruto just said.

Kiba's feet began to move, a burning hatred entering his mind, eyes livid. Another pair of feet came rushing down the hallway, heading for Kiba.

"RAPIST!!! RA--!!" Kiba's irate shouts got cut off, a hand covering his mouth and an arm coming to sling around his neck. Shino saw this coming, all the way down the hall, and began to drag Kiba away before he got into any trouble.

Everyone jumped and looked around. But the indignant screamer no where to be found.

"What the hell was that?"

* * *

Hinata's heart was beating so painfully fast, holding a hand to her chest. She couldn't believe Naruto. He could be so.. ridiculous.. sometimes.

She shook her head, then smiled a little, glancing up at him.

He liked the bento. His show of appreciation was sweet and mild, just a warm 'thank-you' and smile. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed, thinking or partly expecting him to do something unexpected. Like that one time he glomped her from behind when she gave him some chocolate. Or yesterday, when he... pecked her on the cheek.

A wistful sigh left her as they continued to walk home together.

"So what made you go out and get the bento?"

Hinata looked up, Naruto staring at her curiously, with brows raised high. A small thought came to her, her lips curling up in a coy smile again.

"I got tired of you eating my food." She grinned inwardly with playful eyes, feigning a scowl on her face. Naruto nodded in understanding, playing along too.

"That's good I guess. I was getting tired of eating your food too." He told her, ending with his ear-to-ear fox-like smile, a tint of peach deepening in Hinata's cheeks.

"Oh? Why?" Hinata asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Naruto made this face, sticking his tongue out and squinting his eyes, an over exaggeration of being disgusted.

"Too much sugar! Yeck! Hahaha..!" He ended with a laugh, waving a hand back and forth in a disapproving gesture.

"Well then.. I guess.. I'll just have to get you ekiben for now on." Hinata dragged out hesitantly, trying to seem nonchalant and coy in order to cover up her own ulterior motives. She hoped he'd let her. She really didn't mind, it made her happy to do this for him. She was more than willing to make this a routine!

_'Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes..!'_

"Oh.. really?" Naruto asked, seeming unsure and not as enthusiastic as she had hoped. Did he see right through her?! Hinata held hope that he didn't, she didn't want to come on too strong about this, she was beginning to worry.

"I um, I don't mind. Really.." Hinata glanced away, shy and vulnerable, her voice soft and low. She waited for him to respond, Naruto scratching the back of his head.

"Sure. That's cool." He nodded, a light of hope filling in Hinata's chest, lighting up her face with gladness and glee. "At least until I get some more money. (Or a better paycheck.)" He added, Hinata nodding eagerly.

"Yeah, that's fine!" She smiled, trying to keep her voice down. _'Oh my gosh, I get to make lunch for Naruto-kun!! I'm so happy! Which is wierd, because I don't even like making dinner anymore!'_

"Hm, good thing too. If I keep eating what you eat, I'd start to get fat." He commented slyly with a dry smirk.

Hinata blinked, coming to a complete stop.

They looked at eachother.

The wind blew, the dead leaves dragged, and the dog barks echoed across the neighborhood.

Then she gave him the stink-eye.

"You wanna tell me something?" She drew out almost menacingly. Naruto finally sweatdropped.

"Hey don't worry about it. You still look good." He said, trying to reassure her, hardly becoming successful. Hinata pouted, disappointment and confusion filling her. What did 'still look good' mean? Emphasis on the 'still'.

"You know what?" Naruto asked rhetorically in a mock shock-awe-and-surprised voice as he began to approach her, and leaned in close to her. Hinata tensed up, wary fear in her eyes as she shrunk and tilted back, feeling that he was too close.

"Wh-what?" She breathed out, gulping quietly.

Suddenly his hands reached out and made a grab for her cheeks again.

"I think.. this.." He started out, playing and smooshing and pulling at her cheeks, Hinata whining, futile against him. "..I think this is where all the fat is stored." He smiled boyishly, amusement twinkling in blue eyes. Hinata whined again. She felt like crying, unable to believe how mean he was, teasing her.

"Hee.. they're like marshmellows." Naruto snickered, a full blown smile on his lips. "Did I ever tell you that?"

"N-no! A-and.. I th-thought you said you wouldn't play my cheeks anymore!" Hinata cried out, hating every moment of this. God! This was so embarrassing!

"Oh yeah.. Forgot about that." He grinned, Hinata whining dejectedly.

"So you ever tried ekiben before? Hm, Hina-chan?" Naruto asked, still messing with her cheeks. Hinata peered up at him with squinted eyes.

"I.. don't know what you mean." She sighed out wearily.

"Standing sex." Naruto told her matter-of-factly, not feeling embarrassed this time since he was the one talking about it, not her.

Her eyes became incredibly wide again.

"No! A-a-and wh-who would I d-do that w-with?!" Hinata cried out, incredulous, flustered and so embarrassed.

Naruto blinked, looking at her strangely.

"I'd imagine it'd be with your boyfriends." He told her in a dry tone as he stretched on her cheeks, honestly wondering if she didn't know. Maybe she was just hiding out, not wanting to tell him. Perhaps this was a bit too personal to ask, but it kinna had been bugging him all day since lunch when she practically brought it up herself.

Naruto was just met with silence, the commotion and mirth from earlier clearing away in the dry air. Naruto blinked. Hinata was staring at him, large lavender eyes peering a hole through his own. What was that look for?

She felt a sort of sad confusion filled her, appearing almost vulnerable before him.

"I... I.." She tried to speak, to answer him, her voice far too low and soft to reach ears. "I've never been asked out."

....

Naruto blinked at her.

"Seriously?" He asked with disbelief, surprised. He never suspected, so any answer from her would have been a bit surprising.

"..." Hinata stayed silent, not wanting to affirm not deny the truth.

"Heh, well cool then. Not alone after all." Naruto suddenly grinned, warmth radiating from him and filling Hinata with his own feelings of gladness and relief.

_'N-Naruto-kun.. you've never been asked out before?'_ She thought, peering up at him curiously. He interrupted her sweet stare, pinching and playing with her cheeks some more, Hinata wincing all the while at the uncomfortable feeling of being stretched.

"Hey, don't sweat it. I'm sure someone's bound to ask you out, Hina-chan." Naruto assured her sincerely.

Hinata blinked. She just noticed that he had stopped messing around with her cheeks, and was now staring at her. And cupping her face.

The breath left her lips. He was so close, with his blue eyes staring right into her own.

So intense.

Her heart began to beat faster and harder, yearning for something.

She slaked her lips, leaving them pink and wet with moisture.

"N-Naruto...kun..?" She mumbled out timidly, dreamily, waiting for something, hoping for something.

She closed her eyes. And his hands left her face. She inclined her head back. Pursed her lips upward. And then she hiccupped.

Hinata shot her eyes open, realization and confusion waking her up and clearing her head. Naruto's hand were on her hips, his thumbs pressing gently into her sides. He grinned toothily at her, a twinkle in his eye. Suddenly the ground disappeared from under her feet, a silent scream escaping her lips. Naruto swung Hinata over his shoulder, laughing out loud as she began flailing and kicking against him.

"You know, it's funny!" Naruto started out, smiling brightly at the sun as Hinata slumped against him, giving up on fighting him. She let out a mixture of a groan and tired whine in response to his other rhetoric. Naruto chuckled a little before answering her.

"...You're heavier than I thought you'd be."

"No! Y-you're s-so.. so mean! Put me down, put me down, putmedown!" Hinata cried out, pounding her little fists at his lower back. Suddenly a evil little laugh left him, Hinata's eyes growing wide.

"Keep it up, and I'll drop you." He threatened with a devilish smirk.

"...!" Hinata freaked out and stopped her flailing, gripping handfulls of his dress shirt and almost clinged to him.

They stayed that way for a couple blocks, Hinata having nothing to look at but the sidewalk that rolled beneath them. She found it hard to maintain some semblance of cool, when his fingers were pressed into her the back of her knees and thigh. He felt bony. His shoulder dug into her stomach and she wondered how heavy she really was. It almost made her want to cry.

Why would he want to carry around a fat girl?

"Naruto-kun? Am I killing your shoulder?" She asked innocently.

Naruto began to laugh, loud and amused.

"No, I'm just fine! Hahaha, how about you? Comfortable?" He grinned, glancing back, waiting for a response. Hinata tentatively brought a finger to rest on the side of her lips, looking thoughtful, before going back to grip at his shirt for support.

"Not at all."

"Ahahahaha!"

* * *

The catchy midi theme of the Pokemon Center rang from Hanabi's DS, the occasional clicking of buttons accompanying with. She sat on the bed spread in her sister's room, occupying herself with her game and ignoring the real reason why she was even here. Or asked here, rather.

Hinata never realized, but.. she was obsessing.

She had stood still when Naruto placed her gently on her feet, hands clasped under her chin, a dazed and dreamy look on her face. His smile remained in her mind, even when he had waved her off and entered his own home.

That was the second most closest she had ever been with a boy.

That was the second most significant time she ever touched a boy.

And she couldn't help but wonder where two days ago could have gone.. when she saw him shirtless.. if it hadn't been from her own urgings, she wouldn't have even been there-- in his house, in that situation, all alone with him-- and if it hadn't been for her own urgings, he wouldn't even have taken his shirt off.

She couldn't seem to think of anything else right now. She didn't know what to look at or focus on when imagining him, either the mysterious copious amount of scars or his half-naked self as a whole.. slender and boyish frame, warm skin and those cozy arms that wrapped themselves around her, strong hands splayed on her back...

_'GOD.. I'm going insane.!!!'_

Hinata wilted, hanging her head in dejection.

She really was worried that she was fat.

She swayed from foot to foot, twisting her upper body as she eyed the skin on her stomach and hips. Only a minimal bit of flesh peeked over the edge of the panty elastic, something she shouldn't worry about, but she kept thinking about it. She put her hands on her hips, turned to the side to look at her profile to check how her gut looked. Her abdomen was small swell that curved down from under her breasts, like water poured from the spout of an antique tea kettle; a slender and maidenly profile.

She huffed when she glanced down at her breasts, eyeing her reflection. She wondered if they were too big.

"Maybe that's where all the other fat is stored." She mumbled foolishly to herself. Hanabi huffed, shaking her head at her sister.

Hinata pulled her hair up, revealing her back and twirled around, giving herself a once over. The flesh of her back was smooth and clean, strong and soft at the same time, the curving delicate line between her shoulder blades marking where her spine was. She stared at her waist from the back. She looked curvier and more slender from the back than the front, she wondered why that was.

"Am I proportional??" She asked aloud, more to herself than anyone else. Hanabi looked up from her game to scowl in annoyance. She feared her sister was going bonkers about this. She never cared about her looks before, which Hanabi had found admirable at times. She thought Hinata was comfortable with herself, but now she was starting to think that she was just as insecure as she used to be, perhaps even more.

She looked at her legs, lifted up her left leg in front of the mirror and poked at her thigh. The flesh jiggled a little. She lifted up her arms parallel to the ground, swung them around a little, scrutinizing herself critically. She pinched the skin on her forearm and poked it, finding that she was not toned at all. She was soft and... and...

"Flabby." She stated with a bit of surprise, as if it was news to her.

Hanabi picked up her head to glance at her sister, clad in her underwear and obsessing in front of the mirror, like some pre-teen having a crisis. She sweatdropped in embarrassment.

Hinata turned around to look at her butt, snug in her rose and white gingham panties. She knew she was a misses 9 small, which she never had a problem with before. But that was because she stopped listening to what other people thought about her since she was young. Now she felt that she let herself go and wished she could go back to being a junior 10. Unfortunately, even that wasn't very small.

"Hana-bunni? What's your size??" She asked in an innocent voice, glancing at her sister through the mirror's reflection.

"Don't compare me to you." The girl stonewalled indifferently, being more interested in trying to catch the Golbat that was kicking her little Jigglypuff's ass. "Shoot! Stupid marshmellow.. Go, Sandopan!" She called out her Sandslash.

"Oi, don't say marshmellow!" Hinata barked, whirling around on her sister and glaring at her with bright watery eyes. Hanabi just blinked at her, confused and taken aback.

"Why, are you hungry or something?" She asked cluelessly.

"No no no! Are you calling me fat too?!" Hinata whined, shaking her head violently back and forth. She couldn't believe it! Why did her sister assume she was hungry? Did she eat like a fat girl too?

"...Did someone call you marshmellow?" Hanabi asked, hitting the mark this time. She sweatdropped when her sister sunk to the ground, and pouted like a homesick puppy.

"...N-Naruto-kun.. d-did..(sniff)." She sniffled, looking teary-eyed.

"So?" Hanabi stated pointedly with a dry stare, not realizing her sister's reason for distress.

"He said my cheeks were like marshmellows!! What do you call this?!" Hinata freaked out, grabbing at her face and pulling on her cheeks, making a very deranged face. Hanabi wasn't sure whether to laugh and take a picture or run away right now.

"Baby fat?" She figured indifferently. Hinata let out a long high-pitched whine in the back of her throat, refusing to believe what she just heard. Baby fat or not, it was still fat. And that meant she had an immature face. And remembering her bra size, she refused to believe that her face hadn't grown up with her body.

"Then what do you call these?!" Hinata shrieked again, actually cupping herself, much to her little sister's embarrassment. It took awhile before Hanabi came back to comment.

"...Pregnant."

Hinata fell over.

"I.. can't believe you just said that..." The older sister whined, hugging a faded throw pillow to her face.

"Why are you bugging about this so much?" The smaller girl asked in a soft voice, finally overcoming her indifference. Her sister never acted like this before.

"Be-because.. N-Naruto-kun.." She said, voice muffled in the pillow.

Hanabi blinked astounded where she sat, looking at her sister like she was whole new person.

_'I can't believe it.. she has a crush on neighbor??'_

"You like fine, Onee-san." Hanabi said sincerely, picking up a sweet tone of voice in hopes of cheering her up. Hinata just shook her head again.

"No I don't.. My face doesn't match my body.. and.. I'm heavier than he thought I'd be.." She moped, taking the pillow away from her face as she sat up, face somewhat moist and red.

"Maybe.. wait, what?" Hanabi blurted out, a shocking realization hitting her when she was about to answer her. Hinata blushed, looking away, sad eyes becoming wistful.

"Naruto-kun carried me home. I don't really know why. He's wierd sometimes.." She giggled softly at the end, the happy feelings coming strong into her heart whenever she thought about him. All of a sudden the same sad homesick puppy look appeared on Hanabi's face, a cute blush on her own pale cheeks. It took Hinata awhile before she noticed this change in her little sister.

Hinata glanced up and recoiled with shock.

Hanabi looked really sad! What was that look for?!

"..You're so lucky." She uttered out wistfully, Hinata falling over in her surprise. _'Kanasato-kun's been really flirty with me, but he hasn't carried me yet... Why her? She doesn't even have a boyfriend.!' _The smaller girl inwardly pouted.

"Not really.. He carried me over his shoulder." Hinata admitted, embarrassed.

"So.. your ass was by his face?" Hanabi asked unabashed and with a straight face, her poor older sister shrieking at the top of her lungs.

"HANABI!!?"

"You're so lucky!!" Hanabi cooed, cupping her face dreamily, trying to imagine such a moment to happen to her. She thought it was cute and kinda kinky.

"WHAT?!" Hinata screamed out again. She thought she was going to faint.

* * *

It took a few minutes for Hinata control her embarrassment, and to get Hanabi to shut up about it.

Hinata was crouched in front of her mirror, doing nothing more than staring at her reflection.

Hinata sighed, and put her hands on either side of the mirror.

She crossed her eyes.

Inflated her cheeks.

Smiled wide, showing off her pearly teeth and clean gums.

She pouted, squinting her eyes at herself.

Then she stuck her tongue out and began to make baby noises at herself.

Hanabi thought she had finally gone bonkers.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She exclaimed, looking at her sister strangely with wide incredulous eyes.

"...I don't know anymore." Hinata moped, slouching her forehead against the cool glass. Hanabi sweatdropped, as she turned her DS off and placed it inside her yellow hoodie pocket.

"Look, if you want neighbor's honest opinion, just ask him." Hanabi commented as she got up. Hinata was about to respond about how hopeless it was, when a creaking stopped her and a sudden rush of fresh air blew through her room and hit her back in a chilling way.

"Kyaaa! No, don't! Hanabi-chan, close it!!" Hinata screeched out, tearing for the shoji door left wide open for everyone to see her and her room. Hanabi refused to move or close it, a mischevious grin on her lips.

"I'm indecent!" Hinata cried.

"Then that's your problem, huh?" Hanabi grinned toothily, shoving the door back when Hinata tugged for it. Hinata tried to pry her sister's fingers from the door, Hanabi slipping from her grip every time. They looked so silly, fighting for the door. Hinata grabbed her little sister's shoulders and began to drag her back, the door closing somewhat, but Hanabi just kicked it back. Hinata then grabbed her sister around her waist, but Hanabi twisted out of her grasp. Hinata moved to grab her sister's leg, Hanabi taking a hold of one of her braids.

"Owowowow, s-stop!" Hinata cried out, wincing, the strawberry hair tie coming loose with a few tangles.

"Nevar!! Mwahahaha!" Hanabi giggled in a fake maniacal laugh, rolling out of her sister's grasp and landing on her stomach. She crawled over and held the door open. Hinata got up and ran over for it, when something caught her and Hanabi's attention, stopping their bickering all together.

Hinata's eyes widened.

He was right there, on the porch and staring at her with wide eyes.

Except he wasn't Naruto-kun.

Hinata freaked out, tears stinging her eyes as she picked up her sister and threw her outside.

"Hey!! So ill-chill, Onee-san!" Hanabi whined, after landing hard on her butt.

Hinata slammed the door shut, leaving Hanabi outside like an unwanted cat. Hanabi glanced up at the stranger with the armband, curiousity filling her.

"So.. what're you doing at neighbor's house?"

* * *

A small sigh escaped him, almost echoing in the one-room house, letting him know that he was all alone.

Naruto sat in the middle of the living room/bedroom/kitchen, staring at nothing with the lights turned off and the sun hitting through the window. He had another stupid talk with the young probation officer, glad as always that he had finally left. He had come by to help him with finding a second job, telling him that The Ichiraku wasn't going to keep him alive or keep him out of Tama; that he needed a more 'sound' job and a stronger paycheck. Which he agreed with, but he still liked the Ichiraku. Ayame and the old man were practically his only friends in Tokyo.

Another sigh left him.

"Thirsty." He mumbled, as he got to his feet and headed for the kitchen counter. He turned the sink on, clean tap water rushing out. He moved around, opening up all the cupboards, realizing the obvious to his dismay.

He never bought cups.

He didn't even have any plates, and only one pair of chopsticks.

"Damn.." He cursed, scowling at himself as he sweatdropped stubbornly.

Naruto gripped the sink and moved to drink from the faucet, getting wet from the chin down.

The water wasn't even cold.

Well.. at least tomorrow was Sunday.

He planned to hold something down tomorrow.

* * *

A sunny sunday. How nice.

The flower of happiness bloomed timidly in her today, Hinata feeling somewhat reluctant about leaving the private comfort of her room. She had been so peeved at Hanabi last night. She had no idea what she was thinking, opening her bedroom door like that. But part of her wished it had been Naruto that was staring at her. ONLY because it was worse that it was some stranger whom, if she had been able to pay more attention, she would have been able to recognize him as the Armband Man from the school. At the same time she preferred that no one saw her, because if it had been Naruto, well.. she would never be able to face him again.

She walked out into the kitchen, Neji sitting by the kitchen table and reading the newspaper like a middle-aged man. Normally she would have giggled, but she had something urgent to ask him.

"Neji-nii?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think I'm fat?"

Neji blinked, bringing his eyes away from the paper to look at her. An all-time first.

"What?"

* * *

Naruto rolled off his futon, the sun blinding him into wakefulness. He sighed.

_'I'm too tired for this...'_ He groaned, shielding the morning light with a hand over his eyes. It took him several minutes before he sighed again and finally decided to get up, albeit begrudgingly.

Part of him really wasn't looking forward to this.

* * *

As soon as she put the wig on, completing today's outfit, the flower of happiness bloomed full of life in her chest, the sunlight and butteflies dancing around inside her, expressing her excitement. She always felt nothing to could top this, that nothing could compare to cosplaying and dressing up like a porcelain doll.

She sighed wistfully when she knew there was something that nearly reached the top of her happy meter.

And he didn't even like it when she cosplayed.

That made the flower wilt a little, and cosplay dropped an inch down the meter.

She fluffed the frilly petticoat of her dress, making her baby blue skirt look even fuller. She twirled once in front of her mirror, pleased with the way she looked. She was glad that the full skirts made her look thinner around the waist. She was glad that the style suited her, knowing now that she had a baby face, the innocence of the style was so much fun to play in.

She wore a white cotton pirate blouse, with several long ruffles extending from the collar down to her navel, like a waterfall of fabric, and loose sleeves with snug cuffs that hugged around her wrists. A pure white corset hugged at her waist, the silky black threads weaving around her hips. She straightened out the baby blue pannier skirt, making sure that enough of the frills and rufflers shown through. The skirt over all contained five tiers of layered fabric, decorated with embroidered blue roses and black stems and leaves. She bent down to buckle her black mary-janes, and pulled up her matching baby blue thigh high stockings. She finished by straightening out the black bow set atop her head, and smiled at her reflection, giggling at herself and feeling silly.

The wig she wore was a milky blonde. The long bangs framed around her face sweetly and fell around her shoulders in large smooth curls, like perfect waves of the ocean.

Today they were cosplaying _Alice in Wonderland._

And she was Alice.

* * *

Naruto stepped out into the late morning air, taking a decisive look around the neighborhood. Just then the sunlight bounced off of something, hitting him in the eye. He brought his hand up, squinting out into the street. Across the street, a few feet away, there was someone hiding behind a telephone pole.

She moved her head, crouched down and glanced over her shoulder, allowing Naruto a better look.

First thing he saw was the ridiculously large skirt, then he saw the blonde hair. If he didn't know her face so well by now, he never would have known who it was.

"...Is that Hinata-chan?" He asked, even though he knew. He just couldn't believe it.

What the hell was she doing anyways?

She was hiding.

Hinata turned her head every which way, hoping he wasn't around. She was avoiding being seen by him, ducking around in a very obvious way. Naruto sweatdropped when she got up and darted off, hiding behind a neighbor's hedges and peeking over the top, looking out for him.

Oh yeah. She was a ninja. Ahem, sarcasm.

He sweatdropped even heavier when she jumped to her feet, and the wig got caught in the bush, the oblivious Hinata letting a cute cry of alarm and frustration. After she fixed her look and straightened out her dress again, she ran off, disappearing down the street, never knowing that he had been watching her all along.

He shook his head at her, smiling somewhat.

She was so wierd.

He wondered why she was wearing a wig in the first place, when she never did before.

Figuring he was heading out to Shibuya today, he decided to follow her.

After all, she was making such an effort to avoid him it seemed, why not follow her?

She was oblivious to him. Which in the end made him the better ninja.

The train bustled along at a smooth and swift speed, their destinations at hand. Naruto knew he would end up leaving a stop or two earlier than Hinata, her Harajuku bridge located smack dab between Shibuya and Shinjuku.

He had kept some distance from her, not wanting get caught, he thought it was funny that she had no idea. Part of him just wanted to snatch that wig off her head and make her jump for it, just to surprise her. He glanced off to the side, scratching at the side of his face, and realizing that his line of thinking kinda changed when it was about her.

He had been teasing her a lot lately too.

But it was fun because she didn't seem to take it too seriously, she didn't become a kill-joy to his antics and.. he liked that.

She was an easy-going person and he felt really comfortable around her.

He glanced back at her, dressed up in her strange clothes, shadows and sunlight passing over her face by the second. The pale blonde bangs contrasted against her dark lashes, and almost blended with her skin. And her pale lavender eyes lit up with the strobe-like sunlight.

She was stuck in the middle of the aisle, between some business men and some darkly dressed cosplayers, and holding onto a cieling handle.

He was just a couple meters away from her, cram school students and business men seperating him from her.

It felt like they were from different worlds, opposite ends of the spectrum and perhaps they were.

She grew up on the east coast of the country.

He grew up on the west coast.

The train stopped. The doors opened and the Shibuya-goers poured out into the station. As Naruto took one last glance at her, he saw that she was on her cell phone, reading a text message.

She was smiling.

* * *

"Three.. two.. one."

"WE ALL FELL DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE!!"

The photographer laughed as he took the picture, a single flash brightening up the bridge of cosplay culture kids. He bowed his thanks and went on his way, stopping short to ask for two Cyber-Punk kids to pose for his magazine.

Hinata, of course, was Alice.

Mei, whom they hadn't seen in a couple months (reason not yet broached or discussed), was the White Rabbit. She wore a cute deep blue waist coat with a big white bow, small bunny ears atop her curly pink head, and a simple ruffles lolita dress (knee-high), with black mary-janes, and a bunny tail on her backside. She had been quiet so far today, she didn't look as cheerful as she used to be.

Moe was the Chesire Cat. She wore purple and pink striped thigh-high socks, matching tank-top and hot pants, with a striped tail safety-pinned to her butt, and purple cat ears atop her head.

Robin, who barely cosplayed, was The Catepillar. (Moe gave him her cosplay Shrek ears and an unlit cigarette, courtesy of silent bassist Yuki. Otherwise he just wore a plain white T-shirt and worn denims, and red converse shoes.)

Yuki by the way, was The Mad Hatter. Which many of the girls that passed and took one look at him, thought he was Mad Hott. (Yeah, bad pun.) He wore a tall and somewhat delapidated top hat, purplish-black in colour. It looked just like Slash's top hat, except it had a large velvet red bow on it, with a few poker cards sticking in the brim. Yuki chose to wear a torn up dress-shirt, with razor slashes around the arms, the collar popped up around his face with a red bow. He wore the only the first three buttons fastened, the rest of them unfastened and purposely left his abdomen exposed. Lastly he wore tight black pants with a couple studded belts and chains that hung loose around his hips. And for some reason he was wearing flip-flops.

Everyone at first thought that Moe should be the Mad Hatter, cuz most of the time she's totally off her rocker, but they all felt that the Chesire Cat is just as mad. Plus she loved stripes. And cat ears. It worked for her.

Atsuko was The March Hare, to help cosplay alongside his mad hatter boyfriend.

Atsuko wore a cute jean-mini skirt, with a rabbit tail sewn onto the butt, and floppy rabbit ears on his head. He wore his long bleached hair into messy pigtails, his long bang covering the right side of his face as always. He chose to wear a hot pink and black polka-dot tie instead of a bow, and wore an over-sized tuxedo jacket, with the elbows worn out completely. It happened to be Yuki's and it fell to Atsuko's knees and went past his arms, an extra five inches of fabric going past his fingers. A lot of people thought it was really cute.

Lastly..

LaBelle was The Queen of Hearts. It made a lot of sense. She was quite queeny, and often at times bossy. Everyone knew she was a privelaged girl, so it worked for her. She wore her dark blonde hair in a frizzy curly mess, looking very vogue and very cool. The wispy curls framed around her face and draped down her shoulder and floated down her back. Her dress was full-length hoop skirt, with a black and red bustle, the white tiers showing through and falling from her navel to her feet, like a waterfall cut in half. She allowed her long legs to show, as if letting everyone know.. _'Oh yeah, I'm a model for reals. Drink up people.'_ Her top was a heart-shaped corset, with puff sleeves on her shoulders. Her make-up was sophisicated and clean; just ruby red lipstick and black eyeliner. Lastly she wore a large red heart pinned into her air, with a red Queen of Hearts poker card clipped on, and held a single red rose in favor of a staff.

The Wonderland group talked excitedly amongst eachother, Kiba standing off somewhat to the side, not really cosplaying with their theme, but still part of the group. He kept an amourous eye on Hinata as he always had.

"Miyuki-chaaan!" Moe cooed, glomping Hinata affectionately from behind and gave her chest some affection at the same time. Hinata's face flushed bright red, eyes growing unbelievably wide. The group sweatdropped, only two people freaking out and displaying equal reactions.

"MOE-CHAN, KNOCK IT OFF!"

".................., KNOCK IT OFF!"

LaBelle and Kiba screamed out, Kiba coming in a second late. LaBelle was so aggravated and felt so embarrassed. Honestly it was like babysitting a perverted ten year old boy with this girl.

"Momi, momi, momi." Moe grinned mischeviously, matching her Chesire role perfectly, as she purposely squeezed Hinata three times just to piss LaBelle off. She wasn't paying much attention to the newbie of their group, Kiba. Hinata looked up, teary-eyed and pleading with wide eyes.

"Help me." She squeaked.

"STOP! THIS ISN'T _Miyuki-chan in Wonderland_, STUPID!!"

"STOP! THIS ISN'T _Miyuki-chan in Wonderland_, STUPID!!" LaBelle and Kiba both shouted simultaneously again. The tall blonde was just embarrassed. Kiba was defensive. With the way the past couple days had gone, he didn't want anyone touching his Hina-chan.

In the background, Robin thought it was wierd how close LaBelle and Kiba's reactions and responses were.

"It's not?" Moe asked cluelessly, paying no mind to her fondling or Hinata's distress to being publicly fondled. This was worse than the time Moe tried to kiss her on Christmas.

"NO!"

"NO!"

...

"So then... we're not lesbians today?" The chesire cat asked matter-of-factly.

"NO!" The tall blonde schreeched.

"N--wait.." Kiba nearly said 'no', but stopped, now realizing how that would have sounded coming from him.

* * *

Naruto journeyed through the immensely crowded stream of people, surprised how he managed to get away without bumping or hitting shoulders with someone.

_'Thank god, this ain't Osaka.'_ He relieved, old memories resurfacing like bubbles in a _Coca-Cola._ Some good, some interesting, a few bad and a couple scarring. He forced the darker thoughts back, trying his best to face the sunlight not wanting to get sucked into a retrospective mood and sauntered on.

He saw the Ichiraku pull up, good ole Ayame and Teuchi cooking and greeting their minimal customers with friendly words and smiles. Ayame looked up after placing down a hot bowl and smiled, waving warmly at him. He smiled and waved back, taking his time as he headed over.

* * *

"Man, I don't know who's more of a Queen. LaBelle or Atsuko?" Moe grinned cluelessly, looking between her petite best-friend dressed in drag, or her almost statuesque comrade, who was glaring sharp pointy objects at her.

"Freddie Mercury." Yuki commented, speaking for the first time, but his voice was so low that no one noticed.

"Do I look like I'm dressed in drag?!" LaBelle yelled indignantly, her pretty hand fisted at her side.

"I am." Atsuko piped up cutely, instantly getting glomped by Moe.

"I know you are sweetie! And that's why I loves you!" She giggled. Suddenly a shadow came out of nowhere and blocked their sunlight. Moe and Atsuko looked up, recoiling almost instantly. Robin was right there, with his arms extended towards Atsuko.

"What the hell are you doing?" Moe asked haughtily. Robin sweatdropped, bringing a hand to the back of his head.

"Oh I thought it was a group hug. My bad!" He lied badly, grinning sheepishly. Atsuko decided to get out of the line of fire when Moe put her hands on her hips and glared bitchily at the indecisive boy.

"Yeah right! You were trying to cope a feel of Atsuko!" Moe accused, knowing him more than anyone. Robin was still whining and crying over his old flame, which at first Moe always thought was cute. But recently it was starting to piss her off straight to Mars.

"Was not!" He fought back, not that it had much use now. He glanced up, taking an immediate step back, a chill moving down his spine. Yuki was staring at him. It was hard to tell if he was glaring because his face was often so calm and monotonous. And it was hard to know if Yuki disliked Robin because he never talked and no one knew much about him. It made everyone wonder how a relationship like that was able to continue, if conversation was so one-sided.

"It's love." Atsuko answered cutely with a curvy thin-lipped smile, as he wrapped his arms around Yuki's waist, Moe squealling happily with delight.

"It is? I thought it was sex. Hm.. I bet Yuki-san is a real talker in the bedroom. Wink wink, nudge nudge." Moe grinned devilishly, nevermind that she was already the Chesire Cat. She giggled in victory when the tall and sometimes intimidating Yuki lit up red again, for the third time since he came to join their group. LaBelle glared brightly at Moe, shaking her rose at the girl as if she was ready to murder her with it. If only the stem still had thorns.

Atsuko blinked, not blushing or reacting to Moe's words but noticing a disturbance that only he could detect. His boyfriend seemed quieter than usual, as if that was even possible. He looked up and it was all he needed to shriek out against Moe for once.

"Moe-chaaan! Stop making my Yuki-kun blush! Only I'm supposed to do that!"

"Then maybe you don't do it enough!"

"Stop with your innuendo!"

"Start with yours!"

"That doesn't even make any sense! ..I think.."

Robin died inside all over again. He couldn't believe it, the irony. "It's love." That's the way he always explained his feelings for the cute boy that looked and acted like a really cute girl. And now he was using it with the silent bassist.

_'It's so unfair!!!' _Robin turned around and crouched on the ground, knees tucked under his chin as he drew circles in the ground, sincerely depressed.

Standing off to the side, Hinata and Kiba sweatdropped, donning similar sheepish smiles. Seemed like aside from Yuki and Atsuko, they were the only ones in the group particular normal and complacent. LaBelle and Moe always fought, Moe and Robin always bickered, Robin always fawned over Atsuko and Atsuko always fawned over his Yuki.

He looked at her, thought she was so cute and hooked his arm around hers. Hinata glanced curiously at him, receiving nothing more but another warm smile. She smiled kindly back as she patted his arm, unknowingly sending him encouraging messages. Hinata glanced off to the side, wondering where her younger and much shorter friend was. When she finally spotted her, she sweatdropped.

Poor Mei was getting petted by two Kuro-loli girls, as they fawned over the pygmy rabbit cosplayer with curly pink hair. Mei looked really nervous, unfortunately not enjoying this strange display of affection by strangers; it was diminutive.

As the seconds passed, it felt like minutes to him, absorbed in Hinata's sweetness and prescence, he felt that he was having a very intimate moment with her.

And as any intimate moment in some sort of love-comedy, it wasn't met to last.

An interruption finally came, much to his immediate dismay.

"Oh my gewdness! You're so cute, Alice-chan!" A wispy Shiro-loli exclaimed, her handful of friends dressed in pink nodded in a agreement, all giggling and chatting excitedly amongst eachother. They had been staring and talking about the Wonderland cosplayers all afternoon, and they finally got the nerve to approach them.

Hinata smiled kindly at them, thanking them in her soft voice. Kiba just nodded, but no one noticed or payed him much mind because he wasn't cosplaying with their theme.

The wispy lolita's brave move to enter Wonderland got everyone around the bridge to finally come around.

"Hey! May we take some pictures with you guys?" A lanky Dandy-Loli boy with a boyish smile asked with his twin brother, both dressed in bluish-black britches, black and white knee-high socks, bluish-black top hats and ruffled shirt. They had this very mellow, very chill vibe about them, one look and Moe thought she was in crush. She wasn't sure if she wanted them to be straight or gay, because twincest was one of her favorite yaoi couplings.

_'It's just like Hikaru and Kaoru!! Squeee!!'_

Kiba's arm tightened almost instinctively around Hinata's, seeing the way one of those twins was looking at Hinata and refused to let her go. But she managed to slip out of his grasp without so much a fight from him. She nodded at the boys and walked by where her friends and the other loli-girls were, waiting to pose with her.

Kiba literally felt her absence and whine, now feeling left out without her. Sure he wasn't going out with her yet.. but their arms were linked! Didn't anyone at all think that they looked like a couple, didn't anyone think that at all?

"Shoulda just held her hand..." He whined again, sighing wistfully.

At least she was having fun though, seeing the glow radiate from her face, at least she was happy. Kiba's occasional moment of selfishness pushed itself aside, finding peace in her smile.

He'd let it be for now.

...

...

But he was still thinking of a when and how to ask her out.

He had yet to give up on that.

* * *

"You're getting a second job?"

"Apparently I have to." Naruto grumbled as he sat by the counter, somewhat annoyed with the idea. Ayame sighed with her hands on hips in a thoughtful manner as she contemplated over her trouble co-worker and friend. He didn't elaborate when they asked him what was new, he just said he was low on money and he was looking around. Maybe by now they shouldn't be surprised if he wasn't going to tell them much, it seemed to be his way now.

It still troubled Ayame though.

It saddened her that he wasn't living with his parents, wherever they were. And it disappointed her that he preferred to live alone. Part of her understood, figuring he was at that age where kids give up on dependent living. But part of her didn't completely accept the idea, especially if he was going to keep running into trouble like this.

She didn't want to suddenly turn around and find him sleeping in the parks, living in some blue polytarpaulin tent and using newspaper for a blanket, like Shuichi did at the beginning of _Gravitation_. It may have been cute then, but it could look really sad in real life.

She wouldn't allow a fate to such a young kid.

He had more purpose in this world than failing.

"So what're you gunna do?" She asked concerned. Naruto sighed through his nose, deep-thinking lines knitting between his brows, looking serious.

"I'm gunna look around today. And I'll take about any sort of job. But I'm still hoping for somewhere close to The Ichiraku, so that way my schedule is simple."

"That's a pretty good plan. Guess that means you're not coming into work today?"

"Heh, no I guess not."

"Alright, well if you're not going to buy anything.. then get the hell out you freeloader, Heheh."

"Later Ayame-chan."

"Ganbatte, Naruto-kun."

"And don't go working for another ramen stand or you're fired!"

"Otou-san!"

"What? He knows I'm joking."

* * *

Naruto pulled out a piece of paper from his worn jeans pocket, unfolding it four times and gave it a once over. When Mizuno had stopped by yesterday, he gave a list of a few places that had opens for his age and everything. Only problem was, a lot of these places sounded like they required a suit and an interview. Not just, but a majority of these addresses were of the farthest wards of Tokyo and even addresses hailing from Yokohama.

If Mizuno thought this was being helpful, then there was something seriously wrong with his way of thinking. ...Seriously.

"Che.. what a dumbass.." The blonde bit out airily as he nonchalantly tossed the paper into a trashbin.

He would do this on his own.

And if all else failed, he had one sure-fire back-up plan.

_'But only as a last resort.. Kami knows how much that screwed up my middle school years.. ..Well I screwed up everything on my own anyways.. Can't get much worse than Matsue or Yakuza now..'_

Naruto promenaded his way down the sidewalks, the bodies swimming past him without a second thought. It didn't seem like people existed here, their bodies remained, but if you never pick your head up to look someone in the eye, it's as if the other doesn't exist.

Eyes barely met here.

Everyone just had their crosshairs set for their destination.

Naruto was the only one sweeping glances to the side, just trying to see if someone would notice him, if anyone would see him there.

He used to stand out so well at his hometown. Just one look at his spikey blonde hair or whiskered face and they knew it was him.

And compared to that.. he wasn't sure if he liked not standing out, at the prospect of fitting in. Or if he disliked not being seen, at the prospect that no one wanted to give him a single glance, as if it took too much time out of their lives.

He liked the idea of being considered normal and blending in, but he was afraid of being ignored and remaining isolated.

Ever since he got here, he hated these thoughts he would get. He hated the way being alone left him time to think. He hated the way his thinking made him feel alone.

He missed.. a lot of things. Everything was imperfect then, he knew it'd never get better. He just didn't expect it to get worse.

Suddenly the best things just stopped. And the faces disappeared. There was that moment of disillusionment. Then emptiness...

So many mistakes made along the way..

_'I don't think I'll ever stop being alone..'_

He kicked out of frustration, lucky he didn't kick or trip someone at the same time.

This was what he hated from being here; This never-ending chain of thoughts, a vicious cycle of self-pity.

He never received pity.

And he never pitied himself.

So why was weakness setting in now?

* * *

Kiba was growing sad, even though Hinata was happy.

He thought that Harajuku was the one place he had her practically all to himself. He didn't feel intimidated by her friends hogging her because he was part of the group now, at least he was certain, then again he mostly stuck close to Hinata and occasionally chatted with LaBelle, seeing as she was the more sane one of the group. But now he hadn't gotten the chance to try and ask her out, let alone get around to talk to her. Not with the whole bridge wanting pictures with her and her friends.

But then he finally shrugged it off, figuring he had plenty of time to ask her out.

He had completely forgotten about the yanki, the past couple days getting swept under the rug of his mind.

The yanki was no one he should have to worry about, he felt.

Just because _Kamikaze Girls_ had a lolita and a yanki relationship, didn't mean that Hinata would ever like the rough-and-tumble type.

He was completely confident that nothing was going on between them.

If anything, they'd be an unlikely pairing, her and the yanki.

* * *

He stood in the center of the bustling Shibuya Crossing, where all the people, cars and noise met, merged and exchanged. To the right was Daikanyama, to the left was Meiji Dori. Meiji Dori was the main street that led into Harajuku. Ahead of him was Dogenzaka and Bunkamura Dori, with the _Shibuya109_ Department store serving as a fork between the two streets. And behind him was Miyamasu zaka, which also intersected with Meiji Dori.

The _109_ store was well-known, the most frequently alluded building in most pop-culture media whenever it had to do with Shibuya. He heard Ino talk about it alot, but not like he remembered anything she said. He just knew that she'd been wanting to go to Tokyo all her life. She tried to drag Sakura along once, but she refused, not caring about it much. That usually happened, Ino couldn't get Sakura to do anything anymore and she eventually made a seperate group of friends.

Naruto decided to stop by, just to see what they had inside. Maybe they'd have an opening somewhere on the electronics floor or in warehousing.

There was something insignificant nagging him, as if trying to decipher familiarity.

But it left him and he gave up on it.

He entered through the front doors, an artifical breeze hitting him almost instantly.

He hadn't been prepared for this.

He thought it'd just have old people walking around with their grandchildren or something. That it'd be dull and plain on the inside. That their'd be a GAP and a Macy's and a Mitsukoshi's.

But that wasn't what it looked like at all.

"Holy crap. It's a mall!"

The _Shibuya 109 _was full of school girls, tanned girls, kogals of all styles, sect and size. It was packed with stores, with stylish old and young women, magazine photographers, housewives and their boyfriends, lovers or husbands.

He could hear music, there was a mixture of Yoko Ishida, Crystal Kay, Koda Kumi and elevator ambience, the kind that people use as a torture device when you're on hold.

He walked into a small store randomly, the name too neon and too curvy for him to read. He strolled around, not sure what he was looking for or expected to find. With his hands in his pockets, Naruto passed by a mirror and caught his reflection.

He was slouching. His hair was messy, but that wasn't anything new. His jeans were worn around the knees, and he was stepping on the back of the legs. The only thing that looked decent enough was the white shirt he wore, a black 'uzumaki' spiral spray-painted across the chest. It was an old, loose shirt that he purposely tagged one time. He remembered how they said he ruined a perfectly clean shirt.

He pulled at the hem a bit, and looked at his reflection again. Naruto shrugged, thinking he looked alright enough. He walked up to the mirror and pulled his hair back, uncovering his face. His skin was mostly unblemished, perhaps a little dark around the eyes, but that was from late nights and a somewhat unhealthy lifestyle. He placed his hands over his cheeks, and turned his head from side to side, trying to imagine what it'd look like if his cheeks didn't have whiskers. He stuck his fingers in the corners of his mouth and pulled down his bottom lip, checking if his teeth and gums were clean. Then he glanced down at his shirt, bringing the collar up to his nose and sniffed it.

It smelled alright, probably should get his clothes washed soon though.

Suddenly he heard a giggle or two behind him. Naruto froze where he stood as he glanced into the mirror's reflection; there were two kogals giggling at him, their sun-kissed and manicured hands held cutely over thier smiling lips.

He sweatdropped nervously.

"What is he doing?" The taller girl whispered to her friend, giggling all the while.

"Maybe he's Narcissus." The other girl commented, the two of them finally taking their leave.

His former nervousness turned into embarrassed aggravation.

And just when he thought they were intimidatingly cute, they turn into every other girl that laughed at him.

Now feeling like a fool, Naruto straightened himself and backed away from the mirror. Much to his chagrin, there had been a couple counter clerks and middle school girls staring oddly at him.

_'What're you lookin' at?' _He said intimidatingly in his head as he mildly scowled at them, resisting the urge to speak the words aloud.

* * *

Naruto didn't stay long there, finding it more crowded than he could bear. But he had this song stuck in his head now, after hearing it play in a _Tower Records_ store.

"Day after day/ I will walk and I will play/ but the day after today/ I will stop/ and I will start.." He mumbled somewhat coherently, his accent kinda mashing up the words every now and then.

He headed down Bunkamura Street from the entrance, his destination now was the _HMV_ building across the way. He thought he might like working in a music retail chain store. Especially if he can listen to great music everyday.

He looked at his new surroundings, realizing he'd never gone down this street before. It was a completely different place of its own, the overall appearance was clean, simple and high-class. No wonder why there were so many stylish people walking around, some thesbians, some musicians, but mostly kogals or hostesses that need getting away from the Ginza District.

"Why can't I get just one kiss/ why can't I get just one kiss/ there may be something's that I wouldn't miss/ but I look at your pants and I need a kiss.."

A pair of kogals came strolling arm-in-arm down the street, one thin and slender with an angular face and permed reddish-mulberry hair, and a petite girl with thick permed honey-blonde hair and a cute round face.

The brunette wore an off-the-shoulder white eighties-styled half-sleeve shirt, with an Andy Warhol pop-art image of Kim Deal on the shirt, her outline in black, and the words "As Cool As.." in pop-pink. She also wore tight grey skinnies and red peep-toe pumps from _Burberry_.

The honey-blonde was a little more cute than her edgy-boho styled friend. The blonde wore a white and blue polka-dot halter top and a denim-jean mini-skirt, with white platform shoes and blue knee high striped socks.

Naruto eventually saw the two coming up, his eyes connecting with the honey-blonde girl with the cute face and pretty hair. She looked away at first, then looked back at him with a shy smile and a flirty look in her eye. Naruto found himself staring, the brunette and the blonde giggling and chatting amongst eachother.

"Why can't I get just one screw/ why can't I get just one screw/ believe me I know what to do..."

The blonde walked right past him, looking up at him and connecting eyes again. Naruto didn't realize that he was smiling and still singing, unconsciously finding himself attracted.

"..But something won't let me make love to you."

The blonde and her friend suddenly laughed at something just as he began to turn and around.

"Why can't I get just one fuck/ why can't I get just one fuck/ I guess it's got something to do with luck/ but I waited my whole life for just one..."

He was about to continue on his way, not realizing that they had paused in the middle of the street, and halted mid-step upon hearing a their cute giggles again and a distinct click.

Naruto was bewildered to find the blonde had her cell phone held out and aimed at him, becoming flustered, even as the brunette kogal tried to pull her friend away. The blonde took another picture and waved him cutely goodbye, Naruto waving back with a sweatdrop. They walked off, occasionally stealing glances and laughing loudly about something.

Naruto admitted that was one of the wierdest things that's ever happened to him since he got there, but he kinna liked it. They were really cute. He watched them leave, almost shamelessly as he noticed something he liked even more.

_'They're wearing mini-skirts, and it's not even spring yet! ..Hee, but who'm I to complain?'_ He thought, even going as far as to crane his head a little. They were long gone by now, as Naruto waited by the small street crossing, he began a guessing game in his head, trying to imagine what their names were.

"Like... _Suzuki_.. or a _Mika_.. or _Anne._ The blonde was like an _Airi_ or _Becky_.."

The light turned green, and Naruto headed across Bunkamura over to Hands Dori.

* * *

She enjoyed this feeling.

Found it exilirating and delightful, like standing on clouds and overlooking the world below.

Like walking across a rainbow with the stars falling from the sky like rain drops.

And she absorbed every smile and every kind greeting from those that wanted to talk and take a picture with her.

She didn't think she ever felt so accepted before, even after spending the past four years here, she never experienced this kind of friendly adoration.

It tasted like icing.

The best kind.

Strawberry..

No.

Chocolate.

Buttercream?

"Chocoberry Cream!" She suddenly cried out. All eyes turned to her with confusion written in their faces, her friends the most confused of all.

"What was that?" Moe asked, amused. The one known today as 'Alice-chan' blushed a little but it didn't belay her unrelenting smile.

"Happiness tastes like Chocoberry Cream icing." She said in a sweet soft voice, surprised how quiet everyone got to actually hear her. And almost instantly the noise returned, doubled and with much more fervor.

"Kawaii!!" Alot of the boys and girls shouted out.

"Alice-chan, take a picture with me!!" A slightly thick boy with a good face exclaimed.

"Pose with us!!" Came a group of FRUiTS girls, cell phones and digital cameras in hand.

"Get the Mad Hatter to take a picture, we want to pose with the March Hare!" Exclaimed a group of goth-loli girls, dragging Yuki and Atsuko by the hand to place them in the middle beside Hinata.

"Photographer! Get the photographers!" Someone shouted from the back, the massive crowd of cosplayers and instant fans attracting a whole new mess of curious tourists and magazine photographers.

Hinata found herself feeling anxious, but not displeased, as everyone began to rush in to stand or kneel beside her, finding herself squished beside her friends and peers. She glanced out of the corner of her eye when Moe tapped her on the shoulder.

"You sure have a way of attracting people, girl. Like racoons to trash." She grinned mildly, still sweatdropping as more people began to shove around. Hinata blanched, sweatdropping with amused embarrassment.

"That's not attractive at all, Moe-chan." She laughed, shaking her head.

"Only if you don't make it to be." The red-head countered, spunky and silly as always.

"Mm-hm. Okay." Hinata nearly urged out, having nothing better to say as she became almost breathless amongst the fray. Everyone began to squeeze in from the sides and by kneeling on the ground, the photographers stepping back and refocusing their lenses just perfectly to allow everyone in.

Nearly the entire bridge was there, or at least those that could fit.

"You this popular at school?" Moe whispered excitedly in her ear as the noise began to quiet down, everyone keeping still and straightening their outfits for the picture. Hinata didn't answer her.

"Alright, everyone ready?" One of the leading camera men asked, a wide smile on his scruffy face. He couldn't wait to write the article on this. This was wild.

"HAI!" Everyone called out and nodded in unison. The man raised five fingers in the air.

"Go!"

Hinata maintained her smile. Moe faced the camera and gave them a perfect cat-like grin, never giving Hinata's silence a second thought.

"Shi!"

Hinata could have answered her, either a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer.

"San!"

But she chose not to.

"Ni!"

After all, why else was she here?

This was her Wonderland.

As she stood there, eyes, smiles, and bodies held tense and still in anticipation, the camera man dropped the final finger.

A single utterance rang out, a simultaneous vocal eruption of roughly seventy-seven teens.

"HAPPINESS TASTES LIKE CHOCOBERRY ICE CREAM!"

The first flash went off. Then the rest.

A surprised and delighted gasp left Hinata's slender throat, her face lighting up in a pretty blush. (They got the last part wrong, but she didn't notice.)

In a place like this, where even strangers are friends..

It was the best.

Nothing could top this feeling.

* * *

Well that was a bust.

Naruto exited out of the _Apple _store. It'd been three hours already since he left the _HMV_ building. That hadn't been a successful trip either. The store was immensely crowded due to a signing and show. Some local band was releasing their new album and Naruto stuck around for a couple songs to see if they were any good.

He didn't like turntables much. It was just a three man group anyways, the leading guys sang some scat and rapped.

Eventually he wandered and asked his way around to the manager's office, except it was locked. The manager was out for the day.

After that, Naruto weaved in and out of clothing stores that were dotted along the Meiji Dori, continuously getting turned down or turning them down himself.

So much for saying he'd take any job.

But he did still have that last resort job.

Naruto looked back at the store apathetically, the name reading _Don't Have Concept but Good Sense_, which he scoffed. If they really had any, their manager wouldn't be a half-blind senile old woman that smelled like herring and menthols. And her daughter was just as bitchy as the old woman was crazy. It was just a clothing store and she was demanding papers from him like he was dog with an unknown rabies status, or something stupid like that. And he kept telling her _"This ain't no f---king interview! I don't have f---king papers with me!"_

_"Don't you talk to me like that!"_

_"Maybe if you treat me with a little more courtesy, ya hag, I wouldn't be f---king yelling right now!"_

_"You know what! I wouldn't let your creepy blonde ass step one foot in our shop! Get lost!"_

_"Make me!"_

_"Get out, get out! You cur!" The old woman screamed, coming out of nowhere, as she picked up a five-inch heel from the display area and began swiping it at him. _

_"Ow! Shit, call off your dog!" Naruto cursed, evading the scary old women swipe for swipe._

_"That's my mother!" The daughter cried out indignantly._

_"That explains your pig-face then." Naruto commented under his breath, wishing he could yanked that damn shoe from the old woman, but part of him was worried he'd injure her or something._

_"Derelict! Gaijin! Monkey!" Was the old woman again._

_"Gaijin?! Ugly old hag!" Naruto growled out, getting pissed off all over again._

_"Get out now, or I call the police on account of harrassment!" The girl yelled haughtily, reaching for a pair of seven-inch platform boots._

_"I'm the one getting harrassed here!" Naruto told her incredulously, unable to believe how ridiculous these people were._

_"OUT!!" She screamed with finality, throwing the boot at him, the platform nailing him in the head._

Naruto reached up to touch the bump on his forehead, a slight indentation there.

_'Good thing this is a fanfic, or I wouldn't have survived that. Stupid wenches.'_ He relieved, scowling angrily at the clouds in the sky.

He sighed acerbically, peering out into the street, waiting for a car to pass before he could cross. He didn't see the car coming the other way, jumping when the horn's blare caught him off gaurd and he darted off to the other side.

Maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to do, but he didn't want to wait to find a crossing.

He began to notice how some pedestrians were making efforts to walk around him, something that annoyed him. Maybe by now he should expect this kind of thing every now and then, since back home it happened all the time. He wondered if he was really all that scary looking, if he was just walking dirt to these people.

He still couldn't believe that crazy old hag called him a gaijin, couldn't believe that bitch-and-a-half gave him grief about his hair color.

_"..I wouldn't let your creepy blonde ass step one foot in our shop!.."_

_'Gah, I shoulda just told her to go fuck herself, she probably has to anyway, she's so ugly.' _

Naruto finally stopped his ranting when he came to the end of the street but was still fuming, finding a four-way interesection, but no crossing like the one in Shibuya. Somehow this place began to look.. eerily familiar.. One glance to his left and his answer was right there.

"Shi--...damn." He cursed.

"I'm in Harajuku."

* * *

It felt like a lifetime had passed before they finally peeled out of there. Hinata was certain she never posed that many times in all her four years, it was something to behold, and she got to keep several pictures as memoirs to this day. She even received other cosplayers' personal cards, she just wished that she had made her own so she could give them her name and e-mail address.

KIba was actually glad to get out of the foray. He didn't even get to pose with Hinata, and no one wanted to pose with him. It wasn't like it was something he normally cared about, he went to Harajuku to cosplay and hang out. It just made him feel left out.

The group wandered down Meiji Dori for awhile, chatting pleasantly about the day as they laughed over some of the funny things they remembered.

Moe and Robin had actually teamed up at one point in teasing Kiba, Moe taking the lead most of the time.

He had blurted out something about 'Hott Furry-Yuri relations' when at the same time he had his arm hooked with Hinata's. Hinata, being in the line of fire, ended up being on the receiving end of the teasing as well.

Later on Moe kept hounding Atsuko and Yuki for some pictures, but they refused. She then went off on a crusade for real life yaoi fan-service and started tailing the princely Ouji-Loli twins; Dandi and Andi. They kept politely telling her off, trying to fend her advances with friendly small-talk, but she remained vigilant despite.

_"C'mon c'mon, please?!"_

_"No." _

_"No." They told her simultaneously._

_"Please?!" Moe begged again, two digital cameras in hand and her cell phone in the other. _

_"No."_

_"No."_

_Robin finally decided to intervene._

_"Moemi-chan.. knock it off." He scowled at her, and turned to the saintly-patient twins. "I'm sorry, please forgive my "little sister's" behavior. She has this sort of disorder. I think it's called: Stupid." The usually indecisive boy apologized sincerely, and insulted her coyly, incidently getting smacked in the head with one of Yuki's flip-flops. (Not entirely sure how she got a hold of it, but she did.) Yuki had to walk over and take it from her in order to get it back. He wasn't sure how it happened either._

_"No way! I'm not leaving and neither are they until I get me some yaoi-smex!" The overly exuberant girl spoke determinedly, the three boys around her sweatdropping wearily._

_"Alright, fine. C'mere.." Andi, the younger princely brother, said dully, getting Moe excited. She had all three cameras ready to take multiple pictures when she thought that the twins were going to 'pose', but instead Andi did her a greater service when he reached out for Robin._

_"HA!!!!" Moe screamed out, hyper and happily, as she took 20 pictures a minute of a scared looking Robin getting kissed by the Dandy Andi._

_"How'd you know I like UkeXUke?!"_

"Impressive flashback, Moe-chan." Atsuko chirped, skipping along the sidewalks like a child. Poor Robin looked like he was ready to die again.

"I can't believe you had to bring that up..." Robin sighed out, somehow feeling disappointed but utterly embarrassed. "You italicized it and everything.." He mumbled.

"I can't believe Andi-san just did that! He's not even curved!" The chesire cat squealed, flipping through the pictures on her cell phone. _'Sigh.. so awesome..'_

The trailing group sweatdropped.

Suddenly feet became tired.

Shoulders began to feel sore.

And stomachs grumbled.

They were hungry. They hadn't had anything to eat but whatever delicious snacks their cosplaying peers had to offer.

"Guys, what should we eat?" Moe piped up as she walked backwards, waiting for a response. Robin and LaBelle nearly yelled at her, instead Robin coming up to turn her back around. She nearly hit a few people walking backwards.

"Hey.. wait a second.." Hinata muttered out, as she took in their new southern surroundings.

There was a _Burberry: Black Label_, and a _Prada Sports_ store to her left. Across the street was the JR Line, a bullet train rushing on through. Up head were some buildings. She could see the _Apple Store_ and the _Tower Records_ building. And far far far off, she could see the back of the _Shibuya 109_ and the _HMV_ building.

Oh duh, they were in Shibuya!

"Guys!" Hinata called out, hands on either side of her mouth.

"We're in Shibuya." They answered back matter-of-factly, surprising Hinata and making her feel sheepish.

"Heh.. y-yeah." She chuckled, reaching for the back of her head. Upon doing that she blinked, an image flashing across her eyes.

_He began to rub the back of his neck uncomfortably._

_"I um, I don't mind. Really.." Hinata glanced away, shy and vulnerable, her voice soft and low. She waited for him to respond, Naruto scratching the back of his head._

She realized that she just pulled... a Naruto-kun.

And as the familiar fluttery rush of wonderful feelings entered her chest, making her feel lucid and light-headed at the same time, she realized something else too.

_'I.. I hadn't thought about him all day.. Wait a minute! ..If we're in Shibuya..! Then that means..!!'_

"ICHIRAKU!"

All eyes turned to her with confusion written in the faces of her friends.

"Emi-chan. You gotta stop doing that." Moe laughed good-naturedly, after becoming unsuccessful in keeping a straight face.

"What's going on now?" LaBelle asked, still confused by her younger friend's sudden outburst. Hinata blushed a little, her new unrelenting smile never ceasing.

"How about we eat at The Ichiraku? It's a nice little ramen stand, and it close to Hachiko. We can all eat there and head home by taking the Shibuya train." The little Alice explained, feeling pleased with herself yet anxious.

_'Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes. I have to see him!!'_ She cried out in her head, making an immediate take off without her friends, not even giving them a choice or chance to make a decision.

"Wait! Emiri-chaaan!" Kiba called out, running after her, with everyone left to follow him.

Her fervor to see him must have been so strong, that she forgot that she was still in her cosplay clothes. And that her friends were still dressed somewhat ridiculously.

Didn't she tell herself already that he was put off by her strange clothes and friends?

_'And the White Rabbit in the waist coat said "I'm a late! I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say "Hello", "Goodbye"! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"'_

Hinata was suffering from a case of the giggles, joy and excitement tingling from her toes to her fingertips, or maybe that was just the sudden build-up of lactic acid from running like a mad person all the way through Shibuya.

She wasn't aware of herself or anything around her, at this point she even had forgotten about her friends. She just really needed to get to the Ichiraku before... before... well, actually.. there was no 'before anything'.

She was just impatient.

"Emiri-chaaaan!"

"Emi-chan!"

"Where'd you go?!"

"Eeeemi-chan!!"

Her friends cried out, struggling to keep up and trying their best not to knock anyone over.

Hinata stopped.

And her friends caught up.

"Emiri-chan? What's wrong? Why'd you just stop?" Kiba asked as he stood beside her, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. Hinata finally snapped back to life, shaking her head lightly.

_'Oh no! What am I doing anyways?! I ca-can't go there... Naruto would hate it if I brought my friends.. and I'm dressed today! He would be so.. so put off by the sight of me..'_

"I just uh.. I re-realized s-something!" She piped up, trying to hide her wavering voice. Only Kiba noticed.

"What's that?" LaBelle asked, now curious.

"I went the wrong way! I-I d-don't even kn-know wh-where the Ichi-r-raku is!" She lied, sounding strange to Kiba.

_'Why is she stuttering so much?'_

"But.. Emiri-chan." Moe called, getting Hinata's attention.

"Wh-what?"

"That stand right over there. It says Ichiraku." She told her matter-of-factly, causing Hinata to freak out instantly.

_'Urk! Shoot!'_ She swore, as her friends began to walk past her, only Kiba staying behind. It took her a while before she finally pulled herself together.

Then she turned around.

Confusion and disappointment rang in her heart, the tingles in her body going numb.

"E-Emi-ch-chan.. wha.. what is it?" Kiba asked, becoming worried with her.

But she didn't speak.

She was too wrapped up in her tunnel.

Because Naruto wasn't at the Ichiraku.

* * *

Naruto figured long as he didn't get anywhere near the bridge, he'd be safe and alright.

_'They'll never find me. They'll never know I'm here..'_

He hadn't forgotten his previous and first experience with the bridge. How the mob of scary cosplayers chased him around. And when he accidently hit Hinata and knocked her over. Then he started getting blamed by her friends, and the cosplayers yelled and screamed at him, and gave him the finger several times.

He shivered, frightened after reliving the old memory.

Well, that was all the way back in November. A lot of things changed since that disaster.

_'Huh.. wonder if Hinata's having fun..'_ He thought vaguely, dismissing it as soon as it came. He had completely forgotten about her since this morning when he last saw her.

He looked across the street.

There was another _HMV_, a _Hanjiro_'s, several indepedent stores all around (what a surprise), a _Laforet_'s, a three-floor _GAP_ building, and a triangle shaped shop on the diagonal corner of the _GAP. _

"..CondomMania?" Naruto read dubiously, looking around as if seeking a response. _'Kind of a wierd place to sell condoms, huh? Guess going to a SevenEleven is less fun..'_ He smirked, feeling silly.

The lights turned, and the pedestrians started to cross, Naruto following with. He didn't think much of the _Laforet_ building, but decided to head to the _GAP_.

It had three floors.

Who knows, maybe there was something there for him.

* * *

Ayame and Teuchi blinked.

They never had all eight seats filled at once before.

They never had cosplayers for customers before.

"Um.. eheh.. So, how's the ramen, guys?" Ayame asked cheerily, still somewhat overwhelmed by their appearance. She used to have a couple friends that cosplayed, but they had been big _X-Japan_ fans, so it seemed normal to her. This... this was... different, completely different. Then again, last she remembered, the bridge was still all about street performers and rockabilly wannabe's with greased back hair.

_'Oh no.. I think I've been around Father too long..'_ She sweatdropped, feeling out of date.

"It's great!"

"Mm-hm!"

"Yeah, never had ramen with so much..." Moe trailed off, picking up a lobster tail between her chopsticks, scrutinizing it somewhat. "..so much ingredients."

Ayame smiled gratefully, taking pride in her specialty of suping up the soup.

"It tastes just like _Kowloon_'s." Yuki quietly commented, surprising everyone at the table for two seperate reasons, the ramen stand suddenly going silent.

...

...

"I think Yuki just spoke his first words." LaBelle commented in awe.

"That's so intense." Moe added in, all eyes staring at Yuki, who just sweatdropped nervously in turn.

They didn't have to act so impressed.

Suddenly a crack resounded, all eyes now turning ahead, nervous sweatdrops immediately forming on the back of their heads.

Teuchi had snapped a pair of plastic chopsticks in his hands, an impatient and irritated look on his middle-aged face.

"What did you just say, boy?" Teuchi growled out, freaking everyone out.

_'Uh-oh... Yuki-san pissed him off..' _Everyone thought in unison, even Ayame.

Yuki looked nervously around, yet still had that monotonous cool look on his good-looking face. He didn't quiet know what he did or said wrong to become the target of the manager's crosshairs.

".. I said, that it tasted just like _Kowloon_'s." Yuki muttered out again, just as quietly and low as last time.

"KOWLOON IS KOREAN! MY RAMEN IS AN ORIGINAL PIECE OF WORK!" Teuchi boomed, nearly blowing everyone off their seats."Besides, they sell gyoza!!" He finished, huffing testily at the end. Ayame sweatdropped, grinning at her father sheepishly. He was so prideful.

"..." Yuki remained silent, having nothing to add or to say. He didn't mean any offence, he didn't even eat ramen that much. He just felt that all ramen tasted the same. Maybe he should say that, but he decided against it, not wanting to insult the man further.

"Maybe you start selling gyoza too. Or Churros!!! Can you guys make churros?!" Moe piped up exuberantly, kneeling foward on her seat and waving her free hand in the air, a scene from _Bobobo-bo Bo-Bobo_ playing in her head. _'Haha, Poppa Rocks rocks! XD'_

"...." Teuchi remained silent, not wanting to encourage or indulge the girl with a response.

"Moe-chan! Don't get him pissed off at you now!" Robin berated, pulling her back to sit on her butt. He feared that she was going to fall forward into the kitchen. She could be just about the biggest imbecile he ever had the pleasure or displeasure of knowing.

"What? Who gets pissy at me?" She asked, sincerely clueless.

"Everbody!" LaBelle, Kiba, Atsuko, Mei and Robin all shouted, Hinata quietly giggling in the background. She was still sad about Naruto not being here.

"You have a knack for it, idiot!" Robin finished.

* * *

Naruto reached the third floor after reading the map in the lobby on the first floor. There was a _Pizza Express_ and something called _Elephant Cafe_. At that moment, Naruto finally acknowledged his hunger, remembering that he hadn't eaten all day. He wished that Ayame didn't get rid of him so quickly, he should have at least gotten a small miso bowl for breakfast.

_'Maybe I should have just bought some ekiben...Haha.. ekiben..'_ Naruto laughed dryly, even though it was stupid, he just thought it was so funny when he freaked Hinata out yesterday.

_'Man, I really can't believe she's never been asked out.. I always thought that was somethin' that happened to people like me. ..Or only me. ...Why can't I get just one screw? Why can't I get just one-- crap! It's stuck in my head again!'_

Naruto stood between the two restaurants, as if coming to a decision.

_Pizza Express? or Elephant Cafe?_

_Pizza?_

_Elephant?_

_Pizza?_

_Cafe?_

_Pizza pizza?_

"I'll just take a peek at the cafe." He finally decided as he walked up to the rustic wooden door with the bronze handle, and copper elephant statue beside it as a decorative. He could hear a lot of noise coming from the restaurant and it got him all the more curious.

He opened it.

"SETTAI!!"

He closed it.

He opened it again.

"SETTAI!!"

He closed it.

Then he opened it again.

"..S-SETTAI??" The greeters and staff stumbled, unsure and confused.

"MAKE UP YOUR MIND ALREADY!" Someone in the back yelled, clearly exacerbated.

Naruto stood, holding the door open and letting the outside light in.

It was dark inside, dimly lit, so he couldn't see much from just standing by the door. But he could see something huge in the center of the seemingly cavernous restaurant. It was very noisy in here, and he could hear some chanting and singing echo from the back.

The staff dispersed, knowing that they had to get back to work, leaving only two restaurant hands as the greeter and server; a girl and a young man.

He noticed that they were wearing asian attire; the girl wore a deep blue cheongsom that stopped at her knees and hugged at her slender body. And the young man looked about early twenty-something, and he wore a sort of Thailand garment, plain white and tan, with sanskrit decorating the pants and shirt.

They continued to stare at him questioningly, wondering what he was doing. It was wierd when he kept opening and closing the door, the man wondered if he was making fun of them. It was part of their job for the whole staff to greet newcomers.

"Yo! You gunna fart around out there, or are ya comin' in?! Coz we've got orders to take, dumbass!" The shorter girl yelled out, sounding very boyish. She had taken Naruto and her co-worker by surprise, niether expecting such a hot-headed comment.

"Yeah, you tell him who's got the balls!! Whoo!!" The same person from the back yelled, goating her on, and making the young man sweatdrop with embarrassment. The voice belonged to a man. Probably older. That's all Naruto could presume. He finally walked in, albeit tentatively, and closed the door behind himself. It took him a few seconds before his eyes finally adjusted to the dimness.

Naruto walked up to the two, hand behind his head, unsurety filling him.

Nothing else had gone well today, and this place was rauceous! He was already expecting the worst.

Whatever that was.

"Can I get a job here?"

"Huh?!"

"Huh??"

* * *

Kiba noticed how quiet Hinata was, well.. she was always a quiet type, but this was different of course. She seemed sad, and it worried him. Especially when she had been so happy all day.

"Don't you like your ramen?" He asked in a tender voice, snapping Hinata to attention.

"Oh.. Oh! N-no, it's good." She fibbed, sad to realize that she was eating the same dish Naruto recommended to her the first and only time he brought her here.

_'But that was so long ago.. that was all the way back in chapter six...' _She lamented, feeling like she would never see him again. If only she wasn't so caught up, she'd realize that she'd see him tomorrow.

"So what's up?" Kiba encouraged, hoping that she'd open up to him.

She didn't. At least not really.

"I j-just.. became disappointed.. by something." She spoke softly, as she stared into her broth.

"Oh please, don't tell me you're disappointed in the soup!" Teuchi nearly cried, a vulnerable pleading look on his face. Hinata blanched, acting quickly.

"No no no! The ramen is great! I swear!" Hinata quicky amended, becoming anxious.

"You swear?" He asked her firmly, as he looked at her sternly.

"Yes..?" Hinata repeated unsurely and sheepish.

She sweatdropped when Teuchi didn't stop his stern scrutiny. She and Ayame sweatdropped even heavier when Teuchi held out his pinky towards her.

"Do you... Pinky swear?!" He asked, looking very serious.

"..." Hinata was speechless, both her and Kiba feeling awkward with the older man. Luckily Ayame around to save them.

"Ne, Papa! I think you're too old to pinky swear with young girls!" She teased, pushing his arm down, chuckling to her hide her embarrassment and trying to bring the mood back to normal.

"Then I'll just derive her promise out of blood." Teuchi revised, suddenly pulling out a knife out of no where, scaring half of the occupants to death. For a moment Kiba nearly said 'cool', because it seemed just like something out of a slasher film. And it would have been 'cool', were it not his Hinata the one being threatened here.

"Papa!"

* * *

Naruto found himself sitting in the manager's office. A first, because that was the farthest he ever gotten all day.

_'It's like I've reached the boss level, and now I've got to level with the boss in order to beat the game! ..And why the hell am I talking like this??'_

"Since this is not a formal interview, care to tell me what experiences you have?" The manager, Mr. Masaharu, asked as he slouched back in his chair. For a fourty-eight year old man, he seemed pretty chill. Naruto didn't want to jinx himself, but he was getting high hopes.

"I uh.. I worked construction for about.. maybe two years? And I have a part-time job right now at a ramen stand, The Ichiraku. That's about it, sir." Naruto answered best he could.

"The Ichiraku? Well then, tell Teuchi-san 'screw you', for me, mmkay?" Mr. Masaharu said matter-of-factly, his face nonchalant.

Naruto was confused.

"Huh..?"

"That guy owes me money." The manager explained, now appearing bitter.

"How much?" Naruto asked, somewhat bewildered. Is there a rivarly here or something? Maybe it was a poker game? _'Nah, that's cliche. Maybe it was pachinko.'_

"500 yen."

Naruto blinked.

"Come again?"

"I bought that man a pot-sticker 15 years ago! And he's never payed me back!" Mr. Masaharu proclaimed vigorously, slamming his palms a few times on the desk for emphasis.

"But.. you own this restuarant. Sir." Naruto amended at the end, not understanding the importance of a mere 500 yen.

"Yes, but he still owes me! I'll never live it down!"

Naruto sighed wearily, finding this man's priorities to lack logic.

"What if I just give you 500 yen?" He offered generously, hoping that paying the man off, he could get the job as well.

"I don't think so. It has to be from Ichiraku Teuchi himself." He said firmlyl with confidence.

"Well.. since he's the one that pays me, giving you 500 yen would literally be passing the buck." Naruto reasoned dully as he reached for his back pocket and pulled out his only 500 yen coin. "Here." He offered, holding it out.

Mr. Masaharu just crossed his arms and looked away.

"Nope."

"It's yours." Naruto tried again, pushing the coin towards his hopefully would-be manager. But he didn't take the bait.

"No."

Naruto sighed, and took the man's calligraphy pen on the desk, and began scrawling Teuchi's name on the coin.

"Alright, take it. I wrote his name on it, you can't deny that it's from my boss." Naruto told him, remaining firm. Mr. Masarharu picked up the coin, looking it over and scrutinizing it.

"To.. kill music with bare hands. What is wrong with you, are you some music-hatin' psychopath?" The childish middle-aged man asked him incredulously, tossing the coin back onto the desk.

"It's supposed to say Ichiraku Teuchi, okay?! So my kanji sucks! Don't go makin' fun o' me!" Naruto warned, almost jumping out of his chair to emphasize his point. He didn't understand why every old person had to make fun of his slightly illiteracy. Kanji is hard to memorize, man! Cut a kid some slack!

"It not just sucks. You've got serious typos here and there. I can't even tell the '-raku' apart from the 'Ichi'. Maybe you should just stick with hirigana and katakana. Like a kindergartner. Or a gaijin." He stated matter-of-factly, saying the one word that he didn't know would piss Naruto off.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO MAKE FUN OF ME, OLD MAN!" He yelled, this time jumping from his chair and slamming both palms on the desk, glaring lividly at the oblivious older man.

"If you can yell that loudly at me, do you think you can yell that loudly everytime the door opens?" He asked simply, taking no mind or heed by Naruto's outburst.

"Wh-what??" He asked, settling back down in the chair. He didn't quite understand what the man was asking.

"You were greeted loudly when you came in right?"

"Oh yeah.. I kept closing and opening the door--"

"Yes, you were mocking my staff, I know. Actually I thought that was pretty funny! They weren't prepared the third time around, hahahaha!" Mr. Masaharu began laughing, slapping his knee as he did so.

"Eheh.. y-yeah.." Naruto chuckled weakly, feeling awkward now. _'What is with this guy??' _

"Okay see, here are the requirements you need to comply to in order to work here: 1- You always greet newcomers, doesn't even matter where you are in the restaurant."

"Alright. But what if I'm on my ass in the crapper? Am I supposed to do it there too?" Naruto asked sincerely. Mr. Masaharu just freaked out.

"What's wrong with you?!"

"You said anywhere!" Naruto reminded him, explaining himself.

"Yes, but use your common sense, kid! Obviously you're not going to yell in the bathroom! Unless you like to greet your poop, or I dunno.." Mr. Masaharu trailed, now making it Naruto's turn to freak out.

"ALRIGHT, MOVING ON!! What's number two?"

"Weren't we just discussing number two?" The manager asked cluelessly.

"What, number two was.. don't yell in the crapper?" The blonde asked dubiously.

"No, number two **is** crap."

"WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT ANYMORE! What's requirement number two?! That's what I meant!!" Naruto shouted, jumping from his seat again. This man was ridiculous!

"You must always sing a chant according to certain dishes."

Naruto blinked.

"You're kidding."

"No, not at all. But don't worry, I'll give you a week to memorize the songs and dishes. And I'll even have Hiro-chan help you out, she's got a great voice!"

"...What's number three?" Naruto asked, dismissing the last comment.

"Wear this." He said, pulling out a black kung-fu shirt and pants outfit. Naruto just took one look at the outfit.

"You um.. you got anything else?" He asked, not sure how much he wanted to wear these. He'd probably look like some 70's martial arts movie reject.

"Like what?" The manager asked, curious as to what Naruto would rather wear. All they had otherwise were the male cheongsoms, and he doubted Naruto would really want to wear silk. He had to bite on the insides of his cheeks to stifle his laughter at the image in his head.

"Like what the other guy was wearing, the twenty-something guy with the scruff on his face."

"Nope, sorry. Ryoji owns the final set."

"These things come in sets?"

"Yes well, it's better than wearing the same color and style over and over again. You should see little Hiro-chan in her red cheongsom! It stops above the legs!" He cooed and swooned, holding his hands to his blushing face.

Naruto sweatdropped wearily, fearing for the girl now.

"...Man.. you really shouldn't hit on your employees like that." He pointed out dryly, wondering if there was a code of ethics the manager needed to go by or something.

"But she's got cute legs! You can't blame me for admiring." He fought back, looking serious and sure. His logic actually won out that time.

"I.. I guess not.." Naruto conceded, remembering how he was totally staring at the honey-blonde kogal's legs when she wasn't looking.

"Good lad! And you got the job." The manager praised with a pleased smile.

"..Wait.. really?!"

"Sure, I'm actually over-employed! But I don't care.. The more I hire, the less I have to pay you guys!" He admitted, stopping Naruto for a moment.

"...You're a wierd old fart, you know that?" He comment dryly.

"Indeed I am. Now get to work. And take Bruce Lee with you."

"Bruce Lee?"

"Yes, that's what I decided to name the chop-socky uniforms."

"Kung-fu uniforms, sir." Naruto amended, not that he really cared.

"Whatever."

* * *

"A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY TO ME!"

"TO WHO?"

"TO ME!" Moe sang out in her never-ending hyper state.

"OH YOU!" The rest of the group sang, leaving out Kiba and Yuki. Hinata giggled, softly echoing along, she knew some of the words.

"A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY TO YOU!"

"WHO ME?"

"YES, YOU!"

"Oh me!"

Their group's loud and rambunctious singing was getting all sorts of attention, many pedestrians stopping by to stick their heads in. Ayame and Teuchi had these sheepish looks on their face that seemed permanent until the cosplayers from Wonderland went on their merry way.

"Don't you kids have school tomorrow?" Teuchi asked dubiously.

"LET'S ALL CONGRATULATE US WITH ANOTHA CUP OF TEA! A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY TO YOU!!" Moe was the only left singing now, everyone else giving up when their voices did.

"Alright Moe!" Robin chided.

"IMAGINE, JUST ONE--!"

"WE'RE DONE SINGING!" The group shouted.

"Kill joys!! Off with their heads!"

Hinata shook her head, feeling a bit better now. She knew she'd see Naruto tomorrow.

* * *

Naruto turned and groaned in his bed, the morning sun hitting him almost painfully in the eyes.

His first night at the _Elephant Cafe_, had been an interesting experience to say the least. The restaurant was HUGE!! There were probably fifty-something tables! Not to mention the giant brass Buddha in the center of the restaurant, surrouned by four copper elephant statues. The decor was pleasing to the eye, and the atmosphere was very very noisy. The waiters and waitressses really did have to sing upon delivering a particular dish, Naruto managed to hear ten different songs, but he didn't any of them yet. He really hoped to all the gods and buddha that he wouldn't have to sing one day, that would be too embarrassing. Well, unless he could get Mr. Masaharu to pay him extra, then he could do it.

_'But.. that's all a.. pipe ..dream... ugh, gotta get curtains...'_

Naruto groaned, pulling his blankets up over his eyes.

Making ramen was cinch.

Naruto just wished waiting was. His arms and legs, shoulder and back felt sore from.. carrying loads of dishes back and forth, cleaning tables, the floors. And working in the kitchen was nothing like the Ichiraku! Working outside the kitchen was nothing like it either! He had a hard time dealing with peoples' orders, or their personalities and needs. At the Ichiraku, all they asked for was a bowl and drink, and that was it.

He didn't think he could get up today.

_Ton ton ton!_

"Naruto-kun?"

_'Oh.. it's Hinata-chan..'_

Naruto threw the covers aside and stretched, a big yawn emitting from his throat.

He really wondered if he could get up today.

"Naruto-kun.. Are you in? It's time for school."

* * *

Star - I really tried to be humorous with this chapter, and even I enjoyed my own jokes, unless that's a bad thing. ...Crap. Oh well, I had fun teasing Shino at the beginning, I thought that was pretty funny. Anyways I hope that this made you guys laugh, or at least got a giggle out of youse. That was my aim for this chapter, eheh. :P I mean, I know it got a bit sad and dramatic at the end, but overall it was more humor and fluff than the drama. It gets more dramatic again after this, haha.

Loves ya, laterness!

Liner Notes:

-Railway Boxed Meals. It's a kind of bento you can buy on trains and at the train stations. And in a totally different context... the clever youth of Japan use the term "ekiben" to describe a particular sexual position. (stand-up sex.) (I apologize in advance to the virgin eyes and ears who have just read this. Hope you find the joke later on to be funny anyways. ;D)


	24. Too Much! Super Sensual Overdrive!

Star - **Sorry Peeps and Readers, but this is the last chapter before I move**. Yes, I'm moving. ...I think I've already said this before.. Well anyways... I'll get back to this as fast as I possibly can. :3

I'm sorry for my stupid self-inserts in the previous chapter, I promise I won't do it again, heheh. Hope you like this chapter, cuz we're going back into the drama. I found last chapter's reviews funny because, majority of you guys are expecting one thing without entertaining the other. I just hope that whatever happens, the scenarios don't seem maudlin or cliche.

Anyways, the parts with Mizuno and Naruto are BS, because I honestly don't know how parole officers work and stuff. Also, I realized I've made several geographic errors. X0 (Matsue is not a Prefecture, it is the Capital of the Shimane Prefecture of the Chugoku Region. When I move and get all settled, I'm pulling out all stops to seriously REVISE my story, hahaha. X3)

Hope you like! Enjoi!

(**WARNING: Maki-Zushi!! ...SKITTLES!! ...**ShikaTem in the opening scene. ...**Except it revolves around Gaara**... that's a dilemma, ain't it? If you want, **Maki-Zushi**, I'll just PM you a summary of the opening scene, so that way you still know what is going on with Gaara and you won't have to burn your eyes with the ShikaTem. I feel the same way with NaruSaku.. ughsies.)

* * *

Nihongo Terms:

- Honne: One's true desires and feelings. It may be contrary to society's expectations or what a person is required to do in society. Usually kept hidden, but shared with one you're close to.

- Tatemae: Literally "Facade". It's the way Japanese society views and wants to view you. Also it's the way you act in public.

- Hikikomori: A type of person or type of syndrome.

- Melon-pan: Melon Bread, pan means bread.

- "Daisuki yo zutto" : I'll always like/love you.

- Tamakeri: Masochistic sexual fetish... "ball busting/crotch kicking". (lol, sorry, so graphic!)

- "-tan" : It's just like "-chan", but cuter and in a baby voice, heehee!

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch. 24 - Super Sensual Dreams on Overdrive! Too Much Gropey-Gropey and Touchy-Touchy! (HANDS OFF IF YOU DON'T LOVE ME! Pt.I)

__

Long thrown into a murk of darkness and fog -- with sparce clean air to breath -- she had grown accustomed to her role of the despairer.

Hardened and aggressive, she steeled herself against the world, only caring for the three remaining men in her life.

The cool morning wind breezed and whistled through the budding trees, the rooftop ordinarily cold and dry at this early hour.

The students shuffled into the courtyard of the school, friends flocking and greeting eachother with friendly smiles.

They looked small and far away from where he stood on the rooftop, disinterest evident on his dull face.

Smoke blew lazily past his lips, the wind carrying it away in a matter of seconds. He sighed in a weary manner before taking another drag, as he looked to the skies.

He enjoyed the way the smoke contrasted against the bright clouds, almost an illusion that they had shadows despite the sun's relentless shine.

The weather had been too nice for too long it seemed.

Not to say that things hadn't been stormy...

He whistled smoke through his flat lips again, the taste of cherry-vanilla thick on his tongue.

Shikamaru took notice when the roof door creaked open, the shut closed with an audible _ka-chink._ He took no interest however, finding it too troublesome to turn around.

For all he knew it could be anybody.

Then again it could only be a troublesome girl.

Without a word or sound, Shikamaru paused, dragged, exhaled, and waited as ashes collasped from his cigarette. He didn't take the time to guess who it was.

Whoever it was didn't matter much to him.

The clacking of footsteps made their way up to his solitary figure, as he exuded mellow clouds once more from his lips.

The girl leaned her back against the fence, arms crossed and a solemn look on her strong face.

It was then that he knew it was her.

The silence continued on like that, as one sought for strength and one indiscriminately provided it.

Without words, without touch.

This was how they usually were around eachother, very rarely did they not keep one another at arms length.

There was no need to belittle her independent and prideful nature.

No need to go against his own.

He wasn't exactly the physical type.

Niether was she.

"I don't think I can save him." She said coolly, despite what her words implied.

Shikamaru pulled his eyes away from the clouds to look her in the eyes. He could see her well-placed facade, rigid, as if she were wearing full-body armor. But he could see right through her, no matter how much it irked her.

Her heart was stark naked.

He was one of the few men that could see beneath her facade, _tatemae._

He was the only one she expressed her inner most self to, _honne._

"I thought that highly payed lawyer of yours was going for an insanity plea." Shikamaru stated more than asked, cigarette held loosely between his lips. He took notice to the way her eyes lowered, and the slight knit of her brows. That was just a hint of the turmoil that plagued her.

He knew she'd been carrying a burden for a long time now.

"I know, I don't-- I don't think it's going to help him.." She answered as smoothly as she could, as she clenched at her arms, knuckles turning white. "It's already been three months since he applied the final appeal... But they want to get rid of him, I'm sure of it.. just like _the Kobe Killer_.."

Shikamaru sighed.

"C'mon Sunahara-san.." He started out wearily, as he tapped the ashes off his cigarette, the grey and black particles drifting to the ground. "The Kobe Killer was--", He was interrupted.

"_Hikkokomori_?!" She shot at him pointedly with a mild glare, immediately shutting him down. There was nothing he could say against that. And if he ever tried, she'd smack him. He knew it too. She didn't want to ever discuss her brother's... past acts.

"But this was out of self-defense. He was trying to save you too." He countered firmly, rendering her quiet. "Besides.. Boy A was never sentenced to death row."

"..." Temari lowered her eyes, unable to respond right away, she looked off to the side. Her shadow looked as if it was connected to his, the sun's low angle stretching their immaterial selves across the rooftop. Even his shadow was still taller than her. "But.. who do you think they're going to believe? The murdered Senator or his dissociative son? They'll hold less sympathy for him!" Temari bit out hopelessly in a peculiar tone, almost sounding fragile.

Such a tone did not suit her, nor had he ever thought he'd see or hear it in her.

"He was fifteen when it he did it." He told her evenly. But she just shook her head pessimistically.

"The law changed years ago. You know he's not being tried as a juvie." She muttered.

"But at worst, he'll be sent into Tama." Shikamaru reasoned, getting somewhat through to her. Her shoulders slackened with exhaustion.

"...I don't him to die.." She admitted bitterly, her words drifting with the wind. There were goosebumps on her neck now. She couldn't help this hopelessness of hers. Everything was weighing on her, like several layers of sodden blankets, smothering he, refusing her air. She had no way out. She could barely breathe half the time.

"He won't." Shikamaru said, almost automatically. He had to briefly question the sincerety of his response and so did she. Maybe it was naive even of him, but he couldn't imagine her fears to manifest.

Sometimes she wished she had that naivete, even though she often hated those weak and innocent types.

"Tch. Such a typical response." She scoffed irritably, brushing his pathetic reassurance off in a brusque manner. He never was good at consolation. That was because he never tried. And they both knew that. At least he had his loyal personality going for him, or their relationship never would have lasted this long. She doubted it would have gotten as far as a friendship. She would have beaten him up that day, the day they first met.

She had tried to anyway.

"Well, what else do you expect me to say?" Shikamaru shrugged unsurely. For him, that was the natural response. So what else was there to say?

"You really irritate me somtimes." Temari complained in a huff, as she slouched back against the fencing again. This wasn't working out. He was useless today and she felt like she was drowning in quicksand.

Did he not understand that?!

"Alright." He shrugged again, not really caring either way.

A small snap reverberated in Temari's mind as she got to her feet and faced him. It wasn't for a minute or two that Shikamaru acknowledged the prickly vibe emitted towards him, only to calmly and quite blankly meet her livid glare.

He coolly exhaled smoke, his indifference finally setting her off.

"CHE! Gimme that cigarette!" She cried out, as she ripped the stick from his lips and placed it between hers.

Temari dragged sharp and deep.

Shikamaru blinked, astonished and aghast that she wasn't coughing yet.

"I deserve this more than you! I don't even know why you smoke! As if you're so stressed out! Poseur!" She carried on, pausing in between sentences to smoke. Already the cigarette had grown much shorter.

"It's my mom." Shikamaru joked dryly with a brave smirk.

"Don't make excuses, asshole!" She screeched out, an angry finger pointed directly at his face. "You're family is normal! Near perfect!" She accused acerbically.

"..I don't really think so." He commented listlessly, only to piss her off further.

"Then you're ungrateful, you know that?! Lazy good-for-nothing, your attitude really irritates me!"

Shikamaru watched her finish his cigarette and toss the butt on the ground. He watched the way she furiously stamped it out.

Somehow he wasn't the least bit intimidated.

"Alright." He bravely shrugged, not at all sorry for his indifference and laze.

Temari stamped her foot again, then a several times, clearly exacerbated.

"...hate you." She grumbled under her breath, sounding almost suprisingly calm. She had wanted to hit him.. but somehow she had controlled herself.

"..." Shikamaru didn't say anything, because he had nothing to say. Such silence annoyed her. Her tendency to be aggressive and provocational begged for a throwback rather than an empty response. But he was too lazy to give her that pleasure.

"DAMMIT! Gimme another cig, you owe me!" Temari shouted belligerently in his face. Her hands were quick. Shikamaru hardly had the chance to react when she began rummaging through his pockets like a greedy monkey.

Shikamaru sweatdropped.

"How do I owe you?" He asked dubiously, feeling awkward with her hands in his pockets. Couldn't she have just waited for him to give her one? She practically ordered him anyways.

"You owe me, because you suck! The nicotine's a better friend than you are!" She accused, as she pulled the black and tan box from his left pocket. She withdrew a stick and tossed the box back to him.

"I hope you're not going to chain after this." He commented wearily, giving her this 'Are you serious?' sort of look. She was getting in one her interesting moods again.

"Where's the lighter?" She asked, though once again, didn't wait long enough for him to find it and get it out. She went for his pockets again. Shikamaru sighed with an irked sweatdrop, embarrassment coming over him reluctantly.

"It's not there." He told her. Temari paused to look at him questioningly. She moved her hand from his front pockets to his back pockets, unintentionally eliciting a startled and riled reaction out of him.

"Not there baka!" He berated, blushing slightly. He went for his chest pocket and pulled the dark green lighter and tossed it out to her.

Shikamaru inwardly shook his head at her, wondering how he ever managed to put up with her.

__

'Oh well, at least she's not bratty.'

* * *

A cloud passed over the sun, taking away her natural lighting and darkening her lined paper. With a sigh, she put her pencil down, despondance filling her.

Hinata had been doodling again.

But it didn't make her feel any better, like she had hoped it would.

Naruto didn't come out of the house.

He didn't walk to school with her.

She wasn't even sure if he had been in, because he didn't answer her when she knocked. And if he hadn't been in, then were was he now?

She was disappointed that she couldn't see him today.

Hinata deflated as she hung her head.

Little dot-like eyes peered up at her from the lined paper, crummy imitations of a certain blonde, the chibi faces seemingly mocking her with their crooked smiles.

A haze floated over her eyes, disdain and irritation filling up inside her chest. She picked her pencil up again and scribbled madly over the pictures, one-by-one, til the entire sheet was covered in graphite.

Wistfully she admitted, _'None of them were good anyways..'_. And with that, she layed her head mopishly against the desk, defeated and saddened with herself.

She wanted to see him, she wanted him to be here. She knew that much.

Hinata hadn't been able to see him at all yesterday. Part of her was glad about it because of her mistake of judgement, but that didn't compare to how much she wanted to see him now!

And just for once in her meager young life, she had been looking forward to coming to school.

All for the sake of seeing him.

Now the point was moot.

She was lonely in this place without him...

What else was she going to do?

Who else was going to keep her company?

Who was going to eat the lunch she had made just for him?!

"Hina-chan!" Came the voice of a boy, enthusiastic and warm.

Hinata slowly blinked as she tentatively picked her head up to face the person. Before she could realize, she heard him snickering. Then she finally noticed that the paper was stuck to her forehead, because all she could see was dark graphite.

"Here, lemme get that for you.." He said with a laugh, as he reached over and peeled the paper off. It took Hinata a second before she realize who it was, shocked at first that she hadn't recognized his voice from the start.

"K-Kiba-kun!" Hinata blurted, as her hands flew to cup her face out of surprise, a glowing shade of peach staining her face. She was so embarrassed. _'I can't believe I forgot about! Ohhh, I'm a horrible person!'_

Kiba grinned wide, in that somewhat feral, somewhat charming way of his before kneeling down beside her. He folded his arms over her desk, resting his chin to peer up at her, like a dog laying its head on its owner's lap.

"What's up?" He prodded, happy just to talk to her. He had noticed awhile ago that the blonde lout wasn't in class today.

"Anou.. nothing." She smiled sweetly, placing her chin in her hand. They stayed that way for awhile, neither saying a word, just smiling at one another like two idiots. Kiba was one, but he couldn't help it. Sometimes he wanted it to stay this way with her forever, no matter how lame and cliche that sounded.

_'She's... so... cute... hm-hmmm... Hina-chan...'_

Somewhere in the school, in another classroom just down the hall, Shino could feel Kiba's amorous vibes, almost able to read his thoughts before sweatdropping.

_'He's become an airhead!' _Shino lamented bewilderedly with disappointment. He wondered if he lost his friend forever. He was never like this. He used to be slightly normal.

Hinata had been relieved at first when Kiba came to brighten her mood, finding comfort in his prescence. But it wasn't enough and the moment began to fade.

She was still saddened that Naruto wasn't here.

And just when she didn't get to see him yesterday at the Ichiraku Just when she told herself.. 'It's okay, I guess.. I'll just see him tomorrow!' Except no! He's not here!

Kiba saw the way her smile dropped, her eyes losing their vibrance. She was no longer looking at him now, no longer in the moment. She had the Thousand Mile Stare, and he wasn't sure what happened with her.

She blinked, and moisture stuck to her bottom lashes.

This was almost like last night at the ramen stand, when she had grown quiet but wouldn't explain herself.

Why did she become withdrawn?

An idea formed in his head, as he curled three fingers and kept his index finger straightened out. He slowly brought his hand up, creeping closer and closer to her face. He snickered goofily, noticing how she oblivious was. With a little jab, he poked her cheek, startling her awake. Her eyes flew open instantly, a tiny high-pitched squeak sang clumsily through her lips. Kiba tried his best to hold back his laughter, amused with her adorable reaction.

Her eyes quivered slightly, her whole body tense.

For a moment there she thought she was under attack or something.

KIba didn't realize how much he had scared her.

"Hey, don't leave me now." Kiba smiled sheepishly.

"Mm-mm.." She mumbled, shaking her head softly. Kiba felt his heart skip a beat. She looked so timid and so small... he couldn't help the feelings her innocent looks envoked in him.

"Heyy... guess what?" Kiba grinned, rather cheesily, Hinata not yet realizing how close he was, as she stared him right in the eyes.

She blinked cluelessly.

"What?" She echoed curiously, the grin on Kiba's face growing with an uncontained excitement.

"Wanna go out into the city after school? I .. wanna ask you something." He asked hopefully, nervously as he ended in a hesitant and restrained voice.

She blinked cluelessly again. Then craned her head to the side, as if giving it deep thought.

She was warmed by her companion's friendly disposition. He treated her so kindly. Every smile was like an open invitation and it was somewhat foreign to her, completely uncommon.

People are so selfish and critical these days...

He didn't make her feel so alienated.

A sweetheart of a smile blossomed timidly to her lips, her mind made up and already happily used to the idea.

"Mm!" She nodded in a cute curt manner, swelling Kiba with gladness and nervousness at the same time. But he was pleased and eager nonetheless.

"Awesome! Heh heh.." Kiba grinned dorkily again, placing an absentminded hand behind his head and chuckled. Then a look of realization struck him. "Hey! You wanna listen to a new band?" He asked, hopeful and excited. Hinata was reluctant, she couldn't help it, but she only liked classical music. She had yet to hear something different that she really really liked.

"I dunno.." She started out hesitantly with a sheepish smile.

"But they're called Versailles.'' He added, hoping that'd change her mind, even though it was just a name.

"Is it visuel-kei?" Hinata huffed wearily, knowing that the answer was obvious. But Kiba persevered.

"C'mon, just listen to "Sympathia". You'll like the piano in the opening." He smiled congenially, as he got to his feet and pulled out his mp3 player.

"Hm.. but I bet the piano is just going to be ruined by a guitar." She commented as she scooted over on her seat, to share half of it with Kiba.

"Heheh, no it's not." Kiba grinned as he scrolled around for the song. Hinata popped the right earbud in and waited patiently for the music.

It took her awhile to realize how close Kiba was, his male arm brushing against her slender female one. And like North and South magnets, she felt a little tingle sitting beside him like this. She smelt his scent, felt his heat.

Had to be because he was the opposite sex. Because he was an opposing and foreign force.

There was a brief confliction and startling attraction, but it had been brief.

She let out a sigh and allowed herself to relax, to listen to the piano's notes dance in her ears.

She didn't mind sitting so close to him anymore.

Part of her was comforted by it.

And part of her hardly noticed.

Perhaps she had become too comfortable around him.

* * *

The classes had passed with the hours and minutes.

And Naruto was still a complete no-show.

Hinata sat against the green-mesh covered net-wire fences of the rooftop, listening to the song Kiba had suggested to her a few periods ago.

She loved the piano at the beginning, part of her was disappointed that it came and went so quickly, like a warm embrace and a cold abandonment. She wanted to listen only to that, but as soon as the violins came in a third way through the song, after the lilting riffs of the guitars, all she heard was the male singer's voice, and the words he sang so poetically.

__

You watched me from the other side of this glittering lake and you waved at me /

I chased after you /

And the moment I reached your hand /

You disappeared /

Torn between words and thoughts /

"..or is love still left unnoticed? ..." Hinata timidly sang out, bored as she sat alone with nothing better to do but to wait. She begun to feel a little sad. Maybe it was just the tone of the lyrics, but she was starting to feel like she had been waiting here her whole life.

Yearning had swelled in her chest just like yesterday when she realized how much she missed him. Only to go hours on end without him.

And now new feelings of doubt began to stir in her heart and mind, anxiety worming its way in as well.

It was the first time she felt this though, this particular emotion. She may have felt it in another form, most likely in the form of stress with her father, disownment by her sister and cousin.. with the absence of her mother and the curse of not fitting in as she grew up.

It was the feeling of unrequition.

She felt it, but hadn't consciously recognized it.

And it was driving a dull heartache within her.

She glanced down into her lap, two bento boxes staring up at her. One white with a deep indigo string, and one black with a bright orange string.

That was the one that was _supposed_ to be Naruto's lunch. She still wasn't sure what to do with it.

_'What if he's ignoring me? ..Maybe he just worked late into the night and crashed somewhere.. like in one of those capsule hotels that the businessmen use. ...Wonder what Naruto-kun would look like in a suit..' _She trailed off, as she peered into the sky, a delightful image appearing before her eyes. She blushed and giggled, a few variations of the image popping up in her mind. The yearning grew, her chest becoming heavy with emotion.

Be she couldn't tell.

The mere image of him distracted her.

She stopped at one.

He looked like his strong and bony seventeen-year-old self, yet his face looked a bit older, more serious. The suit was dark, deep black, with grey pinstripes. He wore a red tie. She had tried orange, then blue, but the red looked the best against the black.

_'Then again maybe a pale azure silk tie..or electric blue, heehee..'_

His hair was slicked back, his hands were placed lazily in the pants pockets, as he slouched his shoulders yet still appeared quite professional.

Even a little intimidating.

_'...He.. ..kind of.. ...looks like... ...a yakuza..'_

She brought her hand up to her lips, a trouble memory resurfacing in her mind, though not smoothly. More like scattered snapshots. The most troubling one recycling itself frequently in the pile, to taunt and tease her with its cruelty.

It'd been so long since that incident.. and all of that blood.

_'No... wha-what if--!! ..No no no! Oh n-no.. wh-what if.. ohh, Naruto-kun..!'_

She was far deep in tumultuous thoughts, amidst her turmoil, she didn't even notice the roof top door creak open.

"Hinaaa-taa-chan!" A voice called out, catching her off guard and almost making her stumble and fall forward.

"Oh! Kiba-ku--" She started out, only to stop her words completely as soon as she looked up.

She couldn't believe it.

Those somewhat innocent blue eyes were so close.. He was looking right at her.

"Yo! Where's my lunch?" Naruto grinned charmingly, leaning back on his haunches to give her some space. He didn't even take notice to Hinata's shock.

"You worried me!!" She cried out, still stricken. He sure had some gall to arrive late to school and ask for food!

"I did?" Naruto asked confused, as he stared at her blankly.

* * *

"WHOA! This looks amazing Hinata-chan!" Naruto cried out, eager to dig into the perfectly prepared meal made just for him. He couldn't believe how she managed to pull it off! It didn't just look legit, it looked like a work of art! The buckwheat cold soba noodles lay in a neat ribbony pile in the large box, drizzled with a dark and sticky okonomiyaki sauce, lastly decorated with black sesame seeds and bits of shiitake mushrooms. In the smaller boxes were three pieces of curry shrimp tempura and sweet potatoe slices, with two small cherry-filled mochi cakes.

He vaguely wondered if he should let Hinata make him lunch for the rest of the year, rather than go back to buying packaged foods from the bread sale.

__

'Somehow I think this girl is gunna spoil me, heheh.'

"M-mm! I-I'm s-so glad.. N-Naruto-kun.." She softly mumbled out, nearly going unheard. She was curled into herself, her chin tucked in so her hair shadowed and hid her blushing face from him. She couldn't help but shrink away, she never felt this nervous before.

She couldn't stop glancing at him, yet felt uncertain and somewhat ashamed.

She felt she could do better than stare at him like some pathetic pup.

"Man, you'll be a great wife someday! (Just gotta get asked out first, heheh)." He chuckled warmly, as he headed for the shrimp tempura, afraid to touch or move anything else because it looked so pretty.

He never acknowledged the immense blush darken across her face, or her heart thumping harder. For her it was almost deafening.

"R-Really??" She asked breathlessly, as if it was the most important opinion of life. She never even thought of that kind of thing before! Her? A wife??

Naruto smiled cheerily, his optimism permeating through her in small steady waves.

"Yeah, but you just gotta get asked out first!" He laughed, poor Hinata pouting almost instantly.

"Are you making fun of me?" Hinata asked quietly, still unable to face him fully, but glanced from beneath her bangs and lashes.

"Only a little." He smiled, bright blue eyes penetrating through her, filling her with the warmth of his prescence, of his smile. The sun hid behind the clouds, the cool breeze halting momentarily. But it didn't feel like the sun left, her world filled with its own kind of sunshine. Brief, ephemeral like the wind, the moment seemed surreal and all she could do was absorb its gentle waves.

Was it him?

Was it being around him.. that she begun to feel so like this?

So dizzy, so unlike herself..

So full of doubt, yet full of optimism and hope.

It just seemed like this state of utter content came out of nowhere.

Naruto and Hinata picked their heads up at the sound of the rooftop door opening, then creaking to a close. The blonde craned his body forward and looked over Hinata's head to see who the newcomer was, finding much to his annoyance that it was her arrogant guy friend.

Hinata listlessly remained still, waiting and observing Kiba plainly as he began to walk towards her. Naruto saw this and started to gather his things together.

He didn't want to be around like this, it'd be too awkward.

He could damn well tell that the vampire/dog boy liked Hinata.

As Naruto got to his feet, he turned back to Hinata and ruffled the top of her head in a teasing manner.. then he darted off. Hinata didn't have the time to react before Kiba crossed the roof.

She smiled openly to him and he grinned cheekily as he sat down beside her, a curry beef anpan bun in hand.

"See, you liked the song, didn't ya?" He teased knowingly. After all, she had his player all day.

"I only liked the piano." She fibbed with a giggle, handing the mp3 player back to him.

"_Kamijo_-sama is cool though, ne?" He asked somewhat excitedly, sounding a bit like a fan boy.

"Mm!" Hinata nodded cheerily.

They began to talk and laugh some more, the sun playing peek-a-boo behind the clouds.

Naruto hid in the shadow of the air conditioning system, slurping down on the cold soba noodles as he listened to them with little interest and a passive ear.

"Who played the violin?" Hinata asked.

"Hm, I'm not sure. The three play guitar and _Yuki_-sama is on drums."

"You don't think anyone of them could have played?"

"I think that was just BG." Kiba listlessly presumed.

The chill stopped momentarily, Naruto's ears feeling somewhat chafed with the cold. He peeked over the corner of the obstruction he sat against, Hinata and Kiba sitting close side-by-side and sharing headphones.

_'Wonder why he's the only one she acts comfortable around?'_

He continued to stare, mostly feeling mellow and bored. But as the minutes wore on, and the sun swung back from behind a cloud, he grew detached. The shadow's contrast had increased, obscuring him almost completely from sight.

That guy... he was the only person she was comfortable around it seemed.

She never appeared nor acted agitated, nervous, or afraid. She didn't stutter much around him, she was positively normal with this guy.

And what the hell did that feel like anyways?

Naruto sighed inwardly, no cognitive words passing through his mind, just his annoyed and dispirited emotions.

Half the time he thought she was scared of him when she would shrink into herself, never realizing that she was simply shy.

She hadn't acted shy at the start. She had been standoffish, (but that was because she wasn't used to many people, and usually was afraid. But that's also a form of shy).

He had almost forgotten the that day, when he collasped right in front of her in Kabuki-cho. He figured that she felt obliged to watch over him, she must have.

She had been the unlucky one to find thim there. And he practically imposed his hand on her, his desperate and lonely need to hold someone. She had lain beside him, her lucid eyes rendering him with an almost aching need...

Why she hadn't shrugged off his hand, he continued to wonder, but perhaps she had been too tired to let go.

Maybe she hadn't cared either way.

It just seemed like Hinata treated the vampire/dog boy with an unconditional repsect.

Something he never experienced.

And like so many other people, they were cozy together.

He grown so used this sort of thing --seeing other people happy with eachother, never wanting to spend any time with him-- that it was in his pathology to accept this.

He didn't give Hinata a second thought.

* * *

Smells of the local marketplace assaulted his nose with a variety of scents. Wet and cold, the strong scent of saltwater wafted from the side, as the fishermen placed their catches of the day on ice-covered display with proud expressions on their lean faces.

Up ahead, the older women chopped and hung ducks and poultry, haggling and advertising their produce with shrilly cracked voices. To the right, the fruit and vegetables stands lined up for several feet, the family stands or the privately owned booths holding an assortment of tropical and basic fruits in a colorful display. Starfruit, oranges, strawberries, mangoes, pineapples, canteloupe, papayas and lychee. There was a small booth of watermelon, a round man choosing his own customers in a picky and uptight manner.

Neji could care less.

It was much too early for watermelon anyways.

He wandered on through, bags of leeks, bokchoy, fresh pink salmon, and a loaf of buck wheat bread in hand.

He realized that he forgot to purchase groceries yesterday like he was supposed to, when instead he became wrapped up in his nostalgia.

It was immensely crowded, the afternoon being the traffic hour of housewives. He could hear the voices battle against eachother, none too distinct, all blending, all incessantly obnoxious.

He walked passed a fresh bread stand, his mind set for the slightly expensive but trustworthy beef stand a few booths down.

He hadn't seen her there.

The girl swiftly turned away from the stand and after thanking and paying for her groceries, she accidently brushed and knocked into Neji's side. He stumbled slightly and turned around, his usual stern expression immediately set in place as he turned to complain to the girl.

"Gomen nasai, sir!" She hastily apologized, bowing several times, hands politely clasped on her lap.

Neji stood and stared at her briefly, taking in her thick coffee brown hair held in twin buns. She wore a simple pastel pink t-shirt, and camo-green cargo pants that hung off her hips and piled around her ankles, nearly covering her classic Chuck Taylor All-Stars. The laces didn't match, one shoe had hot pink laces and the other was neon green. He glanced down to the plastic bag she held in her clasped hands, finding that she had a bag full of _Melon-pan_.

She brought her head back up and smiled, her umber-taupe eyes catching his attention briefly. She gave him a discreet once-over and smiled again. With that she waved him goodbye and turned back around, taking a secret with her as she headed for home.

Neji just stood there, her small strong back disappearing further and further down the street, until he could no longer see her past the restless sea of bodies.

She seemed horribly familiar to him, yet.. he didn't recognize her.

No face nor name he could derive matched with this mysterious girl.

She had left him with a strange feeling, a ceaseless nagging.

__

'Don't I know her??'

* * *

Hinata looked all around.

But Naruto was no where to be seen.

The bell had rang a few minutes ago, everyone steadily filing out in a stream of chatter and cellphone bells. She had already peeked inside his shoe locker, finding his indoor shoes inside, meaning that he was gone by now.

She didn't understand why he didn't hang around or wait for her.

Sure he usually did this; he would head to his locker and immediately head out to the Ichiraku for work. But most of the time he still stuck around long enough to wave her goodbye.

The dull ache began to bury itself deeper, the pain of confusion and yearning reverberating to her fingertips. She fiddled with her tie, fumbling with her fingers over and over, standing there dumbly without a clear though.

It felt as if he hadn't been here at all.

She hardly had the chance to talk with him.

He just came and went.

And knowing him, if he went off to work, she wouldn't be able to see him until tomorrow morning. That is, if he didn't feel like sleeping in again.

__

"Why didn't you wake up this morning? You were in, right? I knocked on your door and everything."

"Yeah, I know. But all that knocking.. You were getting annoying, heheh." He joked. "I wanted to sleep in." But Hinata did not immediately recognize this as a joke, her former nice girl face replaced with a look of shock and a pair of betrayed puppy dog eyes.

"...Just kidding, gullible one." Naruto admitted, with a deadpan sweatdrop. "...You're not that annoying."

That short conversation had been right after lunch, when she met him back in the classroom.

She had wondered where he went after Kiba came along.

A wistful and listless sigh left her lips, Hinata heaving her shoulders lightly.

_'Oh well..'_

Just as she was about to head home herself, she felt a weight drape itself around her shoulders, and glanced up.

Kiba grinned with a proud look on his face, the only telltale signs of his nervous inner turmoil appearing on the edges of his smile.

She had completely forgotten about him again.

"So.. you ready?" He encouraged, blushing slightly. He was so nervous, but he was going to do his best!

Hinata smiled sweetly, evoking a skipped beat in Kiba's heart, his blush growing a bit darker.

She nodded curtly, now remembering what she said she'd do.

And who knows? Hanging out with Kiba could make her feel better, he always managed to.

"Hai!"She decided.

* * *

"HE-EEEEEEEYY!"

Ayame and Teuchi turned at the sound, momentarily stopping what they were doing. Ayame put down the knife and crab shell back on the cutting board as Teuchi lifted the restaurant flaps aside to better reveal the thriving Shibuya streets.

A familiar blonde waved as he rushed up to them with fast feet.

"Oi, Naruto-kun!" Ayame cheerfully called out, Naruto greeting her with an eager smile.

Both had something to say.

"You won't believe it!"

"You won't believe it!"

Ayame and Naruto blinked blankly at one another, confused at first.

"Should I go first, or do you wanna go first?" Naruto then asked, bringing a sheepish hand behind his head.

"You can go first." Ayame smiled, briskly wiping the salty crab remains from her hands onto her apron. The blonde teen pulled up a seat, the bustling urban atmosphere giving him a new sort of enegy he hadn't felt in awhile. He was feeling rather optimistic and pleased with himself, now that he had this new job, he hoped that would be the catalyst to a great start.

Maybe fortune lay ahead of him for once in his wayward life.

He smiled.

"I got that second job."

* * *

Kiba and Hinata wandered through Kita-Shinagawa-ku. He kept looking at her hand like it was magnificent treasure. He really wanted to hold it. But he restrained himself, not wanting to come off as 'too forward', not when they weren't going out yet.

That wouldn't be prudent.

Then again he wasn't a prude, but he knew he had to treat Hinata delicately with care and consideration.

She was a different girl, rare.

He inwardly shook his head, mentally preparing himself for what lied ahead.

_'Alright! Time to put my plan into motion!' _He pepped himself confidently, a hand fisted at his side.

Then he turned to Hinata with his charming smile.

"Ne, Hina-chan.. Shall we head to a cafe?" He asked, looking quite naive. The pale-eyed girl turned her eyes thoughtfully up to the sky, then glanced down at her stomach decisively.

"I dunno.. I'm not really hungry." She smiled sweetly, with sheepish eyes.

The boy beside her face-faulted.

_'Crap. Alright.. now what?' _He lamented dejectedly.

The worries and anxieties rolled swiftly around in his head, question after question going unanswered only helping to create more worries and questions. Despite his disappointment and confusion, all he could do now was stare at her serene lavender eyes, and soft classic looks. Determination shot through, like a misguided arrow to the heart, jolting his body awake.

Kiba made a grab for both of her hands.

"Hinata-chan!" He started sternly, an unyielding ember in his eyes.

She just blinked sweetly at him, completely clueless.

"Hinata-chan. I just want to tell you..." He trailed off, the strength in his voice wavering briefly. He cleared his throat and steadied himself once more. "J-just want to t-tell you tha-at..." Kiba began to sweat a little, realizing much to his embarrassment that he couldn't do it.

'Dammit! Why, Buddha, why!? ...NO! Get it together!!'

He yelled, berating himself and his apparent cowardice. He kept working the courage, continually telling himself 'You can do it, you can do it, you can do it!'

Her eyes fluttered opened with a bit of surprise and wakefulness, as she took notice to the way Kiba's eyes changed. There was a new fire there.

He opened his mouth as big as he possibly could, his nervousness practically dripping off his face.

"HINA-CHAN! I... I REALLY REALLY LI--!!"

_VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!_

Kiba's "Cruise"-like confession rang on the top of his lungs but could not compare to the horn that blared him out, the heavy-duty freight truck speeding down the street, a gust of wind ruffling their hair and clothes in its wake.

By the time it was gone, the truck's horn still rang in Hinata's ear.

She hadn't heard a word he said.

And Kiba knew this.

'Bad timing..'

* * *

Naruto sat on the porcelain sink of The Elephant Cafe's unisex bathroom, glaring critically and distastefully at his reflection in uniform.

_TON TON TON!_, came the knocks on the door.

"C'mon noob! You've been in t'ere for over t'irty minutes... And we all know you ain't got food poisonin' or anyt'ing!" The cute yet rather boyish voice of a female co-worker shouted through the door, impatiently leaning all her weight against the hard plastic-covered wood.

The aggravated Naruto glumly turned his eyes to the door, reluctance in every lethargic bone.

_'Funny she should say that, actually..' _He mused, almost laughing at himself in an old and awkward memory. Then another thought came to him. _'What's wrong with the way she talks??' _

_DON DON DON DON DON!_

Naruto growled as the banging went on and hopped off the sink, sharply opening the door and blushing with a glare.

"I look like a dork, okay?!" He seethed out with a sweatdrop. The slightly shorter girl before him gave him a complete once-over, apprehension filling him.

Naruto wore the black kung-fu uniform, the loose, straight-legged pants piling lazily around his ankles. He wore the shirt half open, leaving the first three frogs undone and revealing a white crew-cut cotton t-shirt. The sleeves touched to the ends of his fingertips.

It looked rather big on him.

Naruto wasn't liking the look she was giving him.

"Yeah, you looka like dork." She giggled, curvy dark eyes twinkling impishly. The poor blonde slumped, even more reluctant to leave the private safety of the bathroom than ever before.

"Che.. thanks a lot.. umm.." Naruto trailed off, realizing he had forgotten her name, leaving the seemingly younger girl to glare at him in annoyance.

"Hiro! I'm Daiuchi Hiro!"

"Is there a "ko" at the end of that name?" Naruto asked dumbly.

"Nope. It's like 'Tohru'!" Hiro replied chipperly, hands clasped behind her. She sweatdropped when Naruto scratched at the back of his head, looking like a retarded oafish monkey.

"But 'Tohru' is still a dude's name." He told her pointedly, making the poor girl weary.

"So what? Furuba allowed Honda-chan a boy's name. Why can't I have one?"

"...I dunno, was your doctor old and senile? Maybe he forgot to look down there and told your parents "It's a boy." depite." Naruto asked incredulously, seemingly unable to accept her name as it was. "Or maybe there's an even more disturbing secret.." He whispered conspiratorily, with a hand by his mouth and a suspicious look in his blue eyes.

"You're a complete dumbass, you know t'at?" Hiro sighed out huffily, dark eyes half-lidded with apathy.

"So is your set complete? No missing or extra parts?" Naruto continued to tease with a secretive smirk, laughing stupidly in his head.

"You wanna take a look and explore me? The bat'room is unisex." She cooed flirtily at first, as she playfully hugged at her hips and lifted her cheongsam up a couple inches, peeking her legs out of the long slits on either side of the train. Naruto stared at her a bit longer.

She was even biting her bottom lip for good measure, her cheek dimples evident.

His eyes widened slightly with surprise at Hiro's response.

It took him awhile before he pulled himself together and laughed.

"You sure know how to take a joke all the way, Hiro-chan! Haha!" He complimented, feeling at ease.

"T'at's because I am a boy." Came Hiro's reply, plain and simple. So simple that he fell for her straight-faced response.

"YOU ARE?!" He freaked.

"Shit-head! I was joking! Now get to work already!" The slightly shorter Hiro berated, bopping him on the top of the head with the plastic serving tray she had been holding for the past hour.

* * *

_'Alright! I'm gonna do it this time!'_

Kiba had it all planned out ever since the lame incident with the truck and its blasted horn. They took the subway to Yoyogi Park, thinking that the contrast of scenery, from an industrial and less-than maintained underground, to the earthy and dreamlike beauty of Yoyogi, would increase the romantic mood he was trying to set for her.

The trees were slowly budding, some squirrels picking them off to eat. Wet and cool air met their noses, a cold breeze brushing against their exposed skin, eliciting goosebumps on their necks. It smelt as if it had rained recently, so earthy and clean.

Kiba was feeling pretty proud of himself. There weren't a lot of people here today either, this was going to be the perfect setting. He could just imagine what kind of face she'd make, how she would blush.. so flattered.

Hinata looked all around, not sure what they were doing here.

They were holding hands, but she didn't mind.

It was warm and comforting.

His hand helped take some the edge off, the yearnings for Naruto feeling less severe now.

She allowed him to lead her through the park, pass the slowly awakening spring trees, the schoolchildren and their mothers, the old women and their old Jindo dogs, until they came across a small pond, encased within the protective confines of a red, wooden fence.

The sun glinted off the lucid water, reflecting soft rippled light onto her face, her lavender eyes illuminating.. so captivating. He watched the way the wind made her hair move, her bangs brush against her forehead, so wispy against her eyes. The way her dark lashes would touch her cheeks.. sweet butterfly kisses in the sunlight.

He was compelled.

Whether he wavered or cracked, he would not fail.

Kiba grabbed for her hands again and held them in his, thumbing her soft skin in the utmost affection. It was all he could do to restrain himself.

"Hinata-chan.." He drew out tenderly, caressing every syllable on his tongue like cotton candy dissolving in his mouth and loving the way it sounded, the way it almost tasted in his mouth.

Hinata blinked.

She was so innocent.

_'I like you. I like you. I like you. I really like you. Hinata-chan, I like you a lot. Hina-chan, I freakin' heart you! ..okay maybe the first one.' _He sweatdropped inwardly, now coming to a sure decision.

Somewhere across the park, a several feet from where Hinata and Kiba stood by the pond, a young boy held onto the navy blue reigns of his dog's leash. Usually he was able to control his fully grown Great Dane, despite being merely a ten year-old himself, but he didn't expect a pair of bicyclers to race madly right pass them. They startled his Great Dane, as the dog began freaking out and started going after the bicyclers with great fervor. The leash ripped from the little boy's small hands, anxiety and alarm overwhelming the poor boy.

"Waniwani-kuuuuun!" The boy cried out, tears pouring forth with distress.

Kiba steadied himself once more, ready to say the words.

"..Hinata-chan.. I .. li--!" Kiba didn't even have a chance to finish.

The bicyclers zoomed passed them, leaving a rushing whirlwind of dead leaves in their wake. Out of nowhere, a sharp, stinging pain erupted and zinged all through his leg.

"YEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!" He screamed out, the Great Dane's great jaws firmly sunken into his left calf.

Hinata jumped, startled and bewildered, the past five seconds took her by surprise.

She felt so bad for Kiba.

* * *

Naruto bowed to his customers, a small double-dating group, two thirty-something year old men and two twenty-something year old women.

He'd finally grown accustomed to the incessant sounds and noise of voices, chants and booming greetings. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Hiro walking out of the kitchen with a tray of three plates in hand, her older friend Ryoji walking out with her, carrying five dishes on his tray as they served a large get-together in the corner booths.

He really found the way she talked quite wierd, he wasn't sure if it was a heavy accent or what. She was a couple inches shorter than Hinata he noted. Today she wore a goldenrod cheongsam, with a halter-neck and revealing back with a short train. It was made of Chinese brocade silk, an embroidered brown, black and silver bengal tiger dominating the front of the tight dress. She had a slender and girlish frame, yet she didn't seem to exude too much femininity. Her boyish smile and way of joking seemed to either overshadow or compliment her open personality.

At first she didn't seem impressive or all interesting to him, but one look at her face and dimples and you knew she was cute. She had thick, winged brows, black and they accentuated nicely beneath her sweeping straight bangs. Her hair was short. It thinned out at the ends and stopped at the base of her neck, from the back, her head looked like an upside raindrop, inky in color. Hiro's eyes were slanted and curvy, irises large, deep and precocious black. Like a puppy's eyes. She had a dark beauty mark on her right lower eyelid, beneath her tearduct.

She had very natural looks; clean and modest.

She was like a diluted Sugimoto Miki placed in the body of idol/actress/singer Ueto Aya, but with a boy's smile.

He smirked a little to himself, with a discreet perverted giggle. _'Sugimoto-chan... heeheehee!'_

Ryoji was twenty-three, 182 centimeters tall (six-foot-zero).

Naruto had yet to decide if he was B-Type or O-type. Hiro had to be an O-type.

__

'Sakura-chan's O-type..'

Ryoji was five inches taller than Naruto, and had a narrow, very grown face. His hair was dark brown, somewhat reddish due to long exposure to UV rays, and worn in a middle-ponytail. His skin was very dark, and it constrasted greatly against the cotton white Thai dress uniform he wore tonight. One of the first things Naruto ever noticed about him, was the scruff on his face: The 'Errol Flynn' mustache, the five 'o' clock shadow, and the dark tuft of fuzz on his chin.

He looked like a native, like an islander from the South Pacific or something.

Naruto grimaced when the two began to clap and sing accordingly to the arrival of the dishes, the customers laughing whole-heartedly with amusement and appreciation.

He doubted he could go through with that.

It was too embarrassing.

He shrugged however and went back to the kitchen.

__

'Whatever, it's a gimmick..'

* * *

Kiba wasn't sure what else to do.

He felt like he was being sabotaged.

"You think you'll be alright, Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked sweetly, concerned at his unlucky injury. The boy merely smiled back, not wanting to worry her.

But he was silently pissed off.

They sat together, alone on a little wooden bench in the park, the girl beside him with the caring stare allowing him all the time he needed to be comfortable and rested. Kiba zoned out, staring into her calming lavender oceans, the sun peaking from behind the trees, the shadows and sunlight playing entrancingly over her features.

If fate was against him, then this time it had been careless.

Kiba made another grab for Hinata's hands, taking gentle hold and brought them close to his chest, amorous intent almost radiating from his own eyes.

He hoped to reach out to her with his heart...

But Hinata blinked innocently, completely clueless as usual.

"Hinata-chan..." He whispered out, her name floating away on the wind, along with his breath.

Nothing could ruin this, he felt, so sure of himself, so confident.

"I..."

Nothing could ruin this.

* * *

"What the hell?! The scene just cut off like that?! Lousy friggin' writers!" Mr. Masaharu complained after shaking his portable color tv, placing it back down on his desk and glared intently into the screen.

A Gackt credit card commerical came on: the one where he's dancing around with cute little critters, but then gets flattened by a brick wall, and becomes a squishy cartoon mess on the pavement.

The door to his office creaked open, revealing a blonde head peek in, but much to the newcomer's chagrin, Mr. Masaharu was too busy watching tv to notice him there.

Naruto sweatdropped and closed the door, giving up and wondering why he stopped by anyways.

* * *

Kiba felt like weeping.

__

'How the hell could this have possibly happened?!'

He couldn't bring himself to pick his head up as he trudged beside Hinata, her attention focused on someone else but him.

Hinata smiled and giggled lightly, her soft voice ringing alongside with the cheery charm of her little sister's voice.

Kiba was finally about to confess to her, the moment of it so important and so surreal, when.. out of nowhere..

Hanabi chose to crash the party!

It wasn't like he didn't like the little girl, but he couldn't help but question her, feeling suspicious about her spontaneous run-in.

Why wasn't she home? What was she doing in Yoyogi Park? That's what he wanted to know.

But now with their newly acquired third wheel tagging along, the ride was awkward and slow, taking them in a completely different direction than he wanted.

Kiba knew he had to postpone asking Hinata out another time.

_'I can't take it!! I seriously can't wait any longer! I've put it off for far too long now!'_

But no matter how vehement he ranted, and irately so, he couldn't help but contradict himself. He was unable to express his inner thoughts into true outward actions.

He glanced off to the side, and like a carp in a small pond, he was easily hooked.

Her features seemed to glow, and that smile... In the prescence of her little sister, Hinata's other side shown with a free-flowing brilliance.

She looked so mature! Her innocent charm remained, her loving nature pouring from her eyes like sunlight...

Kiba was like a small animal distracted by bright lights. He was caught in the cross-fire of her beauty and his conflict, frozen in awe and fear, he simply chose to admire and bask in her sunlight.

_'She's still...so... cute!' _Kiba gushed wistfully, inwardly weeping with wanting.

Fate was such a tease.

Why did she have to be so out of reach?

Hanabi glanced up after a fit of giggling, her innocent 'little sister' facade held in place.

He kept staring at Hinata, the boy with the somewhat dark skin and dark hair. She could read all the hints and signals he was sending Hinata, like invisible radio waves.

Her sister didn't seem to be on the same wavelength. Not even on the right frequency!

She found the situation intriguing. And a bit funny! Here was her sister, totally crushing on their neighbor, but it didn't seem like this other guy knew, because he was totally crushing on her!

Did Hinata even know?! Hanabi wanted to laugh straight out, but chose to giggle instead.

Hinata wasn't the only one in a love-triangle situation it seemed.

Hanabi had secretly been with her boyfriend, Kanasato-kun, even though the bitch Yoko thinks she has him all to herself.

Their relationship had been going on like this for the past couple of months, ever since the day of the exam scores that one December afternoon.

Usually they hung out in Shibuya or at his place when the parents were out, but this evening she wanted a change of scenery and he had been cool with that. Eventually Hanabi had spotted Hinata sitting on the bench with her love-sick friend, her and Kanasato hiding behind a tree in the mean time.

After all, their relationship was on the down-low.

Hanabi could have stayed hidden, she didn't have to intervene and call their date off, but Hanabi figured out a way to make it up to him.

His parents were out, and so was Hiashi for the next two days.

She knew it was alright.

Wasn't it?

Hanabi shrugged it off, as they strolled through the monorail station, her thoughts drifting around romantic and adventurous possibilities.

She was starting to forget that she was thirteen.

..So to speak..

She glanced off to her right, something catching her eye.

"Ne ne, 'Nee-chan! Look!" Hanabi exclaimed, halting in the middle of the somewhat noisy and populated station, movement of feet and luggage ceaseless. Hinata looked over to where Hanabi's extended finger pointed, intrigued herself.

It was a refrigerator casing, medium in size, with clear windows and frosted siding, bright, warm green in color. Inside the casing were several arrangements of bento boxes, all varying in size, shapes and colors. Canary yellow, melon orange, cherry pink, baby blues and navy blacks. The refrigerator had cheery marshmallow writing, simply saying 'Darling & Dearest lunch boxes'.

Within seconds, Hinata and Hanabi were already standing in front of the flourescent glow of the chilled food casing like flies in love with electricity, enamored with the hope and possibilities it all gave.

They were romantic lunches, meant for one's darling or dearest.

"Sugoi!"

"Sugoi!" Both Hinata and Hanabi gushed, obviously impressed.

"Kawaii!"

"Kawaii!" They squealed out breathlessly, fawning like a pair of fangirls.

Kiba sweatdropped wearily and grimaced.

_'What's up with them?'_

Hanabi grinned, excitement and love swelling up in her chest. She immediately drew one out from the casing, already knowing which one her darling would love.

_'Awesome! I could give it to him tomorrow for lunch, heehee!'_ Hanabi happily thought to herself, hugging the melon-orange and oval-shaped bento box to her chest with great love.

Hinata however, was having a difficult time choosing. Kiba had finally walked over and stood beside Hinata's stooped over figure, looking at her curiously. She was quietly distressed, sad that she was unable to decide.

"Kiba-kun? Which one do you suppose I should get?" She asked sweetly, peering up at him from over her shoulder before going back to meticulously scouring the shelves. Her question caught him off guard, unsure how to answer her. Why did she ask? Was she planning on buying one too?

"Are you planning on giving it to someone?" Kiba asked tentatively, as Hinata nodded simply. He brought a sheepish hand to the back of his head, blushing lightly and grinning quite goofily. "Anything you chose would be wonderful Hinata-chan." Kiba smiled, bashfully looking away.

"You think so?" She asked, Kiba unable to see her face, but imagining it to be cute anyways.

"Yeah.. I mean, any gift that comes from the heart would be great.. (and lovey-dovey lunches are so old fashion these days..)" He blushed again, sounding more and more idiotic as the seconds passed.

Something snapped in place for Hinata, a sense of sudden and obvious realization dawning on her like a bright light.

_'From the heart?'_ She questioned, as she scoured the shelves once more before she found_ it._

Hinata picked it up, sweet sweet elation filling up inside of her, her grin growing wider and broader.

"This one!" She smiled broadly, like a toddler proudly displaying its favorite toy, as her eyes gleamed joyously. Kiba took a moment to look at the blue and white bento, an ironic disappointment stopping him momentarily.

_'Aw man, I hate orange juice.'_ He thought, somewhat miffed, but grinned despite.

"That's perfect!" He grinned, obviously lying, but it wasn't obvious to her.

She couldn't help it, she couldn't help herself.

"THANK YOU, Kiba-kun! Thank you, thank you!" She squealed gleefully, glomping him and gave him a quick and paralyzing peck on the cheek. With that she ran off for the train to take her home, completely forgetting and leaving Hanabi behind. She blinked cluelessly, at first just as surprised as Kiba was, before realizing what was going on and ran after Hinat_a._

Their footsteps echoed, disappearing and growing fainter amongst the din of the city folk.

The he felt it still, clearly acknowledged it.. the soft warmth that remained glued to his skin, the half-second contact burning itself deeper in his memory, as he unconsciously relished in it.

Then, an excited smile broke across his face, eyes lighting up more brightly than anyone's ever seen.

"YEEEEEES! HELL YES!!" He shouted out, jumping up and pumping his arms victoriously, startling several passer-bys with his antics. "WHOOOO! YE-AH! ..." Suddenly Kiba just stopped, a painful realization coming plainly across to him, like being smacked in the face with cinderblock. He blinked several times blankly, his expression slowly turning mortified. "...NOOOO!!"

"I DIDN'T GET TO ASK HER OUT AGAIN!!"

* * *

Stars sparkled delicately amongst the wispy streaks of late winter clouds, spring on the verges of arrival. The churning of engines and horns echoed from the streets, the traffic of bright yellow taxis, shipping trucks, and compact cars illuminating and crowding the streets in a steady and ceaseless stream. The clatter of footsteps echoed alongside, faces of old and young everywhere you turned, the city was nothing but lights, noise and people.

Naruto stretched his arms to the sky and opened his mouth, letting out a long lion's yawn.

He couldn't wait to get to bed.

"See you tomorrow, Baka!" A small voice giggled, cute yet somewhat boyish. Hiro patted Naruto on the shoulder, grabbing his attention as she winked at him and waved him goodbye.

"Yeah alright, later Hiro-chan." Naruto chuckled lightly, as she darted off, stopping before a street light as Ryoji exited the _GAP_ building.

"Bye-bye!" She replied back to Naruto, waving energetically in the air. "Bye-bye, Ryoji-san!" She called out upon seeing him, and ran off for home, in torn denim capris, a pair of _Addidas _running shoes, and dark blue tracksuit jacket with racing stripes down the arms, her thin white scarf trailing behind her.

"She's cute." Naruto grinned at his co-worker Ryoji, looking rather stupid to the man.

"You think so?" He smirked, looking unimpressed. He knew the girl for about five months, and never really thought much about her. He acknowledged that she was indeed cute, but no where near his type.

"What.. You not into tiny girls?" The blonde seventeen-year-old asked curiously, hands stuffed lazily in his pockets as he slouched. He couldn't wait to get to home and pass out.

Ryoji shrugged.

"I look at tiny girls like they were my little sisters." He smiled knowingly, thinking back to the four he left in Naha with his parents. He saw Hiro that way too, she was like his partner in crime. He turned his eyes away from the faded stars when he heard an abrupt but hearty laughter.

"Haha! Yeah, if they have a weak personality!" Naruto added with a sense of careless ignorance. The young, dark man shook his head incredulously.

"Dude, that's so shallow.." He commented.

"What is?!"

"Nothing, nevermind." Ryoji replied coolly, shaking his head. "So.. like, what.. You're into the Ayu type?" He assumed, since Naruto said he liked tiny girls.

"Oh no, no. She's hella cute too, but.." The blonde smirked sheepishly, waving his hands back and forth in negative.

"She's short."

"I know, but she's TOO cute!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin.

"So what's your type then, dude?" Ryoji chuckled whole-heartedly, clearly amused.

Naruto took a while to think, as he closed his eyes and placed a hand under his chin. His comical and exaggerated display causing his co-worker to laugh.

He actually wasn't entirely sure what his type was... He liked Ike Reiko in her movies, because she was intense, sensual and looked so hott carrying a sword. But then there was _Gravure_ idol Ogura Yuko, and she was freaking adorable! She was quirky, had an innocent look and a girlish body. He actually didn't care that much about big breasts. If a girl had them, then that was awesome, but any girl with average breasts could still be just as cute or cuter.

Ino ended up having bigger breasts than Sakura, but to Naruto, he still felt that Sakura was much, much, much cuter.

Of course that had been an infatuation. He wasn't sure how he really felt about her now.

"What kind of girl do you like best?" Naruto suddenly asked, clearly passing the buck.

"I was asking you!" Ryoji shot back incredulously.

They stood at a standstill, neither saying anything but with their eyes, as both tried to figure out who would go first.

They decided to speak at the same time.

"Gozen Tomoe." said Naruto.

"Harada Aki." Ryoji stated calmly. It took him awhile to notice Naruto's confusion, an idiotic look on his face. "Sowelu."

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed, slapping a fist in his palm.

It stayed awkwardly silent for another while, before Ryoji turned to Naruto, giving him a strange look.

"You like Gozen Tomoe?" He asked dubiously. _'Interesting choice..'_

"Yeah.. A female warrior kickin' ass in the Heian era? That's skill." Naruto paused briefly, wondering if he should digress. "Actually I really like Ike Reiko and Yukorin."

"Oh dear god, you're a regular pervert." Ryoji sighed with an exasperated breath. He could just imagine a secret collection of _Pink films_ and glossy photos of famous bikini models in his closet.

"Hey! ..Not a pervert, I'm a guy." The blonde pouted irritably.

"Whatever, man. You've got shallow taste." His co-worker shrugged nonchalant with a half-hearted smirk.

"What?! No, I'm not! Look, it's the strong-willed females that are worth spending any time with!" The blonde justified geunuinely, feeling confident that he knew what he was talking about, that he was right. As if there was even a contest of types or tastes.

"You like the kind of girl that you can't control?" Ryoji questioned, finding this new fact somewhat interesting. He couldn't imagine Naruto being able to handle a strong-willed girl, no offense to him.

"Yeah, I dunno.. I guess.. ..They're more fun." He shrugged, not really caring about being articulate, but realizing in the back of his head that there was something wrong with his response and its lack of surety.

Ryoji placed a hand on the side of his mouth, a coy look on his cool and easy-going demeanor. He spoke in a way that sounded as if he were announcing on an intercom. "Attention everyone, Naruto-kun is a closet masochist. He loves getting _tamakeri_ by hott girls in super-miniskirts."

"What the f--k?!" Naruto screamed out mortified and deathly embarrassed, his eyes widened to the point that they looked like sketchy circles. Something about that sentence was disturbing yet highly appealing. And that was actually what made it so disturbing.

"Yo, I'm just kidding!" He laughed.

"Twisted douche!" The blonde berated with an exasperated sigh, his face washed of color. This only derived more laughter from his co-worker. "That is so wrong, man.." Naruto muttered out.

"Nice girls better look out for you then, you might disappoint them." Ryoji then laughed, amused with a thought. _'Ike Reiko? This kid must've been a yanki or something to like that type of wildflower.'_

"Ha! Well, I ain't gotta worry about that. Nice girls are usually scared of me, hahaha!" Naruto laughed, more at himself than anything. It wasn't even funny, but it was true.

"For reals?" Ryoji looked at him curiously with a quirked eyebrow. Both shivered slightly as a cold breeze whipped through, chilling through their not-so thick jackets.

"Yeah, 'specially this one girl.. and she cries real easy." The blonde whiskered teen remarked carelessly and flat out, as a few images of Hinata popped up in his mind. He stared out blankly out into the vivid, lit streets, shaking his head absentmindedly at a particular memory.

"You made her cry? What an asshole." Ryoji smirked, eliciting a defensive response from his younger co-worker.

"I never make her cry! She just does!" Naruto fought back, sounding even more inconsiderate and short-sighted than usual. A sigh left the weary Ryoji.

"I doubt she just cries on her own." He pointed out plainly. He doubted Naruto's hands were so clean; If a girl's going to cry, it's because of that person. Doesn't matter how frivolous and petty the matter, even girls don't cry without a reason. And he knew this because he has four little sisters.

"Ehh whatever, I just like those really talkative, charismatic females.." Naruto shrugged with a naive grin, not giving a second to listen to himself and how he sounded. Then again, he did suffer from a sadly common male disease, called "Thick-headedness".

And like a heavy purple haze, this illness often clouded his judgment and perception.

"'Kay, whatever gets your penis up." Ryoji smirked with a shrug. He waved Naruto goodbye with a nonchalant hand and headed off for home, still smirking to himself.

"Wha-wha--WHAT?!" Naruto exclaimed confused, as his co-worker disappeared farther and farther down the sidewalk, seamlessly into the crowd.

__

'What the hell was that??'

* * *

Hanabi slammed shut her cell phone, the lit up screen shining through the crack before it turned dull and went out.

The house had been quiet the past few hours, the black _ChocoCat_ clock reading 10:05 pm on her dresser. Hiashi had left this morning and wouldn't return until the night after tomorrow. That gave her more flexibility to do whatever she wanted, long as Neji and Hinata didn't know either.

But she didn't have to worry so much about them.

A shadow steadily passed by her bedroom door, light foosteps accompanying with. Hanabi stuffed her cell phone into her muted green, shapeless handbag, and hoisted it on her shoulders. She quickly bent down and straightened out her knee-highs, and pushed back her imaginary sleeves in determination. She got to her feet and crept towards her bedroom door, and waited for a few seconds, just to make sure that Hinata was gone.

Ears met with silence, confidence and anxiety filled her, as she kept tightening her ponytail and pushing back her imaginary sleeves.

Hanabi quietly and nimbly slid open her shouji door. She stepped out into the hallway and double-taked on her left and right, pleased to find no sight nor heard no sound of her sister or cousin. Last she knew about Neji anyhow, was that he was busy at work with something in the kitchen, and it was turning into quite a mess. There had been crumpled pieces of paper all around him.

She stared out into the end of the hallway, taking tentative and careful steps backwards, keeping her eye on the bit of light that illuminated down the hall from the kitchen. She could hear a small exchange of voices, the first one being Hinata, but she sounded far away. Their voices were nothing but a dull murmur of one feminine voice and one low masculine voice.

Hanabi crept, crept, crept further backwards, increasing her careful speed until she made it to her sister's room. She swiftly yet quietly slid open the door, allowing herself in and closed it behind her.

She could feel her palms sweat and grow cold, her face and neck felt moist, and her chest thumped loudly with excitement and nervousness. Her heart, it sounded so loudly and so quickly in her ears, it was like the suspenseful noise of a ticking clock, and any moment now she'd run out of time.

"Maaan, so dark! I can barely see!" She whispered sharply to herself, as she meticulously maneuvered every footsteps across the cluttered floor of bed sheets, clothing and random items. ""Nee-chan sure has a lot of stuff.." She mumbled, as her toe accidently kicked forward and knocked hard into something black and plastic on the floor.

"--iiiiiiyeow! ..What was that--?! The laptop--??" Hanabi asked hushedly aloud as she tried to see through the dark, feeling around with her foot and found the blasted laptop that injured her toe. She pushed it aside and nimbly proceeded forward.

She finally made it to the shouji door that led outside, into the night of Tokyo. She began to chew on her bottom lip, an unconscious habit, excitement and anxiety passing through her chest like waves, each waver coming faster and harder.

The unknown and the presumed lay out there, under the light of the moon and the brightest stars.

"Okay.. here goes." She smiled, opening the shouji door, a forty degree breeze drifting through.

She shivered lightly and hopped out.

* * *

Hinata had woken from a light nap, after becoming unsuccessful in achieving sleep. She stretched her arms over her head, and crept out from under her four layers of heavy down comforters, in a second already missing her marshmellow bed but knew it was no use either way.

She opened her door and strolled out into the hallway, passing by her sister's room. The lights were still on in the living room and kitchen Hinata noted, as she sighed, remembering how Neji promised (although listlessly), that he would turn everything off once he got to bed.

So either he was still working, forgot and went to bed, or went to bed and didn't forget because he hadn't even heard what she said.

"Mou..." She sighed as soon as she got to the kitchen. It wasn't one of the scenarios that she had imagined, but much to her chagrin, it wasn't any better.

Neji was slumped over, perhaps asleep, on the dining table, several ink-covered sheets strewn about the table, a few dozen crumpled balls of papers lay about on the floor.

Hinata pulled up a chair beside him, and sat down, laying her head in her arms on the table. She stared thoughtfully at him, wondering if he could feel her stare, if he was well aware of her.

The house was almost incredibly silent, but it felt cozy, so mellow and yet so comfortable.

His shoulders raised and sunk in rhythm to his breaths.

In.

Out.

Up.

Down.

In.

Out.

Up.

Down.

"Ne, ne.. Neji-nii.." She mumbled out, softly. "You okay?"

He began to stir, his palms flattening out against the table as he stretched. His eyes were still closed, but Hinata knew he was awake now. His lips moved, an incoherent mumble stumbling out and barely making it to her ears, like a drunk from a bar who passed out just before he could get his keys out.

"Neji-nii??" Hinata questioned, imploring him with her eyes curiously.

He mumbled a bit more loudly, but it was still unclear.

"Uu--wha-at.. time is it?" Neji finally spoke aloud, sleepiness weighing on every clumsy syllable.

She paused, took a moment to understand his muffled words before looking up at the digital clock on the mircrowave.

"It's 10:10 at night."

Her words echoed through his subsconscious mind, sprinting in slow-motion, as he struggled to understand this sudden feeling of familiarity.

_10:10.._

__

It's 10:10...

It's 10:10 at night...

It's 10:10...

_Ten-ten.._

_'No.. Ten-ten.. that can't be right.. wait..!'_

Neji's eyes shot wide open, startling Hinata with his abrupt wakefulness.

"Neji-nii??" Hinata called out concernedly, as Neji swiftly got to his feet, stark realization adhered to his face.

He looked lost for a moment, his mouth hanging open, trying to think, to form words. To wake up.

He looked to Hinata, her confusion swimming in her eyes like salmon in a pool. She wondered what that expression on his face was for, why he looked so , wondered what he was going to say.

Then he almost smiled.

"I KNOW WHO SHE IS NOW!" Neji exclaimed, startling his cousin all over again, as he slammed his palm against the dining table, an unusual display from him. Even if there had been any other time that he had been genuinely excited or happy about something, he never shouted nor hit.

What had just come over him??

Hinata blinked, as she just noticed something.

When Neji had fallen asleep, he had slept on a piece of paper that he had been heavily inking and drawing all over.

And now it was stuck to the side of his face.

She tried her hardest to restrain her laughter but it was near impossible.

"Neji-nii.." She giggled out as she pointed to the paper glued to his head. It took him a few seconds to process what she was getting at, before he realized himself the obstruction stuck to his face.

He peeled it away and looked at it.

The image was poorly drawn and smeared due to laying on it, but he could still see it. He tried to recapture an old and forgotten face, and this surprisingly was the closest he ever came all day.

_"Gomen nasai, sir!" She hastily apologized, bowing several times, hands politely clasped on her lap._

Her thick dark brown hair held in twin buns..

Her umber eyes..

Neji took one more look at the badly drawn girl on the piece of paper, his words coming out so pensive and so low.

"She looks so different now since then.."

* * *

The chill air whipped past and through her clothes, only the protection of her heavy knitted sweater keeping her warm enough in the cold night air. Tokyo was so different at night! And yet the same..

The streets and sidewalks were still crowded.

The neon lights and plasma televisions that hung off building and skyscapers lit up the sky in an array of blazing color. Although the sky remained black, the streets remained a buzz of life and light. The sounds of taxis and car horns drifted from the streets, the din of chattery voices and laughter surrounded her ears.

The city's night life assaulted her sense, overwhelming her with the feeling of freedom.

She treaded through the crowds at the train station, waiting patiently behind the thick yellow line. With a mechanical _WHOOSH_, and a clean screech, the train pulled up and stopped. The doors opened, and the train exchanged passengers with the station like a mutual agreement.

Hanabi made her way on through and immediately found a seat, finding herself lucky.

__

'Guess during the day is the real rush hour..'

The young Hyuuga looked all around, smiling to herself at the group of party-goers and _Yamamba-Gals_. They were so much older and they looked so cool. They giggled brightly amongst eachother, taking photos with their cellphones as they chatted and teased mirthfully. Hanabi looked off to the side and sighed pleasantly to herself. There was a couple, a pretty girl and a cool-looking guy, sleeping against the hard seats, her head rested against his shoulder and his head layed against hers.

They looked pretty comfortable.

She couldn't wait to meet her boyfriend at Shibuya.

His parents were out of town for a few days too.

She knew it was alright, she'd already been to his house before.. well actually, more like snuck in. (It actually wasn't like she didn't want to meet his parents, and it wasn't like she was worried or preoccupied over something as simple and petty as their acceptance... but it seemed they were having too much fun tip-toeing around like Romeo and Juliet.)

"I guess I'm still sneaking around..." She murmured to herself as the train began to pull to a halt. She took a quick once-over of herself, making sure that she looked her best.

Her mute brown hair was pulled high into a ponytail, leaving one strand of hair to hang by the side her face. Under her bright pink, knitted, knee-length sweater, she wore: a white half-sleeve shirt (that exposed her midriff) with _Batz-Maru_ on the front, a pair of dark denim short shorts, silhouette black leggings with green and pink striped knee-highs over it, strappy _Miu Miu_ canvas rope wedges, and several colorful beaded necklaces and bracelets.

She got up from her seat, and proceeded out with the rest of the night-life lovers into the Shibuya Station.

At least, until.. a pair of blue eyes and unkept blonde hair caught her attention.

Panic stole her breath, caused her eyes to widen as his eyes connected with hers, recognition registering on his face.

Naruto stopped just before the yellow line, brows raised with surprised and interest and mild confusion.

"Neighbor??" Hanabi murmured out fearfully.

"O-Oi! Chibi-Hyuuga-chan!" Naruto called out, deriving a shrieky squeal from the younger girl, alarm shooting throughout her body and making her act without thought.

Hanabi found herself racing towards him. Then she began pushing at his back, forcefully leading him away from the train. She couldn't let him go home, not if he saw her, he would just have to wait for another train.

"GO! HURRY UP! Go go go go go go go!" She ordered him bossily, forcing him in in a corner by the soda and juice vending machines.

"O-Oi? What's goin' on?" Naruto asked as he looked over his shoulder, staring at the top of the smaller girl's brown head. He saw the way she was wringing her hands anxiously. She tugged at her midriff shirt, trying to cover up her exposed naval, but to no avail. She chose to button up her sweater instead.

This was sooooo awkward.

Naruto quirked a confused and curious brow at the younger girl.

What was that look for? There was so much anxiety in her eyes that they quivered, nervously looking all around the station as she tried to form the right words.

She was freaking out. She didn't expect this at all. And feared that if he knew, then Hinata was bound to find out... It felt like a laser red dot was hovering over her face, that at any moment the trigger would be pulled and she would be dead.

And if she felt that badly about this, then she perhaps her moral compass was pointing south. (Much like some of her deeper and darker intentions.) Yet, she never questioned herself. She only focused on keeping the witness silent.

It was her primary concern.

"You CAN'T tell 'Nee-chan about this okay?!" Hanabi stressed, pinning anxious and livid eyes on the older, much taller boy, her little hands fisted at her side.

"About what?" Naruto asked cluelessly.

"ABOUT SEEING ME HERE! She doesn't know! So DON'T TELL HER!" She screeched again, stamping her hoof at the ground, her heart still beating fast with distress. The blonde boy sighed, bringing a hand to the back of his head.

"What the hell is an eleven-year-old doing wandering so late at night in the city?" He asked aloud to no one in particular, as he looked over the top of the pedestrians' heads.

"I'M THIRTEEN, DUMBASS! Now keep your promise!" Hanabi shouted indignantly, stomping a foot at the ground again. It was the best she could do to be intimidating.

"Yo, I didn't make any promise!" Naruto pointed out with alarm, not wanting to be stuck with something that he didn't even agree to.

"You better, unless you want to live to see tomorrow!" The little girl threatened.

Naruto blinked. He took another look at her and realized that she stood to about his waist.

She was half his size and she was threatening him with death?

"Heh.. heheheh.." He chuckled dryly. "...What the hell can you do?" He asked dumbly, unimpressed and incredulous.

He asked for it.

And he didn't even see it coming.

__

THWACK!

"THAT!" She shouted, maintaining a firm eye on him. She didn't even seem bothered that she kicked him in the crotch, thinking it seemed justified.

"Gyaa!! That fu--!!" Naruto hissed out in a high whine (stopping short of the F-word to spare her ears the pain), despite himself being bent over in it. "..That freaking hurt!" He revised, glaring somewhat tearily at her. _'Damn, what're the shoes made out of?! Wood??'_

"They are!" Some girl across the train exclaimed, chittering with her friends. Naruto glanced over to where they were, confusion filling him. It was an ironic and perfectly timed response.

"Don't tell her!" Hanabi stressed forcefully, letting him know that he had no say in this otherwise.

"Don't fu-" Naruto stopped himself short again. "Don't freaking kick the person that has the evidence! I have the power to screw you over!" He threatened confidently.

__

THWACK!

"F--K!" He cried out strained, still bent over and clutching blatantly at himself, no longer caring about censure.

"Don't tell her!"

"...m-my man parts..." He moaned pathetically.

"Don't tell her!!"

"Alright! My gawd, Alright!" Naruto sighed, achy and exasperated. "...Kuso.. You know, you didn't even have to kick me! It's not like I care what the hell you're gonna do! I was gonna let'cha!" He told her straight out, startling her with his honesty.

"..What? Really?? Why?!" Hanabi stomped her foot again, out of a demanding habit. She was skeptical, she never thought that he would just let this go and she so she didn't believe him.

"Well like I already said.. I don't care. 'Sides, I used to sneak out late at your age." He replied nonchalantly as he tried to straighten himself back to standing. _'Geez, what a way to end the night.'_

"Oh... um, okay." The little girl mumbled blankly, still surprised at his leniency. Then again, maybe she shouldn't have freaked out so. He didn't have much reason to tattle on her.

"Stupid brat." He cursed out, glaring mildly at her.

"Hey!!"

* * *

Silence.

Undisturbed..

Perfect..

Sleepy..

Silence.

Hinata sat by the kotatsu in the living room, the adjacent open kitchen shining a dull haze of light over her from the stove.

She wasn't sure what she was still doing here, just sitting alone in the dark like this.

Neji had gone off to bed roughly two hours ago, and she knew the clock read 12:48 am..

She couldn't seem to get to sleep.

It was like there was a fly inside her head, buzzing madly around only to crash into the walls of its confines and falter clumsily to the ground. These questions she had.. were like a madness that held her sleep hostage, only willing to return it to her in exchange for answers, for closure to these naggings in her heart.

She stared out into the darkness, as if waiting for those answers, waiting for motivation to put her heart at ease.

These questions were so vague that she could hardly understand them herself.

She had been feeling strange, so fluttery and so unfulfilled.

When around him, she filled up, like a balloon high on helium, that's how she felt. High. Lightheaded. Abnormal. Yet sweet. As if honey were stuck to her tongue, rendering herself happy and helpless.

And when she was without him.. all that went away. She didn't necessarily deflate as she did feel hollow. Like an antique Russian Matryoshka doll.. Broken in half, then removed of all its neat inard compartments. Plain and painted on the outside, incomplete and empty on the inside.

Almost concsciously.. she could begin to describe this as a sort of.. dependency.

Was something wrong with her?

Was there a name for this abnormal experience?

There had to be..

Because nothing ever felt this perfect before.

* * *

The scenery outside was the same yet somehow slightly different.

There was a warm allure to it, the promise of spring budding steadily to life. She could just imagine the cherry blossoms soon to come, the suburbs and Yoyogi Park awake and overwhelmed with the heady aroma.

It was one of her favorite times of the year, with bittersweet memories of her short childhood, her brief moments spent with her mother in the park.

All so wistful and dreamlike.

Hinata placed her chin in her hand, the voice of Harada-sensei -- the Japanese Classics teacher -- fading from her ears as she sunk deeper and deeper into her subconscious, airy daydreams trapping her in a state of suspension.

__

'I haven't seen the cherry blossoms since mother died.. The atsmospere alway seemed so lively and so fun. Romantic even... I wonder if Naruto-kun would like to see the cherry blossoms bloom in Yoyogi sometime..'

She closed her eyes.

__

The grassy meadow was ablazen with color, the sunlight hitting perfectly against the lustrious blue lake.

Pink Peonies.

Deep Red Anemones.

Ticklish Baby's Breath.

Fluffy Dandelions.

Mauve Pasque flowers.

Canary yellow Buttercups.

Cotton white Oleanders and St. Benard's Lilies.

Her smile lit up like the sun's rippled reflection, a warm sweet breeze embracing her like a good friend. Her opaline eyes radiated with joy.

Dressed in a summery lolita jumper dress, puffy half sleeves hugging at her shoulders, she jumped a little and raced towards the lake's edge. The dress was made of pure linen; white and embroidered with lavender and yellow roses. The bodice was puffy like the sleeves and tight, the long empire-waist skirt draping from the edge of her breasts to the top of her knees.

She brushed a stray hair behind her ears, matching white gloves adorning her hands cutely.

Her feet were without shoes or socks, the moist earth and sweetened dew clinging to her baren ankles and toes.

A bell-like giggle drifted from her pink lips, as the wind blew against her again, pushing her back a little. She turned around, laying her glowing eyes on a familiar figure, her cheeks growing flush.

Golden hair like sunflowers and deep blue eyes like the peerless sky.

The warmth in his eyes, the smile he shown through them and the light smirk on his lips, all directed at her.

She happily sighed, giggling to herself as she finally took notice.

He was dressed like an Ouji-loli: A long white dress shirt that hung loosely around his body, the lapels propped up and the first four buttons left undone, exposing his collarbone and top of his chest. And a pair of black jodhpurs, fitting but wrinkled and somewhat loose.

She felt her heart beat quicker, tripping, neglecting a few beats with carelessness, and pounding with deep THUMP-THUMP-THUMPs against her breast.

He continued to smile to her and only her, treading through the dewy grass and flowers, until the gap between them nearly closed, stopping a maddening five inches from her.

She couldn't seem to meet his stare, and wished that she could.

He took her hand and held it warmly in his larger ones, then brought it to his chest, prompting her to look him in the eyes.

She blinked and it seemed like time skipped ahead. She found herself sitting on a picnic blanket and laughing with Naruto at something he said.. But she didn't know what it was.

She picked up one of the plentiful and various plates of sweet desserts, a german chocolate cake with vivacious red strawberries adorning the top, red and white swirls decorating the edges. She picked up a juicy strawberry and held it to her lips, tasting the lightly saccharine flavor.

It stained her pink lips a lusty red.

Hinata's head lay haphazardly in her arms on her desk, eyes closed and a dopey smile on her lips.

She had fallen asleep long ago.

Roughly three periods ago as the day dragged on without her, every now and then an amorous giggle floating forth from her pink lips, a line of drool seeping out the corner and staining her notebook.

Naruto, slouched against the hard seat of his desk, took his eyes away from the chalkboard, barely paying attention as it were anyways, and glanced curiously towards his classmate and neighbor.

He could have sworn she was asleep right?

So what's with the strange sounding giggles?

"Dai.. Dai... suki.. yo.. zutto..." She breathed out airily, only the phantom in her dreams acknowledging her words.

* * *

Hinata looked all around, as she sat in her usual spot on the floor by the wall during gym, knees curled up to her chest.

The girls stood all around in their bloomers, laughing and chatting amongst eachother as the boys stood in a line, as obediently as they possibly could without trying to jump eachother playfully, some boys already trying to play chicken on land.

The boys' coach, Asuma-sensei blew the whistle, bringing everyone's attention to him and halting the teens' ridiculous (though amusing) antics.

"Knock it off already, there's a reason why I chose not to teach elementary, alright?" Asuma-sensei told them sternly as he smirked half-heartedly.

"Hai, sensei." The group of boys whined out, as two girls giggled at them.

"Today we're starting volleyball. Once the weather gets better, we'll all be able to go outside." Kurenai announced to the co-ed group, a ruby-red smile on her strong elegant face, as the class nodded. "Alright, now form your teams and choose a court." She ordered, everyone dispersing immediately.

Hinata craned her head back, leaning it against the hard wall, as she watched everyone get together.

They looked more like cliques than teams.

It was the same people that got together after all.

She didn't belong in any of their groups.

She was never popular company.

She knew that, she knew that since she was born.

After all, her father treated her that way.

And she grew accustomed to it.

She preferred being a Moai statue, lonesome and still, separate and easily ignored by the squawky seagulls, long as they chose not to land and poop on her. Or more like a single daisy amongst a field of poppies; simple, modest, and apart from the rest. Except most of the time people treated her like a dandelion. Everyone considers it to be a useless weed, but in reality it's quite soft and pretty.

Why can't people leave the dandelions alone? Why? They've never done anything to hurt anyone!

Hinata continued to look around, a bit of concern and confusion clouding her pale eyes. She was unable to find Naruto anywhere. And he wasn't in any of the groups either, she didn't see him on court.

Did he get excluded or something?

It seemed a bit likely, considering the way the class tended to treat him. Actually they were rather fickle and stupid half the time. The unsure ones would either leave him alone or bug him whenever new rumors surfaced or when he got in trouble. And the ones that firmly despised him were just a bunch of flightly girls. The boys weren't so snobbish.. to be honest they didn't give a damn either way.

__

'He could probably find a group more easily than I could.. He has a good personality.. And there's that one group too: Ukue-san, Masabo-san, Yamato-san.. They seem to like him..'

But she couldn't find him. He wasn't on court.

So where was he?

* * *

"Can we hurry this up? I'm supposed to be in gym." Naruto grouched, hands in his pockets and shoulders slouched back as he stood, indifferent and bored.

"Well I could have waited until you got out of school, but I had a feeling that you would have tried to run off." Mizuumi Mizuno, the young probation officer, reiterated quite simply.

"You're paranoid." Naruto sighed wearily, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, well.. They say old habits are the hardest to overcome." Mizuno muttered as he shifted the two manila folders in his hands.

"The hell?! You accusin' me of somethin', asshole?!" Naruto advanced belligerently, as he defiantly displayed his middle finger.

"Chill out, you needn't raise your voice!" Mizuno scolded sharply in a hushed voice, a weary sweatdrop coming down the side of his face. "And put that thing away, you're scaring the children." Mizuno teased half-heartedly, unsmilingly and in a dry voice.

In all honesty, he rather liked Naruto. But his attitude was too much to handle at times.

"Shaddup!" The riled blonde told off, his aggravation apparent.

"...Can we just get this over with? The sooner you cooperate, the sooner I'm outta your hair. You should know this by now, or do you enjoy fighting that much?" He asked curiously with a quirked brow, as Naruto squirmed nervously in place, an embarrassed flush on his reluctant face.

"Whatever.." The blonde conceded with a nod.

"Didja get that second job yet?" He asked, glancing up from his papers.

"Yeah, this past sunday." Naruto nodded.

"Where and is the pay substantial?"

"Harajuku, _The Elephant Cafe_. It's 1000 yen an hour."

"And what's your schedule now?" Mizuno asked, as Naruto proceeded to answer.

* * *

Hinata heard an annoyed, half-hearted sigh above her, her eyes opening almost instantly. She looked all around just as a body collasped close beside her.

Dark, feral eyes peered up at her, enamored but mostly fatigued.

"Kiba-kun, why aren't you playing today?" Hinata asked curiously, as Kiba sat up normally on the floor.

"Waniwani-kun." He said.

"Waniwani-kun?" Hinata parroted, filled with confusion.

"Yeah, you remember.. that kid's great dane! The one that found a tasty snack in my leg!" He chuckled at the end, even though part of him was really irritated. His calf muscles in the one leg were sore from the bite. Hinata nodded with recognition, as she looked at him sympathetically, flushing lightly with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry." She smiled sheepishly, feeling warm under Kiba's stare.

"Naw, it's okay, heheh." He grinned toothily, feeling that it was more than okay, because now he had reason to hang out with her during gym.

They stayed in comfortable silence for awhile, half of Hinata's mind keeping an eye out for Naruto, her other half glancing back at Kiba every now and then. She didn't want to go off ignoring him after all. That would be uncool of her.

"So why do you sit alone all the time?" He asked, glancing up at her from the floor, lazily propping his head against the wall as he layed his body out against the floor.

Hinata merely shrugged.

"I prefer it." She said, never looking him in the eye. She sighed lightly, as she placed her chin to her knees, staring out into space, listlessly watching the students volley and serve.

"You know.. beginning of the year I would glance your way sometimes. I always wondered what kind of person you were to have stayed away from the rest." Kiba admitted earnesty, almost tenderly (while still trying to sound casual), the tone of his words bringing Hinata to face him, a question begging in her eyes.

"What did you think of me then?" She asked, almost pleadingly, her voice small and whispery.

It took him awhile to answer.

Perhaps he was caught off guard, enjoying and entranced with her pearly eyes, her bottom lip that she seemed to be chewing nervously on and he couldn't imagine why.

Or perhaps he was purposely milking the silence for all its worth, keeping her in suspension, so as to hold her attention longer.

She begged to know.

What first-impression did she make on him?

"I'm not really sure, actually! You were so far away most of the time, but that calm look you carried, no matter what was going on.. I thought you were.. pretty cool."

Kiba smiled warmly at her as he finished his confession, his sincerety striking a chord within her.

Her eyes widened with brows raised high enough that they hid behind her bangs. A steady warm blush grew on her cheeks as she twisted and squirmed beside him. She turned her eyes away, unable to keep a straight face that she buried her face in her knees, eliciting an amused laugh from Kiba. He pulled himself back up from off the ground and placed a hand against her back, rubbing the spot between her back affectionately, as he laughed again, knowing he was embarrassing her further.

_'..I had a calm look? I looked cool to him?'_ She mused with awe. He had taken her by surprise. She never thought about the way she looked before. When she wasn't in Harajuku, she didn't care what others thought about her, because she was certain nobody cared for her either. But now, she had incidently managed to impress someone. She was surprised, because she didn't even have to try. It just happened._'Did I really look cool to him?? Really?'_ She couldn't seem to wrap her head around it.

_'Damn, she's so cute!'_ He mused happily. He wanted to hold her so badly...

"Hina-chaaan!" He called out playfully, as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and layed his head against hers, grinning from ear to ear. Her blush grew darker, realizing his embrace and feeling far too embarrassed to do anything about it.

She wasn't sure if she was uncomfortable or if she found it endearing.

This was the third closest she ever been with a boy, the second closest actually that Kiba ever touched her.. (that one other time was somewhat an accident, because Naruto had been chasing her).

This was.. kind of nice actually.

A wooden creak sounded, like a Ka-Chink, one of the gym doors opening and closing as someone strolled in.

Naruto saw immediately that the class was playing volleyball, part of him interested because he always enjoyed a competitive sport, and compared to lame ping-pong, this was a physical sport, so he liked it even better. But after getting kicked in the No-Noes last night by Hinata's (sometimes bratty) younger sister, he didn't plan on playing today.

Something else caught his attention in the corner of his eye, as he turned to look at them curiously.

Two classmates sitting out against the walls.

As soon as he got a better look, he recognized the top of the female's dark head to realize that it was Hinata.

Then indignance and a bit of disgust passed through him when he saw the vampire/dog boy hanging all over her, his curiousity dying out.

He decided to walk up to them despite.

Hinata heard his footsteps as she ignored Kiba's goofy cooing and picked her head up to meet blue eyes, a detached look on his face.

"Oi, you're in school. Don't you think that's a little inappropiate?" The blonde asked cooly, his expression unfriendly.

Irritation shot through Kiba like a smack to the back of the head. He looked up, only to glare coldly at the demon boy. Talk about an uncalled comment.. What does he think he's doing talking to them?

"No more than your talk of stand-up sex." Kiba retorted back blandly, still keeping Hinata close in his embrace, reluctant and refusing to let her go.

"Well see, that was a joke. So I'm guessing this is a joke too then?" Naruto replied mockingly, as he glanced between the boy and Hinata, the poor girl left to stare helplessly at Naruto. His words stirred acrid emotions within Kiba, his arms tightening instinctively around the lithe and clueless Hinata.

"Screw You." Kiba swore, not in mood to play around right now. He never had much patience for punk-ass kids anyways.

"Che... Later Hina-chan, have fun getting groped." Naruto shrugged before walking off, changing his mind about sitting out. "Oi! Ukue-chan! Lemme join!" He called out, waving towards her as she turned around and smiled amiably at him.

_'Tch! Only I get to call her Hina-chan! Who does this moron think he is?!... I'm not groping her, dumbass!!'_ Kiba seethed, his arms still clamped around the helplessly confused Hinata.

She had this expression on her face, like _'What the hell is going on??'._

If only she knew.

* * *

That had been the strangest moment in her life.

That or the time Moe and LaBelle encouraged that she cosplay like a boy. That was back in the day, when her hair was already short, so apparently it worked out. But what made that moment really awkward and strange was when Robin didn't recognize her and started actively hitting on her. Also, that was around the time that Atsuko shortly dumped him, leaving him in a state of depression, and when seeing her soft round face, rebound came quick.

_"You know, he's into the really feminine uke-types. I think it helps make him feel like a man.." Moe smirked mischeviously, the thirteen year old Hinata blushing madly with embarrassment._

"Did you do this on purpose?" Hinata whined, hiding her face in her hands.

__

__

"Naw, course not! Heheh!" Moe chuckled, only fibbing slightly.

She shook her head at the memory, finding it all rather silly.

But as for gym class...

What on earth was that all about?

Naruto came in and approached them.. calling them inappropiate or something.. she wasn't sure what he was referring to.. and then suddenly he's picking a fight with Kiba. Or Kiba's picking a fight with him. She wasn't sure, both seemed really brazen towards eachother.

Taking two items out of her bag, she noted that Naruto had headed for the rooftop. She wondered if he was still expecting his lunch like he was yesterday?

"..Guess I'll just go ahead and give it to him, then." She mumbled to herself decisively as she got up out of her seat, and headed for the door into the hallway.

The closer she got to the rooftop, the more she began to feel self-conscious.

She stood at the top of the stairwell, staring nervously at the closed door, hidden in shadow.

She was starting to question why she got this kind of bento for him and not a normal kind? Would he understand the implications?

_'Wait..! There's no implications right?! I just thought about giving him a nice meal.. and it's from the heart, so that means it's sincere.'_ She tried to tell herself, still not understanding the restless nagging in her head, the shaky confidence in her heart.__

'It's just food.. why am I freaking out like this?'

* * *

Kiba had just gotten back from the boys room, but not without stopping by to see Shino.

__

"Did you ask her out yet?" Shino asked curt and cuttingly, instantly stopping his friend in his tracks.

"Umm.. no?" Kiba answered blankly.

That was when Shino thusly took him by the shoulders, turned him around and shoved him out the doorway.

He was no longer allowed in Shino's prescense until his got his issues worked out.

Basically meaning Hinata.

_'Alright that's it.. I'll do it! I'll do right now, I'll ask her out right now!' _Kiba told himself, his conviction shining brightly through his dark eyes.

But once he marched on through his homeroom, a light shined out within him, disappointment filling in.

Hinata wasn't at her seat.

She wasn't in the classroom_._

* * *

"The weather is getting nicer, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but it's still cold as hell at night." Naruto smirked.

They sat in the usual spot again, across the air conditioning system, a few feet from the doorway with the sun hitting through the wispy clouds directly overhead, casting meager shadows beneath them.

They sat in comfortable silence, Hinata remaining quiet as always, focusing more on her lunch, a golden cake with semi-bittersweet chocolate frosting and fresh red strawberries. As she picked one up, she couldn't help but inspect it curiously, her dream revisiting her briefly. She flushed lightly and quickly shoved it in her mouth, the images becoming too distracting and dangerous for her.

Naruto payed her no mind, hardly the observant one anyways.

He ignored the frilly doilies in the lunch box and picked up the triangle sandwich slice of pork tonkatsu, the Kewpie mayonnaise oozing out from the side. Hinata peeked from the corner of her eye to watch him, wondering if he liked it, if he would do something silly and spontaneous, if he would feel endeared about the particular lunch box.

He was pensive, as if he were looking at something completely different, his mind on something else as he continued to roll the conversation around in his head.

__

"Okay, so what was it you said I wouldn't believe??" Naruto asked Ayame curiously after getting his part over and done with. She had this simple smile on her lips as she shrugged her shoulders a little, betting that it wasn't all that interesting anymore.

"I think a friend of yours stopped by Sunday, when you were away." She explained, turning her back on him to return to working on disecting the crab and taking out its meat. Naruto stood up slightly, as he craned his head curiously to the side, confusion in his blue eyes.

"What friend?"

"Well there were more actually.." She went on to say. Now Naruto was really confused. How many could she possibly mean? He didn't exactly have a significant amount of friends from school (nor from his hometown, but he wasn't expecting anyone to come looking for him), so only people he could possibly think of were Ukue and her two friends, Masabo and Yamato. Well, then there was Hinata. But she was always at Harajuku on Sundays.

What would she be doing in Shibuya??

"More?? Who??" He prodded, as Ayame threw out the crab's exoskeleton and scooped up all the meat in her hands. She walked over to one of the pots and dumped all the meat into the simmering broth, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Anou.. They were all cosplayers." She smiled cheerily, missing the startled expression jolt across his face.

His chair squeaked, then he fell off.

"Naruto-kun?" Ayame called out questiongly, wondering what happened.

"Oi! What's the big idea?! What makes you think I've got any friends like that?!" He shouted indignantly, and apparently panic-stricken.

"What's the problem?" Ayame asked bewildered.

"I'm letting you know now.. I don't associate with otaku!"

That was yesterday afternoon.

And only cosplayer he knew was...

"Hinata-chan?" He called out evenly and aloof.

"Hm?"

"Were you at the Ichiraku last Sunday?" He turned to her expectantly, waiting patiently as she slowly put down her cake. Her fingers fiddled around with eachother, a nervous gesture he was starting to see almost frequently from her. Then she finally nodded, still keeping her eyes ahead of her.

Was it a bad thing that she had been there?

"Why'd ya go there??" He asked, a bit more vehemently than intended . Hinata tipped her head forward and tucked in her chin, tentatively turning to him but still keeping her eyes elsewhere.

"My friends and I were in Shibuya, and we wanted to grab something to eat. I suddenly remembered where you worked.. because of that one time you brought me there." She explained, her voice low and timid.

Naruto nodded in understanding, backing off after realizing how he must've sounded, especially after the way she shrunk into herself. He picked up the orange juice carton and poked the straw in through foil hole, proceeding to take a sip. He inwardly sighed, conceding that she had a good reason. But somehow he still didn't like it, maybe he was just worried that she might try to bring them there again. Of course, that's more money in the old man's wallet, but still..

"Where were you Sunday, Naruto-kun?" Hinata then asked innocently enough.

He didn't say anything for awhile, as he purposely sipped his orange juice at an agonizingly slow pace.

"Ne, Naruto-kun?" She tried again. But he continued to drink, secretly wondering what kind of rise he could get out of her. Her response yesterday was kinda boring when he called her annoying.

"Naruto-kun?" She asked.

He just made loud sips instead.

"Why are you--??"

_Zuuuuuuurururu... Zuzuuu.. _He continued to make loud sips.

Hinata huffed a sigh, slumping back as she clasped her hands in her lap, forgetting about her own lunch. She couldn't understand why he was acting like this. He could hear her, right? She couldn't find the purpose in trying if he was going to ignore her. It discouraged her voice.

Naruto glanced out of the corner of his eyes. Hinata picked up a strawberry, still miffed, and ate it, no longer looking at him anymore. And he knew she gave up on him.

This annoyed and disappointed him.

_Zuuuuuurururu... _He slurped loudly again, trying to catch her attention in his own silly and obnoxious way, but now she wasn't even getting it. He wasn't even drinking anymore, the straw was above the juice so that way it would make that noise when it's empty.

He sighed and gave up too.

She wasn't being any fun.

He was trying to annoy her and she wasn't even doing anything.

"I was at work. I got that second job." He told her in a dry and bored tone, as he slouched back against the net-wire fence. He didn't expect her to be enthusiastic or interested about it.

Hinata blinked then turned around to face him, surprise written all over her face. Suddenly a bright smile appeared on her lips, eyes glimmering with joy and curiousity.

"Really?!" She asked, her voice surprisingly loud. It took Naruto a moment to respond, his brain processes slowed down by her smile, as he slowly nodded to her. He was startled back to life when she clasped her hands together and giggled happily.

"That's so great, Naruto-kun!" She praised proudly, taking Naruto by surprise again. A small blush came to his face. Yet he was suddenly bewildered. Did she just have a complete change of tune or what? Maybe it was just him. He made a plain assumption about her before giving her a chance.

"Anou.. Where is it??" She asked curiously, her voice still hitched in the high and happy way, as she brought her clasped hands to sit under her chin, looking very eager to know. This mild gesture of interest filled Naruto with pride, with a sense of self-importance. Even though a small voice in the back of his head kept telling him she was pretentious, that she was just being polite, he still enjoyed the show.

He paused to think, then smiled mischeviously to himself, a glint in his eye and an impish smirk on his lips. He opened his mouth, looking as if he were about to speak, interested in how Hinata seemed to lean forward expectantly, waiting for his answer.

He was liking this now.

He had her attention all to himself.

And with that, he reached for his juice box and began to slurp noisily from it again.

_Zuuuuuuuuuurururururu... zuuuururururuu.._

Hinata blinked, now realizing what he was doing.

He was teasing her again!

The pale-eyed girl pouted somewhat irritably, making her bottom lip fuller, her glare catching Naruto's attention. His mischevious, high-and-mighty expression dissipitated into clueless confusion

Uh-oh. Why did she look so pissed now?

Hinata made a grab for his juice box, pulling it away from his lips.

"H--Hey!" He blurted out clumsily.

Hinata stuck her tongue out at him and got up, the juice box within her grasp.

Then she ran off.

"Hi-Hinata-chaaaan! What the hell?!" He whined, actually laughing a little at the end, somewhat incredulous. He got up half-way, unsure if he should chase after her or not.

Was this a sign of encouragement, an act to provoke him?

It seemed that way to him.

Across the rooftop, Hinata hid behind the air conditioning system, clutching the juice box to her chest as she sidled up against the large metal obstruction, and waited for footsteps, just to see if he was approaching her or not.

A few minutes passed it seemed, and she was only met with silence. She scooted to her left until she reached the corner, and peeked her over the side.

He wasn't there.

And from this angle she couldn't see their spot either.

She proceeded to scoot quietly to the other end, hoping that he wouldn't be there.

As soon as she got there, she mentally prepared herself with a few breaths before turning the corner.

Her eyes widened, as a dark shadow fell over her.

First thing she saw was his shoes.

Then his red-classic plaid uniform pants. She brought her head up, her eyes slowly settled to his shadowed blue ones, a seemingly ominous look on his face.

"Boo." He said in a cold voice, before his kitsune-like grin stretched across his face from ear-to-ear.

Hinata trembled for a second before a lightning fast idea flashed in her brain.

She brought the straw of his juice box to her lips and drank from it loudly.

_Zuuuu.. zuuuu... zuuuuurururu... rururu... zuuuurururu..._

Naruto watched cluelessly as she slowly emptied his juice as fast she could, a comical look of deep concentration on her face, her thin dark eyebrows knitted closely together.

_Zuzuzu--!_

The juice was gone and the straw continued to make that unique noise that told him it was finally empty.

Recognition, then horror appeared on his face, eyes widened and looking panic-stricken.

"I can't believe you!" He shouted indignantly, pointing a finger at her, looking quite immature and stupid.

Hinata just stuck her tongue out at him again.

"Here you go." She smirked lightly as she handed back his empty juice box, feeling proud of herself. He held it, stared at it as if were a dead pet, and slumped in defeat.

"Y-you.. You suck. Y-you sucked my juice dry..." He whined out in disappointment, his head hung. Suddenly he brightened, realization striking him as he replayed his own words in his head.

_'Oh wow, that sounded kinky.'_

* * *

Kiba layed his head on his desk, trying to sleep the lunch period away, at least until Hinata came back to him.

He knew there were only a few more minutes left, so getting up to look for her might end up being pointless. He was getting paranoid about fate sabotaging his efforts again, yesterday a strong reminder of his uncanny string of bad luck.

He just wish the damn clock would hurry its butt up already.

* * *

They were back to eating their lunch in their usual spot, Naruto's mind seemingly in five places at once.

Part of him was still laughing, albeit perversely, about Hinata sucking his juice.

Another part of him was thinking about his new job. He couldn't wait til payday. Money, money, money. He was all about the money. But the company there was good too. He liked his co-workers.

The third part of him was thinking how good his sandwich was.

Fourth part was thinking up ways to annoy and tease Hinata again.

And the last part was thinking about teasing Hiro.

He was wondering if it'd be a good idea.

She kinda acted like Sakura, what with the way she would hit him and call him names. Except she didn't hurt him when she did, and she was actually a lot more easy-going than Sakura ever was. And Hiro was pretty cute, in an endearing, cheeky sort of way. Sakura was cute too; the lovely girl-next-door type. He wasn't sure what it was that he had liked about her.. most of the time her scary face and bad attitude eclipsed whatever sweetness she held.

Still, even that never stopped him.

__

"Sakura-chan! Daisuki!!"

"Piss off, you disgusting monkey!!"

Suddenly he was starting to think himself pathetic.

Its been long enough, roughly over four months now.. So why did he still feel a tug in his chest whenever she entered his thoughts? He was consciously over her, but apparently his heart wasn't on the same page.

Moving to Tokyo.. he willingly left her behind.

He doubted he would ever see her again.

He didn't plan on it.

But Hiro-chan however...

__

Dimples.

Dimples.

Dimples.

_'Gah! I'm such a retard!' _Inner-Naruto cried, grabbing anxiously at his hair, a look of utter embarrassment, horror and shame on his face.

He wasn't even sure why that came to mind.

Well it probably was one of the first things he noticed about her.

He could tease her about her dimples. Even though he kinna liked them... they were like Rikku dimples.

He wasn't sure if he was thinking about this kind of stuff because he was bored or if he got a real kick out of it.

It seemed lame to entertain himself by acting so immature.

Then again, maybe he hadn't grown up just yet.

Back in his 'good ole days', most of the stuff he considered fun were usually reckless and stupid anyways_._

Suddenly Tsunade's livid and disappointed face to mind, her words echoing in his head.

__

"If you're going to keep up this attitude of yours, what will you be left with, huh?! You don't wanna listen?!"

A hopeless sigh flew from his lips, silent and unnoticed.

It been weeks since they last talked.. He begun to feel bad about what happened that day.. He had been too proud to admit that he was in deeper shit than ever, but he also felt vindicated that he had overcome, that he had won, and in his opinion: Handled it beautifully.

He wanted her to think he could do it on his own, but she never had much faith in him it seemed.

Still.. maybe by now she had a right to know... Then again, he'd only tell her that he got in trouble with yakuza and that'd be it. He wouldn't say anything more, no matter how many times she interrogated him.

...

Which he hoped wouldn't happen.

Then again, that seemed rather hypocritical of him.

To want to tell her, but not tell her everything.

Naruto let out a lion of a yawn, catching Hinata's attention briefly as he put his sandwich down. Hinata had been watching him from the corner of her eye, wondering why he had looked so pensive for so long. Suddenly an awkward weight slumped against her, pushing her down slightly.

She didn't realize how close she and Naruto had been sitting until now.

_Thump, thump, th-thump, thump, th-thump, thump, thump.._ went her heart, nervousness setting in and rendering her dumb and mute.

She glanced to her right, a deep blush slowly creeping its way up her neck to her face.

Naruto was so close, his face was right there, mere inches from her own.

He had fallen asleep on her, his head resting against her shoulder. She watched in self-restrained adoration and awe, her eyes glued to his closed ones, to his golden hair and half-open lips.

His lips... Oh! He looked so cute like that!! Hinata could barely contain herself, yet was paralyzed to a point that all she could do was blush and silently freak out, Naruto's heavy weight not allowing her to do anything else.

What she didn't know was that he did this on purpose.

And then he said something on purpose.

"Ew. You smell like dog." He laughed.

"Wh-WHAT?!" Hinata squeaked out with indignant puppy eyes, as if begging him and saying 'It's not true, it's not true!'

And it wasn't. He just joking.

"Yeah, I think it's because of your friend there.." He trailed off with a secretive smirk, bringing a hand up to his lips in a high-and-mighty sort of way. Hinata shook her head vigorously in disbelief.

"No no, not Kiba-kun! Anou.." She trailed off, realizing that maybe she wasn't so sure after all. Kiba did smell a bit like dog. Suddenly a look of horror struck her face. "No no no no! It's not true, liar!" She cried out, now worried that he thought her trulyl disgusting. He did after all, say "Ew."

"What makes you think I'm lying?" He smiled, trying to seem innocent. When Hinata gave him a stern pouty look, he smirked mischeviously again and scooted closer to her. She scooted back a little, feeling unsure and a bit distrustful towards him. Before she could blink, Naruto grabbed her shoulder and yanked her closer to him. Hinata became still, tensing nervously when he touched the back of her neck, taking a thick strand of wavy dark hair and held to his nose, as if inspecting it. Her breath hitched quietly in her throat when he dipped his face in the crook of her neck, causing her to tense further.

Then he started to make strange inhaling sounds.

Was he sniffing her?!

Hinata blinked rapidly, his actions causing her to grow bewildered and madly anxious.

"Yeah.." He fibbed, sniffing her again for emphasis. "You smell like dog."

Hinata couldn't believe it.

"No way!!" She cried again, as Naruto openly laughed, mirthfull and warm.

"Hahaha! You shouldn't have let him hang all over you like that, now you stink too!"

"But it was just a hug!" Hinata cried defensively, coming off as quite naive. Naruto rolled his eyes, disappointing her with the mere gesture.

"Yeah okay, next thing you know he's nipping and licking at you, or some perverted shit like that." He commented dryly, unintentionally startling and somewhat scaring Hinata. Her pale eyes grew wide and her brows disappeared under her bangs. He then pulled her closer to him, situating himself behind her and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders. Hinata's eyes widened again, her neck and face steadily brightening red. He bent his head down, resting it on her shoulder and pressed his face into her neck.

She really didn't smell like dog.

More like honeysuckle.. airy and sweet.

"Don't you think he was all over you like this?" He asked in a low voice, enjoying how she felt in his arms.

"..." She didn't say anything, couldn't respond. It took him awhile to realize how tense she was, that she was quietly trembling. All she could hear was her own heartbeat, as his beat lightly against her back like a butterfly.

"Hinata-chan?" He looked cautiously at her, unable to see her bright red face, he was filled with unsurety. "Are you scared?"

She blinked, trying to get a hold of herself. His voice had come out so low that she wasn't sure if she had heard him right.

"..Wh.. what d-do y-y-you m-mean?" She stuttered, sounding frightened to him.

"Are you scared of me?" He asked again, with brows knitted together and blue eyes shadowed with worry.

"N-no.. wh-why.. w-would I b-be?" She murmured, her stutter and stumbles sounding less than convincing to him. He chose to ignore the voice that stole his confidence and smashed out the bad thoughts, as a carefree smile blossomed with relief.

And then he nipped her neck.

* * *

The bell rang.

The students filed back into class.

Kiba kept a stern and careful eye on the doorway, waiting as patiently as possible for Hinata to arrive.

Three girls..

Two guys..

Another girl..

Ukue and her boyfriend Yamato strolled in..

Two more guys...

A group of five girls...

Another girl...

Shikamaru...

That was it.

Normally Kiba would be interested to talk to Shikamaru, knowing that there was only one reason why he didn't spend the lunch period sleeping.

But he didn't care about that today.

Where the hell was Hinata??

* * *

They were fooling around in the stairwell.

"Naruto-kun!! Heeheehee!" Hinata giggled, unable to keep up with him.

They were both late, but she could barely think about that. She tried to run down the stairwell to get to class, but Naruto kept grabbing at waist, keeping her hostage.

He felt he wasn't done with her.

She was encouraging today; her extra cute giggles and open smiles compelling him to continue.

How often did he get a chance to fool around with a girl anyways?

_'Right..'_ He thought despondantly, somewhat irritated by it.

Other people could have her, but only until he was bored again.

She struggled against him, even though part of her was barely fighting, his strong bony arms were tight around her waist and she couldn't do anything about it. But that willing part of her didn't want to do anything about it. The smile on her lips stretched from ear to ear, and she didn't think it'd ever leave.

Her body had already surrendered.

"N-Naruto-kun! L-let go! Hahahaha!" She giggled, feeling as if she was lying, unable to fool even herself. Part of her was starting to recognize that she enjoyed this, that she wanted him to keep on holding her like this._ 'Don't.. don't let me go.. please.. don't let me go..'_ Her thoughts sighed.

"No, I mustn't! You've been bitten!" He stated rather over-dramatically, only deriving more innocent giggles from the girl in his arms. "If I unleash you into the world, only more vampires will arise!"

"What??" Hinata laughed incredulously. He was ridiculous, he was being so silly and ridiculous.

But he didn't care.

Nauto leaned in closer to her, as Hinata turned to face him, eyes radiating with such joy, her face glowing pink.

"Ne ne, just pretend I'm Alucard." He whispered in a mysterious voice, joking all the while.

"What??" Hinata mumbled out, not knowing what he was talking about.

But she didn't mind him being silly. It was cute.

He was bright and warm and strong... and he had his arms around her.

She... adored him.

She knew it now.

She adored him.

She hadn't realized she had stopped struggling..

How quiet the stairwell became...

She just continued to stare at him raptly, in glowing ardent affection.

"What?" He asked cluelessly, blinking unsurely at her. The faraway look she had, that he found strange, disappeared as she closed her lips and smiled lightly, shaking her head softly at him.

"Mm-mm." She mumbled sweetly, still blushing deeply.

Suddenly they both realized how close they were, as the stairwell seemed to echo with silence, reminding them of the reality.

She felt so slender yet fleshy, her waist cozy and soft, her back pressed against his chest. Their fooling around had caused her long hair to fly all over, and he could smell the lightness of flowers from her. He carefully dislodged some strands from his own unkempt hair, his eyes tentatively drawn to the silky strand draped across her bottom lip. With a gentle blush, she glanced down and swept the hair aside, instinctively drawing her bottom lip in to chew on, nervousness in her every naunce.

In the back of his mind.. he briefly acknowledged that Hinata was the only girl he'd ever been physically close to. And touching a female's body like this, holding a female's body like this.. was entirely surreal, yet ordinary to him.

How the hell was he actually getting away with this? For once in his life, how the hell was this possible??

_'Have I finally become attractive?! ...Can I do this with Hiro-chan?! ..Would she let me??'_

"Alright, we're gonna be late. They'll probably go looking for us or something, and that'll be pretty awkward." He stated simply, a goofy grin on his lips. Before Hinata could react, Naruto had drew her close to his side and picked her up sideways, as if she were an art portfolio or a small enough child. She blanched when she felt herself tip forward, her lower body elevated as all she could see was the stairs and his feet as they steadily descended. Freaking out, she clutched to his thigh, much in the same frightened manner as the last time he picked her up and carried her.

Her nails tickled somewhat. He was glad she wasn't clawing at him like some cat.

"I'm going to fall!" She cried, unintentionally burying her face into him, tickling him with a warm sensation.

"No you're not. C'mon now, you can trust me." He smiled reassuringly.

"I thought you said I was heavy!" She accused in a whine.

"I was joking!!"

* * *

Hinata had spent the the whole day tapping her pencil against the face of her notebook, chin in hand as she stared dreamily out the window.

Naruto had suggested that they don't enter the classroom at the same time, so he had come in twenty minutes after her.

Imahada-sensei gave him a taste of hell.

_"Where the hell were you just now, Uzumaki-san?!" The english language teacher schreeched, clearly fuming. She didn't have anythihng against him, of course not, but he sure had some gall._

_Naruto turned to her with an invincible smile, even despite all eyes on him, he decided to give them a show, much like he always did._

_"Sorry sensei, I had to take a huge shit."Everyone in the classroom had silently screamed, livid or taken by surprise, the majority of the class overall was either disgusted or secretly amused._

_Hinata had struggled to hold down her flustered blush when he said that, utterly embarrassed by him._

_Naruto didn't miss how the people closest aorund him had scooted their desks further away from him by a few inches, the only person not moving being Hinata._

_She couldn't hold down her giggles._

The bell rang, and the day ended.

Chairs squeaked against the linoleum as students got up from their seats and met with friends.

Kiba in the back was swift to respond, his eyes dead set on Hinata. He rushed on through, pausing whenever someone got in his way. He reached her halfway.. He halted suddenly with a jolt, and everything seemed to slow down by a millimeter of a second.

The blonde haired lout had risen from his seat and intercepted, as he stood by Hinata and smiled at her. She smiled lightly at him as they exchanged a few words. He couldn't hear much, the ruckus of all the students getting up and chatting clouded them from his sight, and was unable to get in on their conversation.

Before much longer, Hinata was walking out the door with the Yanki beside her.

What the hell was going on?!

_

* * *

_

She tread on a winding dirt path, the tall grass and sunflowers reaching to the sky like outstretched arms.

_He lead her by the hand, tugging her with a smile, the exuberance of his eyes glowed with an endearing warmth, a hypnotic vibrance._

_She giggled blissfully, bells singing forth from her laquered rosy lips._

_Hinata felt like a dam ready to burst._

_Perhaps it was foolish.._

_Naive even.._

_..to love him like this.._

_She was far too easy._

_They slowed to a halt, as he drew her in closer._

_She regarded his bare feet against the dirt, his black jodhpurs, the way the dress shirt hugged rakishly against his wiry body._

_He tugged at her hands, as if he were tugging at her heart, drawing her closer and closer to him.._

_He bent his head down to her, his sunflower blonde hair luminesced in the sunlight, the deepness of his blue eyes stole her breath, inviting her soul and burying it to the recesses of his own heart._

_A sweet airy sigh drifted from her lips, as she turned her face to meet his, the gap of their lips drawing closer and closer til space no longer existed..._

Hinata moaned dreamily, almost sounding like a muffled whimper.

Naruto glanced curiously out of the corner of his eye, almost immediately growing confused as well as curious.

Hinata had her eyes closed, her hands clasped together under her chin.

He wondered.. How the hell is she not running into anything or tripping?

Hinata's shoe stubbed against a crack in the sidewalk, causing her to lose balance.

Her eyes flew open, and before she knew it, she was flat on the ground.

Naruto sweatdropped wearily.

__

'Oops. Too late.'

He walked up to her in even strides, and bent to down to help her up. He couldn't help but smirk a little.

She was truly wierd.

Hinata whimpered in pain and embarrassment, her knees stinging slightly and her forearm and hands feeling numb and banged up from the sudden impact. She blushed sheepishly at Naruto's half-hearted smile, inwardly sighing with relief and gladness at the feeling of his strong hands gripping hers.

"Are you like, narcoleptic or something?" Naruto teased incredulously as he pulled her to her feet.

"W-what?" She mumbled with slightly widened eyes.

"Well you're always zoning out.. I mean.. you were walking with your eyes closed just now." Naruto pointed with a quirked eyebrow. "And you had your hands like this." He continued as he mimicked her with closed eyes. "And had your lips pursed."

A deer in headlights, Hinata was struck dumb.

His lips..

His lips..

Yearning rushed through her like a bee for nectar, curiousity clouding her better judgment, or whatever she had left of it.

She couldn't help herself.

She pecked him on the lips.

It barely lasted a second.

The sudden touch of warmth and flesh was so slight, but it felt as if her lips were on fire.

Naruto opened his eyes, confusion stirring through him.

She squeaked as she looked at his clueless blue eyes, realization striking her like a sodden towel, clumsy and uncomfortable.

__

THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP!!

She felt like a supernova, overwhelmed and overfilled, wanting to burst but knowing that she would only self-destruct and implode on herself if she did.

A silent scream of embarrassment dried and scratched her throat, her face redder than ketchup.

She couldn't believe herself.

She couldn't believe she just did that.

And with that she ran.

Naruto watched her leave, bewildered now.

He hadn't even felt the peck.

He didn't even acknowledged it.

His eyes had been closed the whole time until something foreign had touched his lips briefly and that was all.

As he stared off in the direction where Hinata ran, he couldn't help but think her even stranger than usual.

Why the hell did she freak out and run??

_

* * *

_

The soap water ran up to his elbows, the constant clinking of dishes piling up around him like a rhetoric, the bits of leftover food and grime shouting over and over the inarguable obligation he held.

Actually he volunteered for dishwasher duty tonight. Now he was growing annoyed with the repetive clinks and clacks of dishes, as the busboys and waitresses continued to dump the dishes on him faster and faster, like some sort of hazing joke.

_Clink!_

_Clank!_

_ClinkClinkClink!_

_ClankClinkClinkClinkClankClankClinkClinkClink!! _

They kept piling up, literally he was 'in neck' with dishes.

"HEY!! ..C'mon already!! I've just cleaned five, and you're givin' me fifty-a-friggin'-minute!!" Naruto shouted, clearly exasperated. The one waitress and busboy just smirked behind their hands and laughed, as they disappeared through the double kitchen doors. "Why the hell don't we have a dishwasher??" He muttered irritably under his breath.

"Because Mr. Masaharu is a sadist and likes to torture you." Came a familiar cute voice.

Naruto turned slightly, arms still soaked and soapy, he gave her this questionable look.

"Really?" He asked, gullible because of her straight face.

"No." She revised in a dry voice.

"Then what?"

"You're an idiot." She said so plainly that he deadpanned.

"Feh, thanks a lot." He muttered as he rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you shouldn't have volunteered." Hiro shrugged.

She stood beside, watching him reluctantly scrub at a plate. Busboys, waitresses and cooks bustled about behind them, the action nearly unnoticed by the two. He could feel her eyes on him, not boring but peering into him. It was not necessarily uncomfortable nor disconcerting, but it was a little odd.

Naruto glanced back at her discreetly several times, from the corner of his eye as she continued to stand there.

He kept looking at something different each time before trying to read her peerless black eyes, big and almost puppy-like.

He scrubbed. Then glanced. Her inky hair was held back by a sapphire-blue flower tonight, black bangs sweeping across her eyes, and he could tell she had light make-up on; no blush or mascara or lipstick or lipliner, just matching blue eye shadow.

Scrub. Glance. Her dress tonight was a sapphire cheogsam, with a diamond shaped neckline below the collar. She didn't have much cleavage to show, she seemed average in the chest department.

Scrub. Glance. On her blue silk dress was a silver and black crane with a bit of gold to line the feathers and eyes, and red to illuminate the crown. That was the focal point. Just below the diamond, was the crane's royal red crown.

Scrub. Glance. Uh-oh. She just crossed her arms.

"Why you keep doing that?" Hiro asked, sounding sweet and unsuspecting, but he could tell that she was accusing him.

"I wasn't ogling you, I swear!" He laughed albeit nervously towards the end.

Hiro didn't seemed convinced.

"I could tell Mr. Masaharu that your eyes were undressing me." She threatened, now glowering.

"I wasn't doing anything! You're the one watching me!" The blonde avidly defended, pinning his acusation on her as another thought came to mind. "Besides, Mr. Masaharu is the one that uses Superman eyes to see your skivvies."

With a comment like that, it didn't take Hiro long to respond.

"Falcon... Punch!!" Came her battle cry as she brought her arm back then punched him in the shoulder, in an exaggerated manner.

Naruto dropped the plate against the countertop, breaking it in three large pieces and several tiny shards.

"Ow! What the hell! Ya made me break it!" He berated loudly.

Hiro stuck her tongue out and giggled.

_

* * *

_

Neji got up from the kitchen table with the intent of starting dinner.

He found it funny, now that he thought about it.

Hiashi was out longer than usual, (not that he really cared).

And Hanabi was hardly around anymore either.

Dinner was sometimes spent alone when Hinata was out.

It was sort of strange to be alone in the house like this. Well, ever since he graduated three years early, he had sat around alone while Hinata and Hanabi were at school. But now he was seeing even less of them, and the nest's emptiness was becoming apparent.

For a mere moment, he questioned.. _'What am I still doing here?'_, before dismissing it almost immediately.

He pulled out the Kobe beef and bokchoy from the fridge, set them on the countertop by the stove.

Hinata had been awfully quiet lately he noticed.

He turned from the food to take a look at her sitting by the kotatsu.

She was laying on her back, her legs hidden under the kotatsu cloth, hands clasped against her chest, and a spaced-out look on her madly flushed face.

What happened to her?

"Hinata-chan?" He called out warily, brows knitted with worry.

She made no move or sound, she didn't acknowledge him at all.

He turned back to the food and opened the fridge. Then he cursed.

Neji had forgotten something.

"Oi. Oi, Hinata-chan!" He called out, slowly startling her back to life. She turned her head to the side, settling pale eyes on him blankly.

Sheepishly he grinned.

"Since you're not doing anything, could you run and get some milk?"

_

* * *

_

Hiro dipped her hands into the tepid sink water, occupying herself with rinsing a plate and a little song.

"Washing is so fun.. Washing is so fun.." She plainly sang out in a high-pitched voice, startling Naruto beside her. "Now it's time to take a break and see what we have done." With a tiny smile, she picked up a clean plate and displayed it to Naruto. "Yay, it's ready!"

A large sweatdrop steadily made its way to Naruto's forehead, an incredulous grin apparent on his face.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto called her out, giving her this wierd 'wow' look.

"You didn't find it entertaining?" She pouted in her normal voice, peering her big black eyes up at him.

The corners of Naruto's lips tickled and twitched, as fox-like smile spread from ear to ear. Hiro eeped at the impish and somewhat scary look in his eyes, like a dangerous cat.

He looked far too impish to be trusted.

"You don't have to put on your girlish wiles to seduce me, Hiro-tan, I already think you're cute!" He teased loudly in a childish voice, pinching her cheeks rather hard, despite her obvious glare.

"As if, monkey." Hiro muttered annoyedly, with a sweatdrop. "Don't make me drop you."

_

* * *

_

The sky blushed orange, yellow, pink before steadily fading to blue. The sun hovered above the edges of the trees, their baren branches like spiny fingers.

They were silhouettes in the evening sky.

Hinata wandered through the isolated streets of her neighborhood, the street lights flashing on, one after another, until every telephone pole, every bush and lucky cat statue had its own shadow spread across the pavement.

Her shadow treaded ahead of her rather than beside her, like an impatient acquaintance who couldn't wait to get rid of her.

But no matter how hard it tried, it could not detach itself from the soles of her feet.

She was anxious and felt lonesome, her thoughts thickening in her hollow head, like filling a thousand soggy sponges in a small waistbin.

Her lips tingled and burned with his memory, the warmth and surprising smoothness of his lips growing achingly vivid and yet surreal.

_He wrapped his arms around her soft shoulders and drew her near._

Her amorous mind was on overdrive...

_He layed his lips across her clavicle, licking at the hollow spot there._

... Distorting reality...

_She whimpered, as his lips continued to carress and kiss the sensitive spots of her neck._

...Adding scenes that never happened...

_Heat rolled over her continuously in waves, larger and deeper each time, sucking her in and spewing her out._

_The gravity of passion dragged her down, took her by the throat and held her in place._

_Love tied her hands and bound her feet._

_His lips and teeth robbed her of all cognizant thought._

These daydreams were driving her wild.

So immersed was she, that she didn't even blink. She didn't see where her feet took her, she was too busy in dreams.

Too busy being loved.

A varied group of old and young gave her odd looks from across the street, as they all wondered the same thing.

Why was standing in the middle of the sidewalk like that?

Hinata was so spaced out.

All this yearning was too much, and she ached.

She flushed and she sighed but it panged.

Part of her didn't enjoy feeling this way_._

_'There has to be a way..'_ She thought, almost spontaneously, her heart doing all the speaking.

_"There has to be a way to get him to notice me.. to like me..."_

* * *

"Cha-la!" A blonde-haired boy called out energetically.

"Hetchara!" A dark-haired girl, somewhat shorter than he, sang out, a tad off-key, but it was on purpose.

"No! You're supposed to say, Head Cha-la! It's Engrish!" Naruto interjected, only to be ignored.

"Sparking!" Hiro sang out.

"Did you skip ahead?!"

"Sora no kyukoka Jet Coaster! Coaster! Ochitee yuu--!" Hiro continued to sing in run-on verses, messing up the real lyrics.

"No no, you screwed up! Do you even know the song?!" Naruto laughed incredulously.

"You suck at singing!" Hiro laughed cheekily, as she flicked water from her fingers at Naruto in a playful manner.

"You suck at singing!" He declared firmly with a crooked smirk, as he wiped his face with a dry dish rag.

He retaliated by taking the dish rag and threw it at her face.

* * *

It was the next day... Wednesday afternoon. At a high of 62 and partly sunny! There was a chance it might sprinkle later, but the weather was still cold.

Hinata glanced past Naruto out of curiousity and concern, even as he eagerly praised the lunch she gave him today, his words and smiles swept pass deaf ears.

Kiba had been acting different lately.. she wasn't sure what to make of it.

He seemed.. aloof.

He hadn't spoken to her all day.

He didn't sit by her during gym for company.

He had barely looked her way.

She continued to stare at his lone figure, isolated in the corner with headphones plugged in his ears. There was a quiet distress in the edges of his face, but she couldn't read past that.

He glanced up, catching her eyes instantly.

Their eyes only locked for a mere second or two, before he turned away, unable to face her for much longer than that.

Kiba understood now.

She had given the the blonde loser a lunch today.

He knew now that she had given him the special lunch yesterday.

Part of him still felt that Hinata was only being polite or had some sort of coerced obligation to keep the yanki company and feed him everyday... but part of him wasn't so stupid either.

He couldn't understand why she chose him but...

He should have known from the start, though he had refused.

He knew now...

Hinata wasn't his.

* * *

Hinata laughed with Naruto at something he said, entertained by his story.

"And then, and then the little guy.. He has this fierce face, right?" Naruto says, as he mimicks with humorously accurate facial expressions and energetic gestures. "He takes his scouter in his hand, and he yells out "HASSEN JOU DA!" And he crushes it in his hand!"

Actually she didn't understand a word of it. But it was still fun to listen. She loved how into he was.

This whole time Naruto had been actively bullshitting himself, and he felt somewhat foolish. Because Hinata was sitting there, smiling and giggling. And he could tell..

She didn't have a clue.

He had to question why he was trying to talk about anime with her, knowing that she wouldn't get it, it was a pointless and one-sided conversation, and it just made him look kinna stupid.

He figured he had wanted her attention and somehow anime was the only thing he could think of at the time.

It seemed to work, because she was smiling and giggling. But he wasn't sure how truly interested she was if she couldn't contribute a little bit.

__

'Man.. this is a waste of time..'

He wondered how the topic of anime even came up.

_'Oh yeah! Hiro-chan!' _He smiled at the memory, slapping a fist in his palm.

At one point they had been talking about old school video games, then somehow DBZ got in the mix, and that was when they were trying to sing the opening theme while doing dishes.

He was kinna glad she decided to stick around and help him with it.

With a sigh, Naruto took a sip from his juice box. He glanced briefly at Hinata, a soft smile on her pale face.

Her lucid lavender eyes were glued to him. She wanted to tell him that he was her first kiss.

He found it a bit disconcerting.

"There's gotta be something going on between them." Came a whisper across the room.

"I thought she was with Inuzuka-san.." A girl hushedly commented to her friends.

Naruto's ears perked up, as if against his own will.

"They make for a wierd couple, don'tcha think?" A boy muttered to his friend.

Were they talking about him?

"Like anyone would go for Paper Eyes! She is waaaaay too vanilla for any man." The girl laughed sarcastically with a haughty expression on her face. A snicker came from another boy beside her, as he hung his head slightly to obscure himself with his hair, his shoulders shaking despite loose restraint.

Were they talking about Hinata?

"I've seen them walk home together." A girl across the room said, her eyes on their backs.

"Omigod, no way!" Squealed a friend.

"Shh!"

"Wait.. if she's with Inuzuka-san, what's she doing with the yanki?!" She screeched again, unable to control her voice.

"Shhh!!"

Naruto sweatdropped wearily._ '..Morons...' _

"She's not! Do you honestly think someone like Hyuuga-san would go for that kind of person?" Said a lithe honey-blonde girl, a firm look in her ginger eyes.

The classroom quieted down a little bit, a few whispers floating in the background like bad air.

The blonde's friend gave her this wierd look, as if her friend had just returned from another planet.

"..What the hell does any of that mean, 'someone like Hyuuga-san'?" The girl asked dryly.

"He's a lowlife, we all know it." The honey-blonde finished casually, as the room seemed to turn silent for a moment. She seemed to hold a sort of prejudice in her heart, for what reason was unknown, but she kept it to herself.

Naruto picked his head up and turned around to face the classroom.

His eyes met with those of his classmates, only a few unashamed individuals brave enough to face him straight and unabashed.

They knew he heard them, but they didn't care.

Their eyes pulled away and mouths began to move again. The classroom returned to a state of normalcy, but not without leaving an unsettling feeling within Naruto.

Someone like Hinata?

What did that mean?

It seemed like the only person that knew was the daughter of a Police Lieutenant, the honey-blonde haired girl: Honjo Touki-san.

* * *

A cold and wet breeze brushed past and carressed her cheeks with a frigid hand.

_'The temperature dropped.' _LaBelle noted, as she wrapped her Chanel Chequered scarf tighter around her neck. The tall third-year trudged through the streets of Shinagawa-ku in a pair of navy-blue tweed knickerbockers, knee-high leather boots tightly strapped to her calves, and a heavy structured fall coat from Chanel, bleached sand in color.

She had just gotten out of a five-hour long photo shoot for _Mary Magdalene_, a classic lolita brand. She was fifth in lead for their spring clothing line, something she knew Hinata would be excited about.

But that wasn't the real reason why she wandering throughout the small Tokyo town, scouring around for a familiar dark blue head.

She had spoken with Kiba yesterday, outside of Yoyogi park.

_A feminine laughter rang through the park, deep and haughty._

_Kiba had just relayed the whole story to her._

_She couldn't believe he got bit!_

_"Shut up! It's not funny!"_

_"No, no! It's hilarious!"_

_"Gaaah, c'mon! This is serious!" Kiba stressed, as he hung his head between his knees, grabbing furiously at his hair._

_"What is?" LaBelle asked dryly, unable to take him seriously._

_"I'm trying to ask her out! But I keep screwing up! It sucks, nothing's happening the way it should!" He shouted, sounding rather whiney to her._

_"You can't expect everything to be perfect. Your expectations aren't realistic." Labelle commented plainly, inwardly shaking her head at him._

_"Friggin'... Murphy's Law..." Kiba muttered despondantly, face buried in his hands._

_"Kiba-kun... You have my pity." The tall milky-blonde smirked elegantly._

_Suddenly the weeping puppy picked his head up from his hands. He had this extremely sad look on his face, that LaBelle couldn't help but find humorous and also embarrassing._

_"Eeeemiiii-chaaan!" He cried in a long whine, mourning the loss of his love._

_LaBelle sweatdropped._

_All she could think of at that time was..._

"Oh dear God." She sighed out in annoyance.

LaBelle paused outside of the school gates, the plaque on the white bricks reading: "Matsushita Normal Gakuen".

After her talk with Kiba, she found out what school he and Hinata attended when she recognized his school uniform.

She wasn't sure what to do about his problem, but it wasn't of her concern or priority. He would figure it out eventually, and if not.. oh well.

She always wanted to surprise Hinata anyways.

_'Hee, I know she'll be happy to see me.'_

She grinned with a little cackle.

* * *

Hinata waved Naruto a loving goodbye for the day, only to recieve a half-hearted and somewhat distracted wave in turn.

He hadn't even looked at her.

The ache reverberated in her chest, but she ignored it, and let it fade away. Except it refused to do so.

She kept feeling like she was doing something wrong, as if there was something she was supposed to do for him.

She felt the need to work hard, but she wasn't sure how to apply herself.

She knew, she wanted to get him to like her. But she had no idea how to do that.

How does anyone get someone to like them?

It was an endless mystery to her.

With a tired sigh, Hinata pulled her eyes away from the horizon beyond the gate, where Naruto had last been seen.

She wished she knew how to keep him.

She felt important when she was with him.

The kind of attention he gave her..

He made her feel.. different. But a good different. (Not 'leper, omigod you're a total outcast' different. That was how she used to feel.)

The sky was heavily clouded by now, the temperature dropping little by little, the wind speed decreasing to mere drafts and breezes. The clouds condensed and darkened, signalling the drivers to put on their headlights.

LaBelle stood just outside the black iron gates of the school, her eyes sweeping the grounds of the courtyard for a familiar and adored blackish-blue head.

Several faceless students, all in warm coats, passed by her, their giggles and chatter almost surrounding her before dissipitating with distance.

A lithe boy in a black worn hoodie strolled past her. At first he didn't look like anyone special, the only thing that made him stand out was his blonde, spikey hair. It wasn't until he got closer and brushed right past her that she got a better look, and noticed the unusual whisker lines on his face. LaBelle turned around to get an even closer look. Something about him seemed strangely familiar to her, but she couldn't place why.

Last thing she noticed about him were the holes worn in the elbows of his sleeve. LaBelle recoiled with distaste, as if she had just been smacked in the face with fish guts.

She couldn't stand dirty, worn, old or torn clothes. Especially those that actually wore their clothes around like that.

It positively disgusted her.

Still.. he was naggingly familiar! Was it the whiskers?

"How odd... He makes me think of Doraemon." LaBelle mused absentmindedly, as she thought of the blue cat. She giggled to herself, berating herself for being so silly.

A cold drop landed on her cheek, startling her with its frigid wet tongue. LaBelle brought her hand up to swipe away at the droplet, unaware of her surroundings and of the girl that stood quietly behind her.

"LaBelle-san?" The soft voice called out curiously.

Recognition flashed across LaBelle's face like lightning, a wonderous smile blossoming on her full, red-laquered lips. The tall eigtheen-year-old spun on the heels of her leather boots, and much to her pleasure, there was Hinata in her school uniform, looking up at her with her big, pale eyes.

She was a little disappointed at first, she always thought Hinata would look so cute in her school uniform. Except the blazer didn't flatter her at all, and the skirt was too long. The socks didn't match and weren't in style and her hair was flat. She was still cute, but so far.. only in the face.

_'..I am such a bitch..'_ LaBelle lamented sheepishly. She never realized how critical she was until now. She never disliked Hinata's clothes when she saw her on Sundays, she always looked so good. Perhaps she should have known... Hinata wasn't exactly one with the real world.

"..Are you LaBelle-san?" Hinata asked shyly, her thin brows furrowed up in confusion.

LaBelle blinked, now confused herself.

"Yeah. What, you don't recognize me, Emiri-chan??" She asked dubiously, manicured hands on her hips.

Hinata shook her head slowly, unsure whether to believe if this was LaBelle or someone else posing as her.

If it was LaBelle, what was she doing at her school? Or was it coincidence?

"Your hair is different." Hinata pointed out in a timid voice. The tall blonde shrugged and took a wavy, milky-blonde strand between her long fingers, as if examining it.

"Yeah, my hair-dresser did it. It's great, ne?" She grinned.

More rain drops began to fall, drip-drip-drop, drip-drip-drop, lightly pelting against their skin, hair and clothes.

Hinata hunched her shoulders up, instinctively defending herself against the cold, clutching tighter at her school bag. She wished she had an umbrella. She was starting to get soaked.

"Let's get out of this rain, shall we?" LaBelle suggested with a wide smile.

* * *

The rain fell in thin and quick streams, fat droplets rolling off the overhanging upper floor of a cafe building, as Hinata and LaBelle stood in the five-foot-way, shielded by the clouds' tears.

The dark-haired girl had been nervously twiddling her forefingers for the past hour, appearing distressed and distracted at the same time.

The cafe door continued to open and close with customers, the single ring of the bell signalling their arrival or departure.

LaBelle sighed, her breath visible for a second in the cool rain. She tried to figure her out, her younger friend tucked away in her shell like a sad and shamed turtle. Hinata never talked about love, boys or relationships before. Usually whenever Moe and Robin were bickering about boyfriends, girlfriends, lovers and shit.. Hinata would smile innocently but stay away from the topic.

It never interested her before.

She was certain now, Hinata had absolutely no experience whatsoever.

She was practically a middle schooler like this.

"So.. Emi-chan.. You gonna tell me?" The statuesque blonde asked in a firm and demanding tone. It startled her younger friend.

"T-tell you wh-what?" Hinata asked innocent, her forefingers continually fencing and battling it out against eachother. Hinata wished to let her feelings out but she was afraid of being scrutinzed harshly. She hated feeling like an amoeba under a microscope. She felt like at any moment, her heart would leap out of her chest and she'd start singing in the rain or some silly crack like that. It was getting harder and harder to keep her heart safe and her emotions in check.

LaBelle could see every bit of this clearly.

"There's something going on with you, it's written all over your face, except it's in Greek. I can't read it. What's going on?" She prodded and probed again, this time a bit more gently. Hinata shook her head.

"..I.. I don't really know myself.." She muttered softly, her eyes glazed over in a haze of confusion.

"How come?" LaBelle asked curiously.

A compact car rushed on through the drenched streets, the splashing sound of its tires against the rain-filled street resounding in their ears.

"It's so very m-muddled.. I can't describe it.." She muttered again. Her eyes lowered. Her hands dropped uselessly at her side and her bottom pink lip retreated, as she started a nervous display of chewing. LaBelle observed the hopeless yearning in her friend's liquid lavender eyes, her own heart tugged slightly at the sight.

Was this affecting her that badly?

"Try me." She said with an almost frightening determination. Somehow her voice was booming in Hinata's ears.

"My imagination has taken a life of its own. I c-can't stop thinking about him. M-my chest gets heavy that I fear I can't breathe! I feel like I'm drowning within myself everytime I see him, everytime I'm around him! A-and, and! I-I-I..! My head feels like its floating but my face is always on fire, and I can't..! I can't s-stop fidgeting! My heart wants to burst and my belly tingles wet and warm.. sometimes I can't stand it, but I crave every moment of it and I can't.. I can barely.. go on through the day without his smile.. without his eyes on me..."

Her voice ended in a hitched breath, her words heavily strained with emotion.

Her face glowed reddish-peach.

The yearning in her voice was so clear and so thick, she seemed to only feel it more and more, harder and stronger than the last.. until she reached her peak.

The tears flowed from her eyes, like an emotional orgasm . It wasn't the illusion of rain. Her heart wanted his love so badly, wanted his attention so badly, that the yearning became too much for her and she had to release.

She was bogged down by too many inhibitions.

She was becoming frightened of everything.

What was the purpose of this?!

Why did the happiness he brought her make her feel so deliciously insane yet so bereaved of the joy?!

Her heart was a supernova time-bomb. Ticking, ticking away.. each tick was a long and deep thrust in her chest, and it hurt too much to bear.

Why?

Hinata grabbed her head with shaking hands, the swift movement smearing the tearstain tracks, as her face beated hot with blood.

_'Why? Whywhywhywhywhy??'_

"Maybe you're in love."

Her voice came so calm and so smooth, like an arrow blessed with a talisman. It struck her mind and hushed her thoughts, it banished the demons in her head and cleared her of everything but the one word.

It was like water filled in a clean, glass vase.

"L-love?" Hinata stuttered as if speaking the words for the first time. An eternity passed as Hinata slowly brought her hands from her hair, eyes wide and clear but filled with confusion.

Her emotional display had shocked LaBelle through her core, even now as she finally turned her pretty pale eyes to her, LaBelle still felt the strange pang in her own chest.

She looked so lost.

It made LaBelle want to know her more, for her to be so shy and so sad at times.. to not realize love easily.. did she have a lonely life?

Her usually harsh and pristine features softened, a gentleness entering her eyes and a motherly smile appearing on her rosy lips. LaBelle brought her hand out towards Hinata, resting them on her shoulders. She rubbed her arms in a gesture of consolation, a sort of love and giddiness entering her own heart.

"Emiri-chan.. Come with me to the studio. I'll help you catch him."

Hinata sniffled. As she brought her little hands up to wipe away at the tears, dawn rose up from the horizon of her mind, the sunlight revealing every answer to her like a heaven sent. The maddening buzzings died from her thoughts, the feeling of being unsettled turning into something sweeter.

And she became giddy too.

_'In love.. I.. I love him.' _She told herself, the very words themselves sounding so very new and foreign to her. It gave her a sense of pride.

"Yeah!" She exclaimed enthusiastically, gleaming with the euphoria of love. LaBelle gleamed back, the feel-good feelings becoming contagious.

They both walked out into the rain, even as the sky grew darker, it only seemed to grow brighter to them.

LaBelle told her about her hairdresser, a half-japanese half-french woman who worked with lolita brands like _VISIBLE_, _Mary Magdalene_ and _Metamorhose temps de fille_. She told her about what new fads were happening in the nation, about the best romantic spots in Tokyo, about how she would have to practice seduction techniques.

And she told her about what guys liked best in a girls these days.

Hinata was filled with a shining sense of renewal and purpose.

She wanted to do her best for him.

She doubted she ever wanted anything more.

_'I have to do my best! I can't afford to look uncool in front of the one I admire most! ...Because, b-because.. I'M IN LOVE WITH NARUTO-KUN!'_

* * *

Star- YAY!! Shorter than I had planned, but that's perfectly fine. ToT I feel so bad for Hinata-chan! Whoops, did I say that?? STAY TUNED!! OR ELSE!! MOOHAHAHA!!1

Liner Notes:

- Sugimoto Miki : One of the two most leading ladies/actresses of the Pink Film/ Nikkatsu Roman Porno Film Genre. Basically what Pink Films are is this: Erotic Action flicks. It's like Kill Bill, but with lots and lots of sexiness!

- Ike Reiko : She is Sugimoto Miki's rival. (BTW - Pink films are still being made today, but they were most popular in the '70s.)

- Ogura Yuko/ Yukorin : She's a Gravure Model. She models in bikinis most of the time, and aims for the cute/innocent look. (She also refers to herself as "Princess Apple Moma" from the planet Korin.) she's quite genki and quirky, and very adorable. Also dangerously sexy in her photos, dude... she posed in wet clothes with a hose in her hand, what the hell! O;;O

- Aya Ueto : Idol, Singer, Actress. She looks somewhat like my original character Daiuchi Hiro. (I didn't base Hiro on anyone, she's purely original. But it's always fun looking up famous women and trying to compare my characters to them and whatnot, heheh).

- Sowelu : aka Harada Aki, Japanese and 1/3 Irish. She's a singer. She's got a great voice! ;D

- Gozen Tomoe: Famous elegant warrior women, her story is often portrayed in many kabuki plays. :3 She's adept with a bow and arrow and fought in the last-last years of the Heian era. :3

- _VISIBLE, Mary Magdalene _and _Metamophose de temps de fille_: Sweet-Classic-Aristocratic lolita brands. :D Mary Magdalene best fits LaBelle's sophistocated and mature style.

- "Cha-La Head Cha-La" : If you don't know this song by now, then you fail. **EPIC FAIL!! **BwaHahaha! Anyways, it's the first opening theme of DBZ and Konata-chan from Lucky Star sang it in one of the ending themes.

- "I don't associate with otaku!" : (But why are you talking about DBZ like a nerd?!) Because Otaku here and Otaku in Japan, are completely different. Otaku in Japan are stereotypically, fat, pasty, messy hair, glasses, and love love love collectable bishoujo dolls and or hentai dolls. Being an Otaku in Japan is BEYOND just liking anime. It's being friggin' Spock and talking in.. whatever that language is called.. Cling-on. Or something. Over here, we casually like anime. Over there, if you're otaku, you're gross. Plain and simple. (I'M STILL PROUD, SO SCREW YOU! Actually, as an american girl and proud 'otaku', that makes me a bit of a poseur because I'm openly using the word incorrectly. Damn..)

- Naruto likes yakuza movies, erotic/action flicks, fighter girls or uberly genki girls, and some anime. (WHO THE HELL DOESN'T LOVE DB & DBZ?! C'MON PEOPLES! If there is someone out there that hates it, you might have to off yourself. No I'm just kidding. Oh crap, I hope I don't get in trouble for that, I was totally joking!! X0)

-"HASSEN JOU DA!!": "IT'S OVER EIGHT-THOUSAND!!" (IT'S OVER NINE-THOUSAND!!) (Hachi means eight, Sen is thousand. We mistranslated it, I don't even know why, but whatever..)

- I HOPE YOU NOTICED SOMETHING ABOUT THE NAMES!! HINT HINT HINT! (Daiuchi, Honjo... look back to the previous chapters (21, 22..) ;P This could be getting dangerous for Naruto-kun!!Oh-oh! XD)

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LOVELOVELOVE I WUV YOU GUYS!! THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! PLEASE REVIEW!! See you all on the other side! ;D

-JA NE!! HAPPY SUMMER TIME, WOOT!!


	25. I'll Be Loving You in the Dark

Star - Sorry this took so long. XD So I gave this chapter to a friend prematurely to beta it and stuff, while I went off to see "Rachel Getting Married", and by the time I got back (3 hours later), the friend was still at the beginning. Turns out he's a slow reader or something! XD (I'm just teasing ya, man, no worries!) Naw, I realize its because the following Recap is so damn long! XD Anyhoo, I told myself "Yeah, this is long enough", even though it's supposed to be longer. So I'll be spreading this chapter out, moving everything a chapter or two ahead and whatnot. :P Yeah it sucks, but whatever.

LONG LIVE THE JOKER!!!!!! (PS! There is no random Japanese in this chapter!!)

ENJOI!!!

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Story Recap:

_Hyuuga Hinata was a sixteen-year-old girl struggling in the lonliness of the real world, while finding comfort in "running away" to her dream world, as a Lolita. Her father has always disliked her and her mother died giving birth to Hanabi a month early. Neji's parents were murdered when he was four, supposedly at the hand of Hiashi's jealous mistress. Neji had a misplaced hate for Hinata 9 years. (In the revised first chapter, Hinata seemed to hold this unconscious fear of him and would shrink when near him, even though she knew there was no ill-intent or threatening vibe. Not much is yet known behind that.) Not until he turned thirteen --- when Hiashi explained it to him ---- did Hinata and Neji's relationship begin tentatively patching itself up. It was learned that Hinata attended a terrible public middle school, and was often harrassed by her peers or had been exposed to violence. (And her father had overworked her as well.) Thus, her reason for her "Tenth bitten, too shy" behavior towards the new student: Uzumaki Naruto. Who ---by the way--- shows up 8 months late to the first year of Highschool. His first impression on her was "Obnoxiously bright (like the glare of the sun), and obscenely brash & crude." _

_Upon making a fool of himself in front of the class, Naruto chose Hinata out of the need to be accepted, only to be met with disappointment. She was plain and quiet and a relunctant recluse. Trouble is, he didn't know how to deal with her, whether to treat her delicately or treat her honestly. And frankly, she didn't know what to do with him, all the while wishing to be left alone._

_Naruto is a seventeen-year-old who moved to the Greater Tokyo Area, from the capital of the Shimane Prefecture, Matsue. Little reasons are known, other than that it seems he "ran away" or was looking for a fresh start. _

_Naruto settles in a tiny foreclosed home (the company also went bankrupt), next to Hinata's expansive Washitsu house, and almost immediately finds a job at the Ichiraku, located in the trendy and popular Shibuya District. Naruto's second day of school, he continues to 'bother' Hinata with his seemingly 'over-eager', 'over-friendly' advances to get to know her, only enabling her to put up more defenses. He gets into a fight with two boys and a kogal when they take his food from him. He breaks (Tall-Pretty-boy) Yamato's nose and incompacitates him, shoves (short-cat-like-and-nymphotic) Ukue the kogal to the ground. (Fat-boy) Masabo tries to hold him down in a grappling hold, but to no avail when he gets kicked in the nuts. Naruto beats his face in feverishly, before their Japanese Classics teacher, (soft-and-motherly) Ms. Harada drags him out of the classroom. Naruto gets sent into the principal's office and is suspended for a week, while the whole mess gets pushed under the rug, despite the threats of angry and indignant parents. _

_During his absence, Hinata took down notes for him, day-by-day wondering about him, unconsciously intrigued by him. And during his absence, the Histories and Sciences Teacher, (Vindictive-Ethnocentric-and-Authoritarian) Mr. Sakio has just revealed sensitive and confidential information about Naruto to the classroom. And everyone knows that he used to be a yanki. But that is all they know, the facts being vague enough for them to distort at Naruto's disadvantage. And everyone there could have sworn his eyes turned into those of a demon's. All the more reason for a majority of them to dislike him._

_Upon returning to school, Masabo and Yamato ambush him in the stairwell during lunch. He slammed the rooftop door into Yamato's fist the first time, then his face the second time, causing him to roll down the stairs. Naruto rushes on through to escape them, as Yamato orders Masabo to move. Masabo chases after Naruto, called him "outcast" and "hick boy" in the worst versions of the terms in Japanese, before running into Naruto's fist at the end of the stairs. Naruto yells belligerently at him "You've got something to say?! Ugly, you pig-boy!?". Masabo lunges at him with a battlecry and tackles him to the ground. He's too heavy and Naruto can't shove him off, as they continue to spit obscenities at one another. Yamato rushes down the stairwell and proceeds to help Masabo kick Naruto on the ground, over and over until they're satisfied. Tired, bruised, and out of breath, Naruto lays beaten on the linoleum. They both leave, heading back to the classroom. Hinata down the hallway, steps out of the girls bathroom and ducks behind a waterfountain when she hears footsteps. Masabo and Yamato emerge from around the corner, they give Hinata a look of warning as they disappear down the hallway. Sensing their self-satisfaction in the way they carried themselves, she treaded carefully down the way they came and found Naruto on the floor. A comforting hand on his back, she utters his name for the first time, dropping the formality of last name basis. They share a moment, the pleasant sweetness of it cut short by their english language teacher, the (Friendly-clever-and-dry) Ms. Imahada._

_She orders Hinata to take Naruto to the nurse. There Naruto meets an old friend, Tsunade, from his old hometown In Matsue of the Shimane Prefecture, in the Chugoku Region. Their relationship is guessable, but they appear close, despite frequent disagreements. It's learned that she had moved to Tokyo two years previously, when he was fifteen. And that in Tokyo she was supposed to be a Hospital Director, but apparently declined to be a highschool nurse, after making a half-joke about "..seeing less blood." Almost instantly they get into an argument about Naruto's conduct, the fact that he's always getting into fights and such. He complains that it's not his fault, that bad luck follows him, but Tsunade is simply too irked to play along. It seems that Naruto was more than just a handful back home._

_Later on, Naruto takes Hinata to the Ichiraku for the first time and treats her to some ramen while he works with Ayame and Teuchi. Naruto and Hinata's relationship grows steadily, as Hinata starts to treat him more kindly, Naruto gaining her trust little by little, until she gives in....._

_"It's been three weeks since all this has happened... Uzumaki Naruto, a loud-mouthed boy with bright blonde hair moved into the abandoned house next to ours, the encounter we had a most abrupt and ordinary one. Since then my life has been changing around me, little by little. At first I wanted to fight it, but now as the winter months move on I feel I must concede. _

_Since that day, my string has been knotted into his..._

_Three weeks later, and the knots have grown too big for me to handle._

_I've decided to stop untying them."_

_He finally grew on her. _

_Naruto gets called out by Sakio-sensei again for the fight with Masabo and Yamato by the stairwell. He does not get expelled for he had "..lost this time..", but unluckily the principal is playing favorites and refuses to punish Yamato and Masabo, so as not to risk their school's reputation for clean students. Naruto then gets into an argument with the principal about his bullshit. Sakio retorts with a cruel comment "It's called parents... they'll do anything for their child, even at the expense of trash like yourself...", stirring the contentious and spiteful spirit that seemed to lay inside him. Naruto glared at the seventy-something year-old man, and took a fighting stance, one hand stuffed inside his uniform pants pocket, seemingly gripping something. He looked ready to swing. Naruto's stance scared the whole room shitless. The principal fearfully addressed what he had in his hand. With a calm and tired sigh, Naruto pulled it out. _

_"It's just a pen."_

_After that incident, Masabo and Yamato lay off him, fearful of getting stabbed. Everyone in that room had thought he had a knife on him. Naruto was beside himself. He couldn't believe he had acted as if he had a knife so blatantly. At the end of the day, Naruto learns that Hinata is to start her temp job for the season. Exam Hell is coming up for the middle schoolers. Naruto remembers Exam Hell, that hellish week of exams. He says he failed it three times. (Just like when Naruto failed the ninja tests so many times, except think of Exam Hell as the Chuunin Exams.) Hinata is aghast at first, never hearing someone failing so many times, even if it is tough. As he bids her farewell, Naruto realizes how cold he is and goes back to the classroom to retrieve his sweater. He wanders around the school until he accidently finds himself in the second year's section (eleventh grade), and hears a girl moaning and talking dirty amorously. Blushing, he walks past it, but is unable to escape the sounds. He is suddenly reminded of Jiraiya-sensei's hentai hobby. Just then the moans and cries turn to screams of terror and Naruto is already at the door. He throws it open, the hallway light revealing a girl propped up on a desk, being held down by two boys. Naruto lands a sharp punch to the accomplice's nose, knocking him out instantly. He then turns his attention to the 'sempai' and is caught up between his morals and heroic nature or the threat of being expelled. Muttering that he may regret it, he punches the boy out cold at the urgings of the kogal, who turns out to be Yoshida Ukue._

_After retrieving her panties and slipping them back on, she begs Naruto not to tell her boyfriend Ishioka Yamato about what happened. Naruto admits he wouldn't say anything to her boyfriend, having no obligation to do so. But eventually the principal would hear that Naruto violated his forced promise to never fight or throw a punch again, and without her, there would have been no reason for him to fight and he didn't want to get expelled for no good reason. After shoving her back in the same classroom she almost got raped in, Ukue eventually gives in and realizes her fault. She promises to tell her boyfriend of her little infidelity._

_"I like him, he's a nice guy." Ukue says charmingly with a light smile. Her boyfriend is skeptical._

_"I think you have a bad sense of judgment." He replies directly._

_Hinata is teaching at the cram school. A student rudely puts her down several times before rudely getting up on his own to leave. At the comments of the other students, she gives in and lets the boy leave. She gets back to teaching, but despite the pay, she doesn't like it one bit. Hanabi is in the class she is teaching. The heartbreak she experienced at the betrayal of her friends and the boy she liked is still carried inside of her chest, and she is unable to focus. Hinata allows her to change classes to escape the torment._

_The next day...._

_"Ne.. Hinata-chan. How was your first day teaching?" Naruto asks congenially with his impish friendly smile._

_"Oh.. it was.." Hinata trailed off. The classroom door ripped open, all eyes in the room on the figure outside. _

_Naruto was especially fearful._

_"CRAP!" He uttered loudly in a curse._

_"Koitsu...!! (You boy...!!)" Sakio stood glaring outside, eyes dead-set on taking Naruto's head off in the most cruel way possible._

_Sakio-sensei grabs at Naruto and practically drags him out of the classroom on his knees, yelling and threatening him with expulsion. Ukue stops him, and admits that she had a part in the incident, and orders Sakio to let Naruto go. They are both ordered to go to the principal's office, but then Yamato intrudes, saying that he'll go too. Frustratedly, old man Sakio orders them to march. As all three of them head to the office, the situation obvious, Naruto thanks Ukue for her help._

_In the office, the principal looks like he is going to have a nervous breakdown. The two older boys from yesterday are in the room, glaring at them. After the boys lied and gave their lame alibis, Ukue gave an over-exaggerated , overly-dramatic version of events. The principal tells Naruto to explain the story, and he does in lamest terms, and the principal believes him. The principal doesn't know what to do to cover-up the sex offense, and cowardly asks for help. Ukue slams her hands on his desk and threatens him with a few bluffs, before finally making him crack. He's persuaded to favor to their side and gives the bad boys three weeks suspension. Naruto and Ukue giddily walk out of the office, flashing wide grins and mocking Sakio-sensei with victory signs._

_They decide to celebrate their victory at an American Cuisine Family Restuarant in Kitashinagawa-ku. Hinata is relieved that Naruto won't be leaving. _

_In Chapter 8, Hinata and Neji's relationship is rocky once again, ever since her behavior in Chapter 4, when she had thrown out the dinner he made when she had been coming down with something. He doesn't look at her and he doesn't speak to her. Because of the disappointment she filled him with. If only she wasn't so afraid of Hiashi, he felt she should be able to stand up for herself by now, but she can't. And she doesn't even try..._

_Hanabi tries out Hinata's cosplay contacts at school, creating a stir of talk and attention from her classmates. But only in the end to get negative attention of her traitorous and catty friends Yoko and Akina. Under their crosshairs, they verbally harrass her in the bathroom before slapping her. Hanabi throws another smartass comment, and Yoko is ready to smack her again. In a strange split second, a tiny girl with curly magenta hair jumps out from one of the bathroom stalls and tackles Yoko, only to be tossed. She hits her head against a sink and falls to the floor. Yoko and Akina run off. As Hanabi moves to check up on the girl, she recognizes the cosplay contacts that Hanabi is wearing._

_The girl with magenta hair is Yamaka Shiho, a lolita friend of Hinata's. Her lolita name on sundays is "Mei". As Mei escorts Hanabi back home, Hinata brings Mei back to her room and returns something to her. It's the heart-shaped box she had given to the young man she loves, 'Kazuo', the day before. But after she ran off, he had purposely dropped it on the ground, abandoning it without care or concern. _

_"Don't you get it, Naruto? He didn't want it..." 'Poor Mei-chan...'_

_With a broken heart, Mei grips the box to her chest, and this is the last time she has any significant screen time. (At least until sometime next season.. ;D)_

_Chapter 9, Hinata goes to her favorite specialty store to get a new issue of G&L Bible. Being inattentive and tired from school and work, Hinata accidently bumps into someone. Someone she's sure she recognizes from school. Later at her temp job at the Hikari Cram School, she talks with Kinosaki-kun, a quiet and troubled thirteen year old boy. _

_In Chapter 10, we learn that Hinata never wanted to work at the cram school, that Hiashi forced her into it, because he's an overly-controlling asshole like that. And we learn that Kinosaki-kun has trouble surviving in school and hardly gets to see his mother, who is barely able to make ends meet for their themselves as it is. Hinata promises to help him pass the exams. _

_In Chapter 11, Hanabi gets harrassed by some of her male peers for the promiscuous pictures of her and Kanasato-kun --the OC that she likes-- that Yoko and Akina had taken pictures of from chapter 2. Hanabi soon fights back and confronts Yoko about the pictures. Yoko just coolly meets her hostile questions with some of her own, attacking her character and calling her a hypocrite, for saying she didn't like Kanasato when clearly she did, and the photos were just either proof of her love for the boy, or proof that she was 'an easy penny' and a slut, because of how easily she flipped her skirt for Kanasato. Aggravated and hurt, Hanabi jumps Yoko and starts thowing punch after punch at her smug and pretty face. Yoko starts screeching and scream, and everyone in the classroom is yelling and freaking out. Later that night, Hinata comes home late. She had fallen asleep on the train home and missed her stop, landing in Yoyogi Park. Bittersweet memories of her childhood and her mother haunt her. She enters her home to the deafening yells and roars of an exploding Hiashi. He was scolding Hanabi harshly for her actions back at school. As soon as she runs off to her room, struggling to hold back tears, Hiashi sets his irate temper on Hinata, scaring her halfway to hell with his hostility. Neji would have been ashamed of her cowardice at that moment if he had seen it._

_Chapter 12, Naruto catches Hinata knitting a blue scarf for him, because he has no snowcoat yet or a scarf to keep him warm, but she denies making a scarf and hides it, an anxious blush on her face. Later, Naruto indirectly meets Hinata's friends: Moe (the hyperactive-hyperconfident-yaoi-and-sex joke-loving-insensitive-yet-caring-semi-narcissist red-head), and Robin (aka Keisuke, Moe's bisexual-indecisive-whiney-yet-loyal partner in crime since childhood, practically birth!) Unsure what to make of the two of them, Naruto immediately decides he dislikes Moe and thinks Robin is a whiney dork and a tool. Ayame jokes to him that it's like "meeting yourself." But he replies he's nothing like her, she's wayyy obnoxious! "She's crazy.. I'm certain.." As he's cutting the vegetables, Moe starts demanding her ramen in the most childish and rudest way possible, pissing him off, because she was calling him "Kinpatsu" or "Blonde hair"/"Blondie". Robin tells her to knock it off, because he's afraid she'll anger him, and he's afraid what Naruto might do with the knife. "He looks like bosozoku (biker gangster.)" Moe laughs caustically at his comment, thinking him as lame and wimpy. "No proud manager would hire a yanki." She says ironically, as dark memories resurfaced behind Naruto's eyes, much to his disappointment._

_"You should rethink you're life, Naruto."_

_"Look at what you did! Look where this has lead to! It's your fault! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"_

_Naruto questions if he should be here, if he belongs in Tokyo or deserves a second chance. A second chance at what or why, is still uknown. ;D_

_Chapter 13, It's a wonderous yet fateful Sunday. Naruto arrives to work a little bit late, while Hinata arrives at the cosplay bridge in Harajuku on time. Ayame and Teuchi give Naruto the Ichiraku's new delivery bike and bestow unto him the responsibility to make their first ramen delivery. Hinata meets Kiba formally for the first time, and finds out that he was indeed the same boy she bumped into at The Strawberry Spider and that he does go to her school and is in her classroom. While Naruto struggles to find the correct address in Harajuku, Hinata and Kiba are getting to know one another. Moe and Robin are bickering again. Moe and LaBelle are bickering again. Moe is teasing Mei in the worst way about her lack of love life. And then Moe and LaBelle go at it again. Naruto runs into some problems before arriving at the cosplay bridge. He becomes disgusted and wary of the weirdoes at the bridge and gets 'mugged' by Gothic Royalty cosplayers, who paid him for the delivery. Naruto gets pissed off for what they did, knocking him off his bike, and as he mounts, he yells out "FUCKING WEIRDOES!". Hinata and her buds are taking a fun stroll down Takeshita Street, while Naruto gets chased by an indignant and PO'ed mob of insulted cosplayers, lolita, visuel-kei, and FRUiTS sub-culture kids. Hinata is standing at the entrance of the Harajuku bridge, unbeknownst to the chaos stampeding behind her. Naruto hits her with his bike, knocking her over as she fell to the ground, the back of her favorite dress ripped in half when Moe tried to pull her away. Amongst the noise and yelling and threats, Naruto and Hinata's eyes meet. Naruto is stunned. Hinata is shocked stiff. He finds out about her strange little hobby and all the sweetness Hinata had been graciously giving him, dries up like a puddle on a Nevada pavement. And Naruto seems to treat her a bit differently as well._

_For awhile Naruto and Hinata bicker whenever they try to talk and misunderstandings are nearly constant. Kiba is hanging out with her more, looking like a leech to Naruto, and he wishes he'd stop visiting Hinata like crazy, because Kiba was getting on his nerves (for no real reason at all, except for perhaps his personality). After a particular and weird fight, Naruto stops talking to Hinata, leaving her insecure and upset._

_A week later, it's the last day of Exam Hell and it's December 23rd, the day before Christmas Eve..and the exam numbers are posted on the board in front of the school. Hanabi happily and proudly passes. The boy she liked and still likes, OC Kanasato, approaches her with a nervous congratulations and asks to reconcile with her. They sneak out for crepes in Kitashinagawa-ku. He explains that he didn't know what Yoko and Akina were going to do that. When Hanabi had been coming onto him back in chapter 2, he reciprocated. The fact that she had been so acting so playful and flirty with him only encouraged him to prop her up on a desk and touch her. That was when the flashes from the camera went off. Kanasato explains to her that he was sincere and that Yoko was just an independent variable. He asks her out and she giddily accepts. But as girlfriend and boyfriend, they decide to keep their relationship on the D.L., especially since Yoko thinks she has some sort of claim over Kanasato._

_Later that night, Kinosaki stands on the roof of his middle school, tears blurring his already bad eye sight. He takes his glasses off and sobs, setting them down on the rooftop. Apologizing to kami and his mother, he steps off the rooftop and descends to the snow-covered ground. He hadn't passed the exams._

_Christmas Eve and Hinata hears his suicide on the news. She attends his wake in the poorest section of Shinagawa, and begins to reflect on her life and questions her purpose. She had promised him and she failed him. And in a way.. she had been just like him when she was his age. She reflects on the fight she had with Naruto and how he had called her reasons for running away "melodramatic". She feels like she is beneath him and she hates him for it. She throws out the blue scarf, clearly upset. The way the whole day had been just ate her up inside and Naruto indirectly made it worse. Kiba almost miraculously appears and asks if she wants to spend the Eve with him. She accepts, and as they spend the night together, Kiba equally grows on her because he had listened. Hinata decides to forget about Naruto for now._

_Christmas Day, and Hinata wakes up feeling strangely about everything, like all her inhibitions no longer existed. When Hiashi began to give her orders, she only met him with half-assed smartass answers, irritating him instantly. They get into a fight. Hiashi makes a comment that with their mother gone, she needed him more than she thought. "STOP THINKING SO HIGHLY OF YOURSELF!" She screams, stopping the room dead. Hiashi muttered to her that he's not done with her, that they were going to talk about it when he gets back home, but Hinata just scoffed. She spends the rest of Christmas hanging with her friends, feeling free and feather-light, a smile stuck on her face. At one point in the restuarant, three boys stop in front of their group, finding interest in the girls. One particular boy falls in love with Hinata's look, and calls her "Emi-chan". At the end of the day, LaBelle gives her a Blythe doll for Christmas, with color changing eyes and everything._

_Back to school and it's monday. Naruto and Hinata are still on awkward terms. Until Sakio-sensei calls her out because of her 'impudent' looks; her permed hairstyle, and abusively drags her out of her seat and throws her out of class. He orders her to "fix the problem". Naruto and Kiba had been standing at the edge of their seats the whole time, maddened at how the crotchety asshole treated Hinata. Naruto later goes to the roof to talk to her, just to make sure if she's alright. Because she hadn't returned to the classroom since. She was scared. After a moment of yelling, confusion and talking.. Naruto sat down beside Hinata as she started crying. She was frustrated, saddened and confused about everything that's happened. Sakio had taken it too far when he bruised her arm. Finally and tentatively reconciling, Naruto still thinks Hinata is weird, but he kinna likes her. He lets her skip classes if she wanted, but he suggested she go to the nurses office rather than freezing out on the roof. Hinata becomes shy towards Naruto, and confused with her feelings. _

_Hinata meets Shino. Shikamaru and Temari debut indirectly._

_Later than night, Neji gives Hinata a birthday cake for turning seventeen, and for sticking up for herself against Hiashi for once. Their relationship is repaired and on even better, closer terms._

_Chapter 18: Everyone is getting psyched and ready for New Years Eve. Moe calls Hinata up on party plans, and Hinata is indecisive. She's never gone out for New Year's Eve, because Hiashi never allowed her. She never even stayed up to watch the sunrise. Naruto is equally as lost, and more lonely than Hinata about New Years Eve. He never made plans. And he wasn't sure where'd he go or who'd he hang with. After school he goes to the Ichiraku for lunch, while Hinata goes to The Strawberry Spider with Kiba in Shibuya-ku. Naruto asks Ayame if he can help out with shop for New Years Eve, but she turns him down. Kiba introduces Hinata to the gothic side of Lolita, as he introduces the true managers/owners of The Spider; Shuhei and Ikuko. There, Kiba buys Hinata a dress, a new bag and a new pair of platform mary-janes. Naruto trudges on home, disappointed at getting his last resort shot down. He really didn't mind working on New Years Eve, it's not like he had anything else to do. As Hinata returns home, he greets her and with hopefulness, he asks her if she is going to the countdown in Shibuya. She says she might, not realizing that he was going, and was actually asking if she was going to go with him. So to him, he thought she said "I might go with you." __When all she said was that she might go__. But she hadn't called her buds yet about plans so she didn't really know. So she admits that she needs to think about it first. Naruto asks for her to tell him when she is going, so that way he knows when she is ready. She nods and says she will. Then she retreats into her bedroom. Naruto plops down on his porch, wishing he had been given a clearer answer. Hinata giddily cannot wait til sunday to wear the new stuff that Kiba just bought her, so she decides to wear it. She hopes that her friends will like it. As she puts on the finishing touches, she leaves and goes over to Naruto's house. She knocks on his door, a fearful realization and shock overcoming her. And when Naruto opened the door, he was shocked too. She just realized that she was dressed Gothic Lolita in his prescence, and Naruto was incredulous at her attire. _

_Their train ride to Shibuya was an awkward and uncomfortable one. Hinata tried to mentally run away, to will her anxiety away, but it was near impossible. And Naruto was so confused and yet so embarrassed. He thought that usually girls tried to dress cute or sexy, that they usually dressed in tight and small stuff, that they often dressed to attract the opposite sex. But Hinata didn't look attractive at all. And he was so embarrassed to be sitting next to her. Her face was still relatively clean and pretty, but overall... he would have asked her to change her clothes. But at the same time it wasn't his place to judge like that. _

_After arriving at the 109 intersection of Shibuya, the countdown was already starting. Hinata was looking for her friends and Naruto was trying to figure out a way around Hinata's strange attire. They get separated in the crowd, and while the countdown is going, and Naruto is desperately trying to find her.. Kiba found Hinata before Naruto did. Taking her hand in his, he drew her in and whispers intimately to her, asking her to come to a party with him. Flustered with butterflies in her chest and stomach, Hinata stutters indecisively. Kiba draws her in closer and kisses her on the cheek, keeping his lips there for good measure. Hinata concedes. Then she hears Naruto calling out her name. She calls out for him. He sees her through the crowd and reaches his hand out for her, while Hinata does the same. Naruto makes a grab for her hand and pulls her out of the crowd, only to be filled with irritation and distaste. And a strange sense of betrayal. Naruto glared at the smugly smirking Kiba. Hinata held two different hands then. As she held Kiba's hand in her right and Naruto's hand in her left, she looked nervously between the two. Suddenly Naruto pulled his hand away, dropping it at his side. Kiba says he's going to take Hinata to a party and promises she'll be back home safely. Naruto scoffs but despite his irritation, passively-aggressively lets Hinata go. It didn't matter much to him anymore. She probably wouldn't have had much fun with him anyways. Instead, rather, he was just disappointed that he was going to be spending New Years Eve alone in Tokyo. It's pathetic! _

_While Hinata has warm, silly and endearing fun with her friends and Kiba at a party, Naruto wanders around the city before winding up lost in Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku-ku. "The sleepless town." Bored and full of temerity, he tries his hand at pachinko even though he is underaged, he does not care. At first he is losing and starts swearing up a storm and hitting the machine. Then he starts winning and becomes the main attention of Yakuza thugs. They chase him around and rough him up a bit, scaring Naruto and watch him run off. They decide to visit him later at his highschool. Naruto gets home, calling it quits for New Years Eve. He could care less about fun in the city, he decides to wait for the sunrise. Hinata arrives sleepily home in time for the sunrise and watches it with Naruto. "...The future seemed bright and uncertaint."_

_Chapters 19-21: Naruto gets in deep with a small-time budding Yakuza group, after supposedly oweing them 1,000,000 yen. (since I'm revising, it's 1,000,000. It used to be 100,000.) At first he's just missing a few classes, but then he gets involved with the practice of smuggling firearms, smuggling drugs (Daiuchi Ihana), and soon smuggling women in prostitution rings. He witnesses the aftermath of a murder, gets caught up in Reishi's twisted games, loses sight of himself, loses Tsunade's confidence in him after a fight, becomes the talk of the school (negatively of course), stops showing up for work, steals food from a corner store, and becomes the source of blame when Ukue gets nearly raped in front of the school. All throughout this, Hinata is spending more and more time with Kiba. Naruto stops showing up to school for a few days, his behavior for the past weeks worrying Hinata. She stops by his house to drop off notes, the sentiment of the moment reminding her of chapter 4, the first time she gave him notes. And she thinks it's funny how many things had happened since then. She tries to talk to him, but is unsure if she's getting through to him as he hides in a corner. He had been fearing the yakuza to show up on his doorstep and kill him. She writes something on the notes and leaves it by the door as she leaves to get home. Naruto tenatively and albeit fearfully crawls over to the doorway and grabs the folder of notes. On it, she etched the characters reading: "Don't Give Up." Naruto takes all of the money he had and a switchblade knife with him to confront Aomori, the Kumicho's right-hand man. Aomori had always treated Naruto differently, but not too differently. He accepts the money and lets him off. He questions his reason for the weapon in his pocket. Naruto looked as if he were holding onto it for dear life, so it was obvious to Aomori. Naruto says nothing, and leaves the headquarters. Meanwhile Reishi is plotting to get the rest of the yakuza members on his side and uprise against Aomori and attack Naruto. Outside, Reishi and Naruto exchange words, and the whole moment is very samurai/cowboy showdown. The rest of the yakuza surround Naruto, guns, wooden swords, and katana in hand. Naruto incompacitates roughly 30, the other twenty may have run off, and he kills 7 out of self-defense. Reishi tries to shoot Naruto, only to pierce his hand as Naruto wrenches the gun away from him and brings the gun down on his head, the same way Kojiro had done to him at the end of Chapter 20. Reishi runs off, and Naruto shoots him in the leg. He drops the gun and approaches Reishi with extreme menace. He takes his school tie off and strangles Reishi to death. Knowingly. Willfully. Deliberately. All this at the expense of his clean slate, his hope for a new start. As he struggles through the crowded streets of Kabuki-cho, he miraculously runs into Hinata, and collaspes to the ground before her eyes. It's also learned that Aomori and Korean Kumicho Dae Eun-Sook escaped before the police could arrive at the end of the battle._

_Hinata takes him home, stitches him up at his urgings and beggings that he not be taken to a hospital. All the girls that had ever been hit on or nearly raped by Reishi were thankful that he stopped haunting their schoolyard with his leery eyes, and they all thank Ukue. Everyone assumed Reishi was arrested, after Ukue went to the police. No one knew that he been killed. Naruto is still shaky from his month-long ordeal. Ukue forgives him instantly after getting a chance to stomp on his foot. Later Naruto meets Mizuno Mizuumi, a probations officer. Sakio-sensei had sent out transfer papers to Tama Juvenile Training School, a Reform School for felons, convicts, and wayward boys in general. He'd been trying to get rid of Naruto from the start, and after Naruto had clearly been running with Yakuza and nearly got one of their own students raped in front of the school, it was crystal clear he had to go. But because Naruto did not have a guardian, only Mizuno could complete the transfer and recommendations. But because of Sakio, Naruto's particular situation caught the attention of Mizuno and he assigned himself to watch over Naruto until he either shaped-up/was well settled into society or was sent to Tama._

_Naruto randomly takes off with Hinata after trying to escape Mizuno, at one point when she was supposed to be going somewhere with Kiba. He only stole her away because he wanted to hold her hand again. Just like when he held her hand when she cleaned up him and gave him bandages. He whines that she always goes somewhere with the vampire and utters her nickname "Emiri-chan.". She stutters and mumbles embarrassedly that he's not allowed to use her nickname. He whines again and asks why, gradually growing bored and annoyed the more she tried to explain it. "Because you don't go to Harajuku." She says, stating that only Kiba or her friends could call her "Emiri-chan" because they go to Harajuku. Before reluctantly letting Hinata go, he teases and plays with her a bit. Then lets her go, taking the cheer and warmth of the moment with her and leaving him in boredom and lonliness._

_Naruto gets caught by Mizuno the next day, and is forced to go to his office and discuss things. Living situation, his school grades, etc. _

_"Where's your school tie?" Mizuno asks at one point, scaring Naruto shitless. He admits throwing it out, but lies about his reasons. That was waaaaaayyy too close...!!_

_Naruto then gets taken to Tama in Hachioji-shi, roughly fourty minutes or more away from central Tokyo. An old familiar kind of lonliness fills Naruto, a sort of dread that only meant death, disturbed his calm and choked his breath. Naruto couldn't take what Tama meant if he were to be sent there, he wouldn't be able to leave for three or four years either. And he'd more or less likely be on probation even after he left. Even as Mizuno continued to talk and explain, Naruto ran, unable to stay there for much longer. Mizuno looked around. "He's a real ninja, that one."_

_What scared Naruto was the word Mizuno uttered: Solitary confinement. _

_He couldn't be forced into lonliness, no, not anymore._

_As soon as Naruto gets back home, Hinata gets back from another day with Kiba. He bought her another bag. She greets Naruto warmly, albeit spaztically. She wants to know if he's alright or if he has been changing his bandages good, so she runs into her house to get the first aid and runs back out. She accidently runs into his door with the broken jamb and gets smacked in the face from the swing and falls backwards. Naruto tries not to look at her panties. He asks if she's alright, and she just utters "Itai..."_

_Naruto helps put a band-aid on her knee, after getting it scraped from the door's attack. She starts to get vivid and out-of-control sensual daydreams of Naruto leading his hand further away from her knee and down her thigh, under her skirt.. and then she splodes slightly. 'OH NO I'M A PERVERT!' She squeals to herself, mortified. Later on, Naruto takes off his school dress uniform and black undershirt, leaving himself bare before her. Naruto grows impatient when she makes no move, because the longer he has to sit shirtless, the more vulnerable and disgusting he feels. Hinata finally comes around to cleaning and changing his bandages, upon stopping at one and starts bawling. She has no faith in herself, no confidence in his health. He tries to tell her that he's fine, that she has nothing to cry about, but she can't help herself. Naruto changes his last bandage on his own, making her feel useless. But seeing her sad, hopeless eyes made him endear her just a little bit more, because he was touched at how hard she was taking this. _

_So he randomly hugged her. Hinata passed out. "Oh no... I killed her again!" Later Hinata wakes up when she feels a strange sensation in her cheeks. Naruto tried waking her up, but got distracted with his own shenanigans. He continued to tease her with playing with her cheeks til she could no longer take it and she ran off._

_Hinata is starting to feel strangely for Naruto, she can't explain it. After getting chased all the way to school, collasping into Kiba's arms, being forced to surrender an orange that she had already had in her mouth and surrender the rest of her oranges to the blonde fox.... after getting kissed on the cheek, after Kiba getting supremely pissed off, disgusted, confused and jealous, after Neji absentmindedly visited the college he had originally planned and dreamed of attending since he was a kid, after Kiba was supposed to ask her out but only got kicked to the ground in the ass by Shino, after Kiba decided to follow Hinata home because he was looking out for her safety and because he didn't like/trust The Yanki being around his Hinata, after accidently ran into Inuzuka Hana, after my random and retarded self-inserts, after Naruto got bombarded by a sudden ambush of a melting pile of snow, after getting a completely unwanted and random visit by Mizuno, after getting a single can of beer confiscated and his refridgerator wiped clean (not that there was much in there anyways).... AFTER slamming the door in Mizuno face as a way to tell him to 'go fuck himself', after accidently calling Hinata "douchbag", after moping and moaning about unable to afford anymore groceries, after a small talk with Hinata about a second job..... Hinata finally came up with the idea to start making him lunch._

_So Hinata started making him lunch. And Naruto finally found a job at The Elephant Cafe in Harajuku, in the GAP Building on the third floor. Naruto befriended the manager, Mr. Masaharu (a quirky, strange, spontaneous, immature, young female-loving, 48 year old man), Daiuchi Hiro (a lithe, petite, boyish girl with short black hair, black puppy-dog eyes and a quirky curvy smile), and Ryoji (a southern island native, with a cool 'stache, an insight into women that having four younger sisters can only give, with a warm, complacent, and easy-going style). Naruto revealed what his type of girl is, and he seems to have taken a liking to Hiro and her playful demeanor._

_Neji ran into a girl at the market that he thinks he recognizes, and realizes that he knew her from middle school and a little bit of elementary. Hanabi sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night to spend overtime with Kanasato, and begs Naruto not to let Hinata know, all the while kicking him in the nuts twice. It's learned that Temari's father, a Senator, was murdered two years previously. By whom is unsure, but apparently Gaara is the one being persecuted. It's also learned that Shikamaru and Temari first met a few years back and that Temari had tried to beat him up first thing. Their relationship is close but not yet intimate._

_After Hinata and Naruto had several lunches together, after their teasing and playing around on the rooftop, their fooling around in the stairwell... After the ache of unrequition became too much for Hinata to handle... After the rain began, a moment under the awnings of a ceramics shop was shared... And at the suggestion of a close friend.... _

_Hinata finally realized that she had fallen in love with Uzumaki Naruto._

**

* * *

**

**And now she was going to win him over**

.... or at least she was going to try.

**If only she knew how**.

Scratch the Surface

Ch. 25 - This is Where You Left Me and I'll Be Loving You in the Dark; Am I Cute to You, Yet? Hinata Devotes Herself!

She could feel the water slosh in her penny loafers and creep up the length of her socks. The moisture was creating a chafing sort of itch on her sensitive skin. The rain had been coming down hard since they started heading out further into the city. Hinata didn't have an idea where they were going. LaBelle had called a friend awhile ago, smiling to herself in a mysterious way, as if she had something to say but kept it to herself. She watched the way Hinata walked, the subtle yet unmistakable lift in the way she held herself. Her spirit was immensely bright and clear, her innocent sort of invincibility nearly infectious.

If this is what love truly does to a person... then it's no wonder people get obsessed with searching.

_'Emiri-chan is lucky enough she didn't have to search far..'_ LaBelle mused, as Hinata did a cute little skip over a puddle. She shook her head, wondering why Hinata was ahead when she didn't even know where the studio was. Just looking at her made LaBelle almost want a boyfriend. Just looking at her made LaBelle wonder if she already found her 'somebody to love', her precious person. There was a slight tug inside her chest, but in a moment it was gone, like a flutter.

Hinata was far ahead now, the tall blonde had to smirk to herself.

She was like a middle schooler. It was apparent she'd never been in love before. And now look at her!

"Girl!" LaBelle called, a pale hand held by the side of her mouth. "Slow down! I can't keep up in these boots!"

"Sorry!" She called back with a giddy laugh. Hinata paused in the middle of the busy sidewalk, waiting til she caught up.

LaBelle jogged up to her. She could feel the rain running down her face and neck. She laughed when she took another look at Hinata. They were both completely soaked.

"What's your haste?! You don't even know where it is!" LaBelle laughed again with a bit of incredulity.

"Well then why don't you tell me where it is?" Hinata added, coyly shrugging her shoulders. A tug quirked the corner of LaBelle's lips into a sideways smile. She doubted she ever saw her this cheery before.

"..." She opened her mouth and paused, nothing coming out for several seconds. "..You were hurting before because you didn't have a word for the way you were feeling. ..So how's it feel now?"

"It's indescribable." Hinata said so simply. LaBelle wasn't satisfied with that answer, feeling like Hinata was teasing her.

"Come on..." She chuckled. "That's so cliche."

Hinata smiled brightly and brought her hands together, clasped in front of her face in a gesture of half-hearted apology.

"Sorry, but I really can't say!" She replied, laughing.

"Why not??" LaBelle called out, surprised with her new behavior.

Hinata slowed down. She looked over her shoulder, but wasn't looking right at LaBelle, a soft, almost far away expression on her face. Yet there was so much clarity in her pale, pale eyes. Her voice came so soft yet so strong.. Hinata merely shrugged, nonchalant.

"I don't think it's the same for everyone."

* * *

They took the train to the upscale Ginza district. In a second Hinata was nervous and anxious all over again.

"W-wait! Wha-what are we--?!" She stuttered and squeaked, clinging closely to LaBelle's arm. It was easy to get lost and separated in Tokyo. LaBelle looked down at Hinata with an incredulous quirk to a perfect brown eyebrow.

"Where else do you think the studio would be?" LaBelle asked rhetorically with a light smirk.

"This place is so high class...!" Hinata squeaked, clearly intimidated as they emerged into the threshold like innocents in a battlefield. Hinata felt the most vulnerable. She turned around and took a fleeting look at Shimbashi station, pouting childishly with longing in her eyes. She was acting like she was being led to her grave.

"Girl, You're high class too! What's wrong with you??" LaBelle laughed in her friendly but haughty way, amused disbelief in every note.

Hinata didn't understand what she was talking about. Ginza was unknown, unprowled territory for her, and she didn't believe herself to be 'High class' or even 'Upper class' for that matter.

"B-but I'm n-not..." She mumbled incoherently, ducking her face from the crowds. There were so many beautiful hostesses wandering around in their _Dior's,_ their _Mikimoto's_ and their _Louis Vuitton's_. The young and sharp business men promenading with dates in their italian suits and custom-made shoes. Even the old and pudgy business men had women on their arms like fancy _Seiko_ watches.

This was the rich people's shopping arcade. The last place she'd find herself.

"Hey, wait.. Isn't this also yakuza territory?" Hinata whispered in a paranoid tone, her eyes shifting around at all the well-suited men with slicked hair. She could feel LaBelle roll her eyes at her.

As they passed by all the big hotels, the million yen real estate offices, walked down Sony Dori, and turned onto Hanatsubaki Dori, they tread a little further on til the crowds and cars became a mere trickle of traffic. Hinata pulled her face away from LaBelle's arm and tentatively took all her surroundings in.

In the shade of the heavy rain and dark clouds, Large houses stood on either side of the walks, with baren trees and dark green hedges lining the around the building's perimeter.

These were the Georgian brick buildings of old, the ones built after the 1872 fire. They were still so beautiful, despite the obvious wear of the bricks and the paint's faded color. A dreamy sigh escaped her lips.

_'I would have loved to live in a place like that, rent out a room maybe...'_ She sighed again. She could just imagine herself in a white Empire gown, made of muslin, with sheer violet twilled silk ribbons tied tightly at her waist, the tails hanging from the back.

_She strolled into the kitchen with unfathomable grace, an airy lightness in the way she held herself. Her ink black hair held atop her head in a bundle of curls, cluster of dark, wispy curls fell around her face, framing peerless lavender eyes. Her empire gown was a mixture of grecian and gothic influence; The bodice was tight around her chest, pushing her breasts up to her collarbone. The white musline train hugged at her middle, the classical lines draping down the length of her body and flowing from her hips, like soft water._

_She smiled into the morning sunlight, as it poured through the 12-pane window. Beyond the window, their garden glistened in the sun and horses and trollies roamed the cobblestone streets, the utter surrealism of it giving her a sense of completion and perfection.._ _Hinata sauntered demurely over to the counter. The tea kettle was nearly done, a few puffs of steam squeaking out every few seconds. In the schreeching squeal of the kettle, Hinata gently took it off the heat. She tied on a white oval apron with frilly edging around her waist, and took out their favorite china set from the cabinets._

_Love smiled on her smooth lips, as she turned around. The sunlight that once filled the entire kitchen, now shined meagerly on the cherry wood table set, revealing a glorious blue-eyed boy. Dressed in a white collared shirt, the sleeves wrinkled at the elbows, he wore black pinstriped trousers, his black X-Back suspenders hanging jauntily off his hips. As she brought the tea over for them to enjoy together, she made a joke about his unkempt blonde hair, making him blush and laugh._

_Her heart and chest swelled with delight, as she stared..._

_He caught her stare and laughed lovingly in response, his low chuckle bringing her back to reality. Or whatever reality she was living in..._

An excited and happy squeal ripped through Hinata's throat and screamed past her clenched teeth, an impossibly stretched, bliss-filled smile on her face. LaBelle jumped from the shock, the look on her face resembling that of one having a heart attack. She swiftly whirled on her younger friend, a harsh and incredulous demand in her eyes.

"What the hell!!" She schreeched with a startled sweatdrop.

"S-sorry... I was just so happy." Hinata giggled, her cheeks glowing. LaBelle stared at her a bit longer, trying to process her behavior before realizing that maybe... maybe...

"....Now I don't think I even wanna know..!" The blonde sweatdropped.

"Oh, but.. it wasn't anything bad!" Hinata sheepishly reassured, only to be unsucessful.

"OH really??!" LaBelle lastly shouted teasingly in a serious tone.

* * *

'The Studio' was actually called "The Studio", and it was a three story building. They were heading for the stairs that let to the basement quarters.

The rain poured down the steps, moistening the landing. Hinata couldn't help but stare at all the beautiful graffiti murals that covered walls. It felt like a secret entrance, but in fact anyone could spot it and be welcome to knock on the door. At the bottom of the concrete steps was a square plastic door, painted ultramarine, with a poppy colored symbol spray-painted on the front. It was a Hollyhock. Around the door were more spray-paint doodles, many of them scribbles, and some of them little characters. The landing smelled a bit like cigarettes. Beyond the door she could hear European House music. It practically thumped against her through the door, despite it's efforts to act as her shield.

She was starting to wonder what kind of place this was or who worked inside.

LaBelle brought a hand up and knocked several times against the door. Suddenly the music halted. Hinata stood moved to stand further behind LaBelle. She didn't want to be in the line of fire or whatever was bound to happen once the door opened.

The tumblers clicked and the bronze knob turned. LaBelle turned around and tried to force Hinata to get out from hiding.

"C'mon Emiri-chan!"

"No, it's okay!"

"You have nothing to be nervous about!"

"I-I'm not n-nervous!"

"Hey! Stop hiding your face!"

"LaBelle-san!!"

"You're getting me wetter!"

They kept fussing when they hadn't even noticed that the door finally opened.

"...Whoa.. I think I just got lucky!" Came a scruffy male's grinning voice.

LaBelle and Hinata looked up, confusion evident in their wide eyes.

He was about Kiba's height, maybe taller, but definitely shorter than LaBelle. He had dark plum colored hair, thin and short and choppy, with short bangs that cut across his square forehead. His face was youthful and angular, but his demeanor gave away his age, his air reeking with experience and maturity. Dressed in a wine-berry _Armani_ silk collared shirt, and black slacks.. Hinata feared him to be a playboy.

"Geeez...! Mie-kun, let them in or move aside!" Interjected the smoothing voice of a woman, as she marched through to the door and pushed the young man out of the way.

To Hinata she was their savior.

The basement level was part powder/dressing room, part lounge. The walls were lined with frameless, full body mirrors, and the cielings adorned with two rows of pendant lights. The edges of the cieling were illuminated as well, by a cove light. The walls were a simple golden-creme color, and the whole room seemed aglow in the somewhat dim setting. In the farthest right corner stood a black spiral staircase that led into the lobby and first floor of the building. By the mirrors were some vanity desks with all sorts of make-up and beauty tools astrewn. Across the room was a closet area, with clothes on hangers. Closest by the door was a small lounge area, a low sitting laquered black coffee table, with three white lounge chairs. But what she found most interesting -- or perhaps strange -- was the concrete floor: it was covered in paint spatter of all colors. It looked like it was done on purpose. (Well, in a way it had to be.)

"That's my work." Mie announced proudly. He introduced himself as the 'Michelangelo of Graffiti', something LaBelle couldn't stop smirking sarcastically about. _'stupid poseur.'_ She thought.

Hinata turned her head at the sounds of heels clacking against the concrete. The woman from earlier had emerged from the bathroom with two rolls of paper towels.

"I'm so sorry, but we don't have actual towels for drying. You'll just have to use these. ..Unless you want to try the blow dryers.." The woman laughed ironically, a sheepish smile on her long, thin face. She was LaBelle's hairdresser, Hana-ao Benoit. She was half-French, half-Japanese, but Hinata could see alot of the european in her.

She had a long strong face, angled down to a square chin. Her cheeks were flat, in the right amount of light, you could see the tip of her cheek bones. She had a thin upper lip and a large, flat bottom lip. Her eyebrows were dark and winged, her eyes were flat and smooth like a Japanese, and she had the typical asian monolid, but her eyes were dark greyish-blue and droopy. Her hair was short and milky-platinum in color. One bang was longer than the other side and was dyed plum. She had the same plum color as peek-a-boo highlights underneath her blonde hair. Hana-ao had a long and wiry torso. Her hips were bony and were connected to long, pin-thin legs. Her shoulders were equally bony as her hips, and her collarbone straight and strong looking. Her arms however thin and wiry, were tight, toned and muscled.

Hinata was almost jealous of this fit and strong looking women. She even wished she had smaller breasts like her. _'She must be able to do so much without all that weight...'_ She thought wistfully.

Hana-ao wore low-rise dark blue jeans, black stilettos, and a loose tank-top with a sweatheart neckline that complimented her _'Lady Victoria Hervey_' breasts.

Hinata glanced shyly at the woman as she walked over with a bundle of towel paper with her. Awkwardly Hinata took the napkins with a mumbled thank you and began dabbing her neck. LaBelle all the while was complaining in the background about how soaked she while bickering with Mie after a comment he made. In a second he was already fed up with her and made this foreign gesture of flicking the back of his fingers off his chin.

"Don't you flick at me, you--!" LaBelle growled out, grabbing at his wrists and wrestling with him. "--Bastard!"

"Get away, wet dog!" Mie yelled out, acting disgusted and appalled.

"Whaddyu say?!" LaBelle schreeched, making a rough grab for his black, horn-rimmed glasses.

They fought and pushed against eachother like little kids, until Mie escaped and ran for one of the lounge chairs. Awkwardly Hinata stood, her index fingers fumbling with eachother in a tentative and inconspicuous battle. She looked to Hana-ao, as the older woman sat down adjacent to Mie, a tired expression on her long, thin face.

LaBelle and Mie were still hurling insults at eachother.

"Gawd, You're just as obnoxious as that Moe!" LaBelle seethed, glaring knives at the older boy, her long fingers gripped tight into the last chair. Mie simply stuck his tongue at her, his frisky, angular eyes widened in an impudent manner.

"So when're you gonna introduce us? You complain about her all the time." He smirked, recieving a blatant eye-roll from LaBelle.

"Mie and Moe.. Ugh, just thinking about it spells death.." She commented bleakly. With a tired sigh, she walked around from behind the chair to plop down and crossed her legs. A moment of silence passed, as Hinata remained standing aside, until all three members of the room finally took notice of her prescence.

Hinata became uncomfortable under their stares. She swept her pale eyes from Hana-ao's, LaBelle's to Mie's, and then back to LaBelle in a pleading, sheepish mixture.

She realized she didn't have a place to sit. And so did they.

"Hey, Emiri-chaaan.. You can sit on my lap if ya like! " Mie eagerly offered, gushing with a flirtatious smile, chin in his hand, frisky eyes twinkling in her direction.

Hinata blanched.

Hana-ao sighed.

And LaBelle roared.

"You're such a womanizer!" She yelled, sitting erect, looking ready to lunge at him. "Don't even be yourself and pretend you're Italian, asshole!"

Mie shot her a dirty look.

"Sorry.. Is she yours?" Mie sarcastically retorted in a snooty way. LaBelle glared at him, but there seemed to be a hesitant distress in the way her brows furrowed.

"She already has a boyfriend."

"Oh." Mie muttered flatly. He seemed genuinely disappointed, but Hinata wasn't sure. He turned to her with a kind smile on his face. "Congratulations, I hope you two are very much in love." He gleamed.

Hinata's cheeks warmed, turning a cheery, cherry red, and she gleamed shyly back with a grateful nod. "Mm! Th-thank you." She couldn't stop giggling in her head at his words. _'..Very much in love.. Hope you two are very much in love.. madly in love...'_ She had to hold down the urge to squeal giddily, the butterflies were like fireflies in her stomach, buzzing around like they were on caffeine and crack. _'So in love!!! Squeeeeheeheehee!'_

Hana-ao and LaBelle could see the inner machinations of her mind at work; The smile that stretched from ear to ear, and the dreamy look in her eye... She wasn't subtle at all.

"Of course, if ever you break up, I'll still be available." Mie grinned, startling Hinata with his confusing words.

"That's because boy doesn't have game anymore.." Hana-ao snidely commented, a dry expression on her face.

"Gawd, Mie!!" LaBelle scolded once more, throwing his glasses back at him, hitting him square across the bridge.

"Yowch! Dammit!" Mie brought his hands to cover his nose, in a worried and instinctive manner. He sighed when he found he wasn't bleeding.

Hinata couldn't help but fumble with her fingers again, a new sort of affliction finding its way into her brain, searching for a vulnerable spot to lay its seed; He said 'break up', if ever they break up...

_'Well we're not together yet...'_ She immediately reassured, only to bring her down a little bit further. _'...b-b-but if w-we do g-get together.. he'll stay r-right?'_ Despite her arising insecurities, the moments of affection that he displayed to her the past couple of weeks filled her with a bit of hope. Otherwise.. why would he touch her so?

Hinata didn't realize how preoccupied she became in her own thoughts, until she felt a hand lead her away from where she stood. She looked up at Hana-ao, when she began to speak, not realizing that she had been talking the whole time.

"...the bangs could use some retouching..."

"She cut them herself." LaBelle commented, sounding miffed. Hinata looked to the side to see Mie smiling at her, and Hana-ao was giggling along the words of "You're kidding me!". They sat her down by one of the vanity dressers, her sodden and plain reflection staring back at her in the mirror. She saw Hana-ao reach over her shoulder for a pair of scissors and a skinny comb.

"Hm, your hair is so long, such a pretty ebony colour..." The artist, Hana-ao mused, as she ran her hands under Hinata's mane. She seemed hesitant to do anything. She picked up Hinata's hair in her hands and observed the ends closely. "Your hair is so flat however... and the ends are baby thin. I don't believe you've gone to a salon before..?" Hana-ao asked, her accent coming in stronger than before. Hinata shook her head, her face flushed. It felt so strange to have hands in her hair.

"You could trim the ends.." LaBelle mumbled, bringing her long fingers to stroke and pet the top of Hinata's head. "..Maybe give her long layers to add more body..." Hinata stiffened, when she felt another hand touch her scalp. It was Mie.

_'Oh GOD! NOT YOU TOO!'_

"..Razor cuts'll give a more wispy appearance to the layers.. better than scissors." Came Mie's voice. Despite how serious and professional he spoke, she doubted his intentions to be on task. Hinata began to silently freak-out when he started petting her hair harder. She wanted to screech, to squeal, to run away.. It felt so weird! "Heheh.. so soft.." He grinned to himself, but she heard him clearly.

_'Eeeek! Stop it! Stop it!'_ She shouted repeatedly in her head, but to no avail. When his hand finally left, she felt the weight of a towel drape around her shoulder and over her torso.

"Okay, ready Emiri-chan?" Mie asked cheerfully.

She peeked out of squinted eyes, only to be looking straight in the eyes of a razor blade.

"KYAAAAAA!!!"

"Wha--!? What's wrong?! What happened?!"

* * *

LaBelle couldn't stop laughing. As they left the studio, Hinata held her umbrella closer to her body, to cover her blushing face. The whole ordeal had been so embarrassing.

Mie started freaking out when Hinata freaked out, and accidently dropped the razor and nicked the skin between his index finger and thumb. When he tried to pick it up again, he only kept dropping it and creating more nicks in his fingers. LaBelle couldn't stop her restrained laughter through clenched teeth, when he began to cry scared of the little cuts. After Hinata had finally quieted down, She saw the razor sitting on the dresser, with bits of blood on the tip, and she began to cry too. It took nearly half an hour to get both Hinata and Mie to calm down.

After the haircut, Hana-ao led Hinata to a dressing room, with LaBelle in tow. Mie pouted, feeling left out, yet was still lamenting over his bandaged fingers. In the dressing room, Hinata had to undress down to her underwear. LaBelle wasn't sure what to think at first, whether to lament herself or burst out laughing at Hinata's childish 'granny panties'.

_"Why the hell are you wearing those!?" She screeched out, sounding mortified and pissed, yet her face was a strange mixture of a giddy open-mouthed smile and wide eyes. Even her bra was worthy to be burned. The undergarment was large with full cups, and it looked like it was double-layered. The hook-up was at the front, and the whole thing looked like it covered half her upper body. Couldn't even see her shoulder blades under that thing._

_"It's a sports bra..."_

_"But why?!"_

_"Because my breasts are abnormally huge!" Hinata schreeched out, red in the face. "They bounce around too much!!" Behind the dresser room door, they heard a loud thud, like a body impacting the floor. Hana-ao blinked and moved to peek outside. Mie lay on the floor, she could only see his back, but she could hear him muttering and mumbling aloud. Clearly he had been peeping on them, and must've fallen in shock when Hinata yelled so. As soon as she closed the door, she could've sworn she heard a perverted giggle. _

_"Lemme see that!" LaBelle retorted, pulling the ugly bra off of Hinata's body._

_"Eek!" Blushing red, she covered her breasts, shooting swords at LaBelle's direction. She was reading the size label on the back, her eyes growing steadily wide. Curious, Hana-ao sidled over to look as well._

_"Omigod.."_

_"Omigod.." both women uttered._

_Hinata wanted to disappear at that moment._

_"You're a--!" LaBelle started off, her voice failing her._

_"---SIZE G?!" Hana-ao squealed out, shocked, yet appearing strangely proud._

_THUD!_

_Mie collasped again._

_Hinata couldn't believe the kind of fervor her size was creating, it was like being caught up in chaos._

_"Mie-kun!! Get the tape!" Hana-ao shouted over through the door, her disbelieving eyes stuck on Hinata's bare back. _

_"Hai, Ma'am!" He called. Hinata could hear him run off, his footsteps bouncing off in the room._

_"T-tape??" She uttered, afraid of what that meant. In seconds, Mie came back and threw a roll of measuring tape. In moments the tape was all over her._

_"93 centimeters!" LaBelle outcried in her incredulity._

_"Waist is 60 centimeters.." Hana-ao calmly announced, moving down to her hips. LaBelle however couldn't keep her voice down._

_"Your breasts are 93 centimeters!!"_

_"Emiri-chan's hips are.. 89 centimeters."_

_"Have you been taking pre-natal pills or something?!" LaBelle continued to screech out. "Your progesterone levels must be off the charts! Gawd You're bigger than Shimamoto Risa!"_

_"And Emiri-chan's final height is..164 centimeters, little over 5'4"." Hana-ao ended with a pleased smile. _

_Hinata wanted, but was too shy to ask.. why did she look so glad?_

_Hana-ao gave her several pairs of new clothes, left over from a fashion show last spring. She kept talking to her the whole time, but Hinata wasn't sure of what about. She was far too distracted with her own thoughts, absorbed in her doubts and worries.. and Mie wouldn't stop staring at her either.._

_Hinata had been so embarrassed at her blurbed confession about her bra. She couldn't believe that happened. As soon as they got out, Hinata appearing like a butterfly halfway out of it's cocoon._

_Dressed in cozy long-sleeve black turtleneck, black&white houndstooth double-tiered mini-dress, sheer black stockings, ankle-high camel-coloured leather boots, and a snow white cotton-blend double-breasted coat with four brass buttons. _

_Hana-ao said this outwear was a month's old tops. Funny how Hinata was more embarrassed about wearing normal clothes in public, than wearing her lolita garbs. _

_She was even more distressed when Mie continued to smile warmly and stare at her. She wasn't sure if it was a good sign or not, but she wasn't exactly enjoying herself at that moment. And all the while she kept trying to picture Naruto in her mind. However Mie kept following her all over the room, whenever Hana-ao or LaBelle had to work something new on her, he was always three feet behind her. _

_It was like a slow game of duck-duck-goose. _

LaBelle just couldn't stop laughing. As sadistic as the little chase seemed, it was hiliarious to her, and Hinata looked so cute scared!

Hinata just wanted to crawl away somewhere and stay there. She was really beginning to wonder if this was all really worth it. Maybe Naruto already liked her, but was being too shy or too cool to ask...

Amidst her silent torment, she felt an arm link around hers.

"C'mon sweetie, we gotta get you some sexy brassiere." LaBelle giggled, laying her head affectionately against Hinata's.

"Can I get a minimizer?" She asked hopeful, in a miffed whine.

"No! Why do you want to hide them??"

Denied.

"Well.. do you want them?"

"..No. I would look improportional."

"Then what about me?"

"You look fine..!"

"..Proportional?"

"Mm-hm."

"So my hips are big then?!"

"No, actually you're pretty slim."

"So I'm top heavy!"

"I said you look good!"

"Yeah, well, maybe like a adult video actress with implants!!"

"SAY WHAT?!"

Hinata started to wail loudly, bringing all sorts of stares from strangers.

"I want him to like meeeeee! How's he gonna like me when I'm so imperfeeeect?!"

"Like the two of you are gonna jump in the sack tomorrow!" LaBelle growled out, Hinata's already ruddy face turning bright red; _'As if she should worry about looking good naked already..'_. "Chill, okay? You're not top-heavy.. Hana-ao says you have a pear shaped body, but because your bust is so big, it gives the illusion that you have an hourglass shape. But unlike the hourglass, your shoulder width is smaller, because you're just so petite!" LaBelle grinned adoringly, gleaming proudly at her younger friend. Throughout this, Hinata was starting to feel her worries dissipate, until LaBelle spoke again, adding, "However.." Hinata sweatdropped nervously, apprehension filling inside her mind as it always has done. "..Even though your height is average, because your breasts are so big, they do give the appearance that you're top-heavy."

"Ehh?! Nooo!. But you s-said--!"

"I said you're NOT top-heavy. You just kinna look it from the front. Now don't cry! We'll just get you some underwires to lift them, and you'll look even better!"

"Hmph.. better than what?" Hinata moped, bringing LaBelle's weary glaring eyes on her.

"Don't be like that."

* * *

_'I guess it doesn't matter..I want him to like me, only LaBelle knows what it takes to be an attractive person..'_ Hinata inwardly sighed, as she put a lacy, push-up back on the rack. _'..and I've got more minimizers back in my room..'_ She reassured herself, pulling away from the wall to take an apethetic look around. She didn't feel like any of this was her style, and she was reluctant to participate. She liked what she usually wore, even if they weren't exactly fashionable or attractive..

"Here, we'll get these." Came LaBelle's voice, as Hinata turned around. In her friends arms were two dozen pairs of lacy underwire bras, and their matching bikini panties, in an assortment of blacks, purples and reds. Hinata's face slowly soured, irritating LaBelle almost instantly.

"Hey, what's with that face??" She bit out.

"S-sorry.." She paused, "M-maybe I sh-should choose?"

"You doubt my intuition?" She asked, rather snippily as always. Hinata almost shied away, but chose not to back off this time.

"Y-yes." Hinata answered back as firmly as she could, despite LaBelle's glare. In the spirit of things, LaBelle couldn't be truly mad at her, and only smiled. She chuckled warmly with a grin, her laughter startling and confusing Hinata first, before becoming contagious. Hinata began to giggle.

"Well hurry up, choose something already!" The tall girl smiled, eyes glimmering. "We gotta head out to Omotesando street later!"

"Omotesando??!" Hinata looked at her like she was a child speaking for the first time. "What more are we shopping for??"

"Spring clothes, make-up, the works, you know! Maybe I'll get you some _Peach John's_, stuff to nab your man with!" Labelle answered, as she moved to place the lingerie back on the tables. "The only time we've ever gone shopping was for more Loli dresses.."

Hinata looked curiously at her, LaBelle's words hinting with an edge of wistful nostalgia. She could see the bit of fondness soften her features and warm her smile.

"What's wrong with just Loli dresses? What's the use of normal clothes, when I only spend my weekends cosplaying?"

"Dumbass!" LaBelle shouted, giving Hinata's 'the Buddha's Palm' slap to the forehead, eliciting a shriek in response. She looked shyly up at her friend, as LaBelle held three fingers in front of her face. "Look! One: You can't be a lolita forever! Two: These are modern times! Wear modern clothes! (once in a while, at least!) Three: If you want him to like you, show him that there's more to you than just Harajuku! Okay?!" LaBelle seemed exasperated as she ended with a loud huff. "Then again, perhaps your situation isn't as desperate as it seems.." She muttered to herself, thinking of the last time she sorta talked with Kiba. _'He's so strung up on her, she's got him wrapped around her pinky and then some. But she doesn't even know it.. I can't just tell her though, she's gotta get real sometime..'_

LaBelle became so preoccupied in her thoughts, her absorbed appearance made Hinata somewhat suspicious of her, curious of her earlier mutterings.

Looking away, Hinata looked on at the cute, lacy boy-shorts with weary apathy. She touched them with a bit of interest, acknowledging the pink gingham print. The way LaBelle scolded her deeply brushed her the wrong way, yet Hinata tried to ignore it. She was her friend after all. But she couldn't bring herself to not be indignant and annoyed. _'Such a rude opinion.. I know I can't loli forever.. so what? ...But then again.. I guess, for Naruto-kun.. I could give it up..'_

Her mind became lucid, like a glass bell, a single ring resounding from the words to her heart and washed through her body to her finger tips. A little shock of static electricity stung her fingertips and she retracted her hand from the cotton garment.

_I could give it up... For Naruto-kun._

* * *

At first Hinata didn't want to listen to LaBelle completely, but the more her voice rang inside her head, the more she began to realize she was right, as she always was.

If she got together with Naruto, the only time they could hang out and go on dates would be sundays. Meaning she couldn't cosplay, or at least not for very long. And Naruto seems to like normal girls more, so she realized that she would have to be normal for him. And he probably does think that all there is to her is Harajuku and Lolita.. _'Which sadly that's all there is..'_ ..she knew she would also have to be more for him.

The rain had stopped minutes ago. Wispy clouds still covered the late January sky, the last of its days passing by overhead. It was evening by now, the sun nearly set.

The huge traffic thoroughfare, known as Omotesando, was beautiful as it always was. Some hundred cars sped up and down the three lanes, as she and LaBelle sauntered down the wide footpaths; large, naked trees lining the streetside. An upward pull tickled at the corners of LaBelle's lips, strangely affecting Hinata negatively.

She was still bummed out at LaBelle, and seeing her smile made her feel like her feelings were forgotten.

"Spring is just around the corner. You can see the baby buds on the trees, no?" She spoke in her elegant and perfect way. Hinata shrugged, her mind too focused on her disappointment. Even as LaBelle turned to look over her shoulder, Hinata didn't move to meet her glance. LaBelle didn't notice. "Setsubun, is two sundays away.. Spring.. it's going to be so wonderful.." LaBelle spoke in a dreamy voice, so far away.

"Ne, LaBelle-san.. Why do you and Mie-san fight so much?" Hinata prodded absentmindedly as she stared at dead leaves rustling across the ground. She missed the lively and livid look that appeared on LaBelle so violently, her words like an arrow through her dreamy bubble, bursting it wide open.

In seconds, she was up, loud and yelling again.

"'Cos he's friggin' obnoxious! He acts macho and smooth.. He's so pathetic, it's embarrassing! Gawd, how could a guy like that have so much game in high school!!? And every girl he played, he never loved! Not a single one!!" LaBelle ended with a disgusted shudder. Just thinking about the lack of self-respect in girls these days wanted to make her gag. Secretly she hoped there was some humanity to his player-nature, but her opposition towards him held stronger. "..Just wanna string up every last guy like him.." She muttered.

A terse silence fell between them, the expeditious clacking of LaBelle's boots 'clip-clapping' against the cement like those of a horse. Tree after tree, car after car, something began to grow in the back of LaBelle's head, a nagging worry. Her perfect brows furrowed together, distress lines marring her smooth forehead, until she could no longer take it.

She slowed down. Hinata did too.

"Emiri-chan.. promise me you won't go doing stupid stuff, okay?" She pleaded somberly, despite her feigned, strong tone.

Hinata's answer came automatically, misunderstanding the statement with an instant and naive assumption. It was like it snuck up on her, clamped her mouth shut so she couldn't ask, only answer.

"I won't." She said with a tone of innocence.

LaBelle seemed to relax, her once slouching shoulders raising themselves back up into perfect posture.

Hinata began to wonder how LaBelle could be so mad about things all the time.

_'She was happy before.. maybe I shouldn't have asked..'_

* * *

Hinata stood stiffly by the glass doors of the _Shu Uemura Omotesando Boutique_, awkwardly moving aside whenever a customer entered or exited. She couldn't seem to bring herself to move, looking on as LaBelle vigorously did the shopping for her. She was such a newb to this.

"Hey, do you want to take a make-up lesson program? It's only 10,500 Yen!" LaBelle joked cheerfully. Hinata shook her head meekly, and LaBelle went back to looking around. "You remember what happened last Christmas?" The blonde inquired, catching Hinata's fleeting attention. She shook her head.

"I don't remember anything significant. It was just a normal day."

"When you showed up at the bridge, you were dressed all Loli --while the rest of us were dressed casually-- so we had to go out and get you changed and made-up. Later at the restuarant, you remember that group of three boys?"

"..N-not really..?"

LaBelle wanted to laugh, but kept it to a mere snicker.

"I guess it doesn't matter then. But I just want you to know.." She trailed off, as she pulled her eyes away and straightened herself up.. there was this look in her dark eyes, and it stilled something within Hinata. "..You have the ability to winsome, beautiful. You just gotta learn to show it more, okay?"

"U-uh.. Mm!"

* * *

The two of them spent the rest of the evening in the amenity of eachother's company; purchasing clothes from _Donna Karan_, _1 Love_, and _Lucien pellat-finet_; LaBelle swiping her credit card on boots from _ann demeulemeester_, parfum from _Dior_, and cute bags from _Fendi_. They talked about simple things, fussed over little things, and laughed the whole day away on stupid jokes. By the end of it all, they plopped down at the patio tables of a _Wolf Gang Puck Express _restaurant, twenty-something bags at their feet.

Plans had been made that they'd hang at Moe's apartment in Chiba after dinner.

The waitress had come and gone, taking their drink orders in her stead. Hinata briefly looked over the menu, unsure what to pick from: soup, salad, or pasta?

"What should we get for Moe-chan?" Hinata inquired breezily, half of her mind not on the present. A blonde boy was running up and down the walls of her mind, and it was quite distracting.

"A doggy bag." LaBelle dryly quipped. She looked up at Hinata and smirked. She had her chin in her hand, eyes dreaming and smile permanent; her face was clearly glowing. "So cute.." She murmured to herself.

* * *

The door opened and Moe greeted Hinata with a squeal and a hug.

"I don't know why.. but I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" The girl giggled, still holding onto Hinata affectionately. As the visitors dropped their bags on the kitchen table, Moe led them into her bedroom. Her mother was sleeping in the next room with a hangover, so they had to be quiet. Not necessarily for her benefit, Moe just didn't want to deal with her.

Moe and Hinata sat on the bed, cluttered with manga, cd's, candy wrappers and magazines; while LaBelle took to Moe's computer chair. Posters heavily covered the walls, an array of art, anime (most being yaoi), and rockstars giving the room a lively and childish feel, like being in a middle-schoolers bedroom. And it seemed like Moe never stopped tacking on more and more pictures, half of her old stuff were long buried under the new.

"Is shopping all you guys did today? How much crap didja get??" Moe started off with an incredulous smirk.

"I-I w-would've payed, but... anou.."

"You didn't pay?!" Moe looked at her shy little friend like she'd done something horrible. "..you princess.."

"Hey, I'm the one with a better job now! Emiri-chan, you quit yours."

"...b-but I still could've payed. I still have that five-thousand yen from my last paycheck.."

"Well it's not like you were carrying all that just now."

"No, I put it in my account. I've got a card."

"Give to me! I'll spend it!" Moe giggled. LaBelle turned around and found a CD case on the desk. She picked it up and threw it at Moe, smacking her right on the forehead, sending her to fall backwards on her bed. "Yowch! ..Bitch!"

"You're seriously deranged..." The buttermilk-blonde sighed dryly, facial expression unimpressed.

* * *

Scissors, needle and thread at the ready, Hinata stood as stiff as she possibly could, almost at the mercy of her older friends. She wore her school uniform, and the two of them were working on modifying the skirt.

"How short should we make it?" Moe asked, holding the hem in one hand, the scissors in the other.

"Not too short.. bring it above the knees." LaBelle spoke, needle held carefully between two smooth lips.

"No, her thighs should show.." Moe thought aloud, bringing the skirt up. "Emi-chan's gonna look soooo cute.."

"No, no! Not that much!" LaBelle shouted out.

Awkardly, Hinata blushed, eyes wide.

"Th-that's too short! M-my butt's gonna fall out!"

"What's bad about that? Your butt's cute. He'll see it sooner or later." Moe smirked, her chesire grin stretching from ear to ear. As if she hadn't gotten physically close enough with Naruto, somehow just thinking about it was worse. Hinata thought she was gonna faint.

* * *

Dressed in her new uniform, Hinata felt a bit naked; she couldn't understand why girls subjected themselves to this type of wear.

Moe was submerged in her tragic closet, messily tearing it apart, throwing backwards whatever clothes she was willing to share. All the while Hinata sat on the bed with LaBelle across from her in the desk chair, Moe's playlist of J-Rock and _Weezer _emanating from the speakers in her computer.

"Th-thank you Moe-chan, f-for lending me clothes f-for s-school.."

"Hey, it's cool. I just hope the sweaters will fit."

At that, Hinata drooped, gloomy symbols resembling souls appearing around her.

"Oi! Don't say that! I don't know why, but for some reason she's really sensitive about her chest."

"Why?" Moe asked innocently from her closet, halfway buried in socks, shirts, and jeans.

"What do you mean, 'for some reason'! You know the reason!"

"Hey, look now. Ever since the Americans came along and the internet was invented, Japanese men have put Japanese women's physical attributes to a whole new level. Be damn happy your breasts are crazy big."

"...Is it really the Americans' fault?"

"Well... the Prime Minster _did _just put out a playlist album of all his favorite Elvis songs."

Hinata didn't say anything.

"Alot of magazines are promoting breast enhancement surgeries these days." LaBelle piped in.

"..." Hinata wasn't sure what to say.

"Alrighty, I think _these_ will suit you very cutely." Moe grinned, as arrived with an enormous stack of clothes, causing Hinata's eyes to bug out. "Oh, LaBelle-san? I got the ice. We should get started on that thing now, shouldn't we?"

Hinata blinked, confusion evident on her face.

What were they talking about?

What thing?

* * *

Scared.

That's what Hinata was.

Frightened as hell and trembling.

She layed back on Moe's bed, wincing at the sight of the hot needle as Moe and Labelle stood over her like doctors ready to dissect her. Even though her ears had been numbed by the ice, she was still scared and distrustful. She tried to block her ears with her hands, but LaBelle took her by the wrists and held her down.

"C'mon Emi-chan, hold still! You have to get your ears pierced." Moe sighed.

"N-no! It's gonna hurt!" She cried.

"A lot of things are gonna hurt! And once those things happen, this is gonna be nothing!" Moe moved again to place the needle closer, but Hinata flinched.

"Then pierce my ears afterwards! Not now!"

"Just imagine that you're doing this for him!"

"Why would he care if my ears are pierced or not?!"

"I dunno! But just do it anyways!"

"But it doesn't make any sense!"

"Just imagine that this needle is him, penetrating your flesh!"

Hinata stopped her fussing, eyes so wide they thought the contacts were part of her whites. Her face then lit up like a christmas light.

Whether Moe meant to say it like that or not, it totally sounded wrong.

There was that hyper, perverted smirk on her face again.

Okay, she totally meant it that way.

"You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" Labelle glared.

"Naw."

* * *

Nervously, Hinata twirled and fiddled with her hair. Her ears felt swore, her lobes clumsily wrapped in band-aids. Unfortunately during the whole ordeal, Hinata forgot about keeping the volume down, and her shrilly cries and complaints awoke Moe's mother in the next room. She and LaBelle could hear the muffled argument go on beyond the door.

_"You're so stupid! What's you're problem?!"_

_"I'm stupid?! You come home disgusting and shit-faced!"_

_"What the hell were you guys doing being so loud?! Don't you know how embarrassed I am if the neighbors heard??!"_

_"Ha! Like they care! Everybody three floors down has to put up with your screams everytime you bring home a random lay!"_

_"You keep your voice!" Yuri hissed, a hesitant pause echoing through the brief silence. "Oh, my head... .....You shouldn't have brought them over!"_

_"Why? You__** ashamed?!?!**__"_

_"__**I don't need people over here when I'm like this!!**__"_

_"Yuri! Don't you know what teenagers do these days?! We complain about our shit-faced parents! Get over yourself!"_

_"Forget it! Can't deal with your rotten 'tude... Just get them out of here soon!"_

Hinata jumped when the door opened, Moe walking through. Yuri stood by the door, entering halfway reluctantly. She was a tiny woman in her mid-thirties. Her hair this month was espresso brown, and held crookedly in a limp ponytail. You could still see some of the former bleach color in the roots and under the dark strands. The skin around her eyes was wrinkled, and darkly pigmented from the late nights and bad habits. And her clothes were wrinkled from sleeping in them. There was nothing radiant about her any longer, she had clearly used up all her youth faster than the normal human being.

Yuri looked around; nervous, awkward, meek and distant, before her eyes settled unsteadily on Hinata. She appeared to still be disoriented.

"Hey there Emiri-san.." She started off awkwardly, her efforts to be friendly creating a rather uncomfortable atmosphere in the room. Hinata tried to keep eye contact with her, but the woman's eyes were wavering. Stiffly Hinata nodded, wondering what Yuri was gonna say, if she had anything more to say. "..You-You're getting cuter everyday.. uhh..." An audible sigh could be heard from Moe at her mother's meaningless words. "..Um, Moemi-chan help get your ears pierced?"

"Yes, Yuri-san." Hinata nodded cordially amidst the tense room. It was strange to see Yuri try to be together and polished, when her appearance gave away the train wreck she was known to be. She gave one shaky sweep around the room before nodding, her chipped fake nails drumming away against the door. Clearly, she was at a loss for words.

"..okay well.. D-don't forget to head home soon, okay?"

"Yes, Yuri-san." Hinata nodded again.

"Alright.. well.." And with that, she disappeared and closed the door. Hinata and LaBelle thought she had something to say and were surprised when she didn't. It was all very weird to Hinata. She didn't know Moe's mother much, and hadn't seen her for the past two years. When Hinata first starting hanging out with Moe, Yuri was still an outgoing woman and would talk to her often. But somewhere along the way, her romping habits grew worse and her nights out more frequent. She practically lived outside now.

"Gawd, thought she'd never leave..!"

* * *

"I've got to get home." Hinata smiled apologetically. _'Before father decides to kill me...'_

"Alrighty, see you tomorrow, mmkay?" Moe sweetly spoke, giving her a warm hug goodbye.

"I'm sorry about waking Yuri-san.." Hinata whispered carefully, as if Yuri might hear. It appeared that she had gone back to hide.

Moe grinned.

"Don't be. I'm not."

The door closed. LaBelle and Hinata headed for the stairs down.

"You think this'll work?" Her voice came somberly, their footsteps echoing lightly off the walls of the stairwell.

"He should notice the changes.. Unless he's a complete dumbass." LaBelle commented.

Hinata sweatdropped at this.

* * *

The night carried on in sober silence, the blares of car horns, the glare of their beams and the city lights setting the sky ablaze with an unnatural glow. Uncertainty lay mildy on her heart, a constant it seemed, but despite the fickle waver of her esteem like tides under the moon, she felt especially unaffected, hopeful and steadfast. Optimism had her this time. Not for a single second did she worry about what-ifs, not once did she dwell on negative possibilities, or what the outcome may be.

Her steps slowed down in front of an _AM/PM_ convenience store, ad posters hung against the windows of: _AAA_'s new single release, skin whitening products, anti-acne products, Boba tea & _Coca-cola_ sales, and a beauty product ad with model _Anne_ posing, the classy letters below her stating "Japanese women are beautiful."

Something about that struck a chord in her.

_"..You have the ability to winsome, beautiful. You just gotta learn to show it more..."_

Like any effective advertisement, she became drawn and compelled. It took her by the wrist and playfully dragged her inside, with the promise of revealing an important secret that seemed obvious, as if she was finally invited. The store smelled of cigarettes, sweet bread and dried squid. At the counter, a scrawny, pasty young man waited by the register, observing the security screen on the tv with a sort of bored diligence. There were brown-sugar glazed donuts in a case, next to a stack of newspapers. Against the doorway, there were stacks of rice bags. On the other end of the counter were magazines. She strolled lightly over, the pasty boy watching her as she went, like she were more interesting than what was going on in the rest of the store.

She bent down carefully, balancing daintly on the balls of her feet as she scanned the covered of the magazines, from _CanCam_ to _KERA_, to _FOOL'S MATE _and _Pichilemon_. Each had something to say, something to offer.

_Lessons on Coordinating, our Editor-in-Chief HIRANO shows you how!_

_FLOWERY TOPS & BALLOON SKIRTS: UPCOMING SPRING TRENDS!_

_Ebihara sports cute ruffle shoes; HOW TO GET HER LOOK! _

_THE SEX ISSUE: In-Depth Techniques Revealed! 60 pages! (DVD included)_

_Special Lovers Issue: True Stories from Boys and Girls across the Greater Tokyo Area_

_Special feature on hair! 25 pages worth of hair arrangements to make you cute for school!_

_Full skirts or Mini-skirts? LOVE BERRY shows you what's hotter!_

_Dietary pills unsafe? RURIKO dishes on safe and effective dieting!_

_In-&-Out of Love IDOL YURA spills her heart for the first time!! Special Interview inside! "This is for the girls.." _

_HOW TO MAKE HIM LOVE YOU_

The headlines were almost overwhelming. She had to buy them all!

The pasty boy's eye flew open when in a flash, the counter was bombarded with a stack of twenty-some magazines. He looked up at Hinata, wary and confused, his eyes speaking clearly aloud.

_What the hell...?_

Hinata smiled sheepishly.

* * *

"Hey, Hinata-chan! Wow, you look good today!"

In a whirlwind of excitement, fear, elation, and shock; a peculiar squeak flew from her throat. Shivers ran up and down her arms, her fingertips and toes were tingling, as if they had been just been asleep and were trying to wake up. Her face was on fire and the world around her seemed to spin, fade in and out of focus, and the only thing that held her in place was his blue, blue eyes.

She could swear she was going to faint.

Naruto continued to smile, his right brow quirking up slowly when Hinata continued to lack any response. Just a weird, wide-eyed, open-mouth smile on her face.

She did look cute today, better than he could remember.

Her hair was held in two wavy, bouncy pigtails. She sported cream colored loose socks, brown, suede penny loafers that were wrinkled and had worn out spots, and a muted, navy blue sweaters (all three items courtesy of Moe). She wore her school tie loosely, rather than perfectly at the collar, and she wore a chrome necklace, with a heart-shaped key with rhinestones, similar to that of Ayumi Hamasaki's favorite jewelry (also Moe's). His eyes dropped down for a chaste glance; her skirt was shorter too. He remembered when girls like Ino went out of their way 'modify' their uniforms, even to the point of near destruction. Sakura did it too, but she was a bit more modest.

Naruto was somewhat surprised by this newly aqcuired look of hers. Now she looked like all the other girls in the school. With an exaggerated grin, Naruto gave a quick nod and turned on his heel, commenting over his shoulder about hurrying up before the bell and whatnot.

Didn't seem like Hinata heard him, still frozen in her gleeful shock. She nearly forgotten how naked she felt in these new clothes, the breeze hitting between her thighs almost a constant. His back continued to shrink further and further down the hall before she snapped out of it on her own, realization striking her out of her dopey-ness.

And like a helpless child or lovestruck puppy, she chased after him.

* * *

The skirt was at a teasing length, she knew. She tried to pull it down when she felt most vulnerable, but knew it couldn't go any farther. There were times she caught some guys staring, girls glowering, and her teachers giving varied looks of dubeity and curiousity. She brushed them off best she could and figured that she was worrying too much about these stares.. Every so often, she would glance over her shoulder to check on Naruto, and hope that he was checking her out. But could only go so far without looking inconspicuous. She sighed heavily with a pout when she heard the quiet snores; he was hunched over his desk, sleeping.

She wondered what he did after school to make him so sleepy the next day..

Amongst the classroom's free time, the girls gossipped and the boys talked about, acting like fools. She looked down at the glossy pages of her _NON-NO_ magazine hidden halfway inside her desk, her usual _G&L Bible_ absent for once. It was a five-page article, where the writer interviewed different men on the street to talk about their girlfriends or what their ideal girl was, and what they liked best of them. She thought it was funny, there were a lot of 'um's' in the some of the male responses. The writer seemed the most interested in a pair of twins who had completely different dates with them.

_"You two are twins?" I asked them with a laugh of disbelief. It was clear to them that I was amused, however they reflected a completely different tone. _

_"Yes." The one twin spoke curtly, face set indifferently. I had hoped they would speak at the same time. I believe they knew that. _

_"And your girlfriends are NOT twins?" My amusement leaked out in my laugh, the second twin shifting about agitatedly. _

_"No." The first twin answered again. His face was deadpan like an unwavering shield, refusing to allow any further indulging on my part._

_"Can you tell me about your girlfriends?" I asked as best I could in a new calm voice. The boys dressed relatively the same, but it was their girls that were completely different. I wonder what their double date must have been like. One girl is darkly tan, and the other is pure as porcelain. The dark girl is dressed in boots with five belts, fishnet stockings, and a longshirt with a swooping collar, her lacy bra peeking through cheekily. Her frame was also notably larger than both the boys and the snowy girl. The snowy girl was gentle and plain, dressed in a floral dress, dark navy jacket, and peep-toe pumps._

_"Tell you what?" The second asked with challenge in his words. Last month's article, NON-NO delved into the view of skin color. I just had to ask them what I was really thinking._

_"Is pale better than tan?"_

_"Yes, Pale." Twin number one answered._

_"No, Tan." Twin number two answered. _

_I couldn't stop the smile on my lips._

_"Why?" I asked._

_"Pale is angelic." _

_"Tan is different."_

_"What about hair? Bleached or natural?"_

_"Dyed. I don't like a girl that looks like my mother." Number two answered._

_"Undyed. I don't like girls with frizzy hair." was Number one._

_"And what features do you like best of your girlfriends?" I asked, still smiling. The boy hesitated at first. Perhaps they didn't usually speak in front of their lovers._

_"I enjoy Yuka's honesty and ingenuous thinking." Number two revealed. "She's brash but very smart. Very different."_

_I turned to the first twin, and asked the same thing. He looked at me with a pause, quickly glancing back at his darling before answering with a careless shrug._

_"...She's cute."_

She skimmed through all the quotes and opinions, trying to figure out what was important, what she had to work on. She wanted to know what she had to be like, in order to get Naruto to like her, to really notice her. If he was asleep now, then he couldn't possibly have an immense interest, right? At least that was her thinking. But whatever she was thinking or expecting from him.. it couldn't be all that realistic.

_'I don't think Naruto likes different girls.. If tan is different, then I should be pale...'_ Hinata glanced at her forearm, and found her skin to already be milky-white. "..should be paler..." she said in a dissatisfied mumble.

Then an idea hit her. Just like the article, she could ask him what features he liked best in a girl. _'Then I'll know! And I can live up to his expectations!'_

With a love-filled sigh and excited giggle, she hugged the magazine to her chest, her daydreams coming wildly back to her like free-running horses.

She couldn't wait til sixth period. She couldn't wait to give him another loving lunchbox.

* * *

Naruto had surprisingly been energetic during gym. The day after the rain was a bit warmer, so the teachers Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei sent everyone out to play the courts. Hinata sat out as she usually did, sitting up against the wall of the school, with her knees pulled up to her chest, and hiding in a large athletic hoodie that Kurenai lent to her. It was still too cold and windy for one not participating. She loved watching Naruto play. He had this grin on his face, his eyes playful and challenging. A few boys and Ukue cheered him on whenever the volleyball came to him. He would jump up and spike it, causing the opposing team to scatter; she wondered how he managed that with his hand still bandaged. The opposing team had more girls than boys, and the boys were getting frustrated with the frightened girls who would do nothing but shriek and squeal whenever the ball got close to them. Kurenai had to scold them to stop cringing.

"Stop scurrying around and get your head in the game! You hold your ground! You don't run!" She yelled out and blew the whistle, signalling the continue of the game.

"That's not fair Kurenai-sensei! Tell him to stop slamming the ball!" One girl complained. She was definitely one of those girls that were personally against Naruto.

"It's called a spike. Spikes are legal."

"But sensei--!"

"Gawd, just shut up already--!" A boy on their team vexed under his breath, as Kurenai spoke further with the girls when the game should have continued five minutes ago.

"Hey! If you break a nail or something, it's not my fault!" Naruto called out cockily, vollyball in hand at the ready as he stood in the server's spot. Snickers broke out amongst the boys in his team. Hinata watched on, her eyes glued on Naruto, her heart pumping love through her veins. For some reason the boys laughing alongside Naruto's comment, made her love and admire him more. She wasn't sure why, but she felt it. She was floating. It was freezing out but she was happy and floating with love for him.

On the other side, Naruto just pissed off the rest of the female class.

Probably didn't help that he was such a show-off.

* * *

Hinata steadily ascended the stairs to the roof, magazines held against her chest with one hand, the tied bento boxes in the other. She'd been thinking non-stop about improving herself. Not less than two days ago would she have even considered these things.

_'I could get a manicure, or a whole bunch of nail art, and I should try to get my hair permed like Ebihara-san, and I wonder if Naruto-kun would like me in more pink? Or maybe I should wear orange, I think he likes orange things. Oh, and I wonder how much an electrolysis costs? I wonder if Naruto would notice if I started using skin whiteners.. And I need to stop eating sweets all the time too. I can't have him love a fat girl..'_

The magazines were heavy. With the boxes held in her right hand, she moved to open the door despite the difficulty. A rush of cold air swept passed her, into the stairwell as she entered the roof. The door shut with a click, her eyes happily setting on Naruto's form. He was sat slouched against the netted fence, arms crossed and eye staring off into the horizon.

She scurried her way up to him, catching him off guard as she perkily plopped down beside him; a clumsy entrance. Her body brushed fully against him, almost scraping. Naruto turned to her, this bewildered and perplexed look in his eye as he awkwardly grinned at her. She gleamed back, unaware of his slight discomfort. For seconds more, she remained with that dopey face and dopey smile. Nervously, Naruto made a move to scoot away discreetly. In the same instance, Hinata could feel him move before he even finished the action, her face lighting up bright red with realization.

She jumped away immediately.

"S-sorry..!" Hinata squeaked in her usual high and whispery pitch, so easily embarrassed. She hid her cheery, cherry face in her hands, between her knees, and her dark curls bounced, flying up all over the place and around her shoulders.

"S'okay Hina-chan." He chuckled.

Still with her face in her hands and her head between her knees, she smiled happily nonetheless, loving the sound of his voice and loving him sound her recent nickname even more. Romantic thoughts began running a lovesick circle around her brain again, the sweet emotional high running her up the walls.

"What are you doing?" She heard him say, the way his voice sounded tickled yet embarrassed her. She brought her head up, her hair rushing about in a flurry; her hands were glued stuck to her pink face, glowing with a sweetly shy smile. She couldn't bring herself to face him entirely, her eyes diverted and face looking straight ahead at nothing.

"Uh.. u..m.. I w-was just... uh.. um.. I-I was j-just.. you kno.. just.. uh... um..." Open, close, open, close went her lips, her words staggering beyond Naruto's attention. A nervous chuckle rang emptily in her head at a maddening pitch. "...I dunno."

That quiet, mouse-like admission had an affect on Naruto, drawing out a surprised and affable laugh. She wasn't sure what he had found so amusing, but she giggled along nonetheless.

For anyone to have witnessed this scene, it could not be described by any other word but "clumsy".

* * *

Hinata had tried to ask Naruto what his preferences were, but had been unable. They sat beside eachother against the fence, the rush of winter wind tracing frigid and gentle fingers across their skin. Hinata felt so cold with her skirt so short, she had her ole, ugly blazer draped over her legs to protect her from the cold. She couldn't understand how so many girls could put up with it or why they did so in the first place. Was it all for the sake of being attractive? Or was being jailbait their ultimate priority? And maybe they enjoyed it... That made Hinata shiver in a different way. She never thought about sexuality or her own, and she never considered utilising it. She wasn't sure if she was disgusted by these thoughts or if they were so shocking and new that she was fascinated by them..

Hinata glanced discreetly to Naruto, her body language exuding her meek and thoughtful state; shoulders hunched up slightly, arms held tightly by her side, legs closed together and knees pointed slightly away from Naruto, rather toward. She caught herself, realizing her mistake. She remembered something she read in the magazines about attractive body language, and fixed her position. She tried to scoot a little closer to him, while his eyes remained on anything else but her. She stopped short until she could feel the slightest of his body eat, her face growing pink once more, and turned her body to face him.

His eyes then turned away from his food to her, brows raised high in curiousity, the clueless expression on his face directed at her, the same one she often found so adorable. And through a mouth full of half-chewed cold noodles, he asked, "Wut?"

Unfortunately that sent her back scurrying.

"N-n-n-n-nothing!" Came her feverish stutter. _'Well.. at least now I know it works!' _

It was just too bad she couldn't hold her ground.

After a couple minutes of silence, echoes of the city and the birds resonating dimly around, sounds of the cars coming from far off and down below, Hinata finally drew up the nerve again to speak, even if it wasn't the most ear-catching choice of words.

"A-anou.. N-Naruto-kun..."

"Hm?"

As soon as he responded, Hinata changed her mind, her former line of questions wish-washing away at the mercy of her fickle confidence.

"Um.. anou.. d-do you.. y-you like th-the n-noodles?" She asked so airily that it didn't even matter much to her. It wasn't what she wanted to ask. She was so nervous still, she couldn't remember what those words were exactly.

To her surprise she heard him sigh; a tired exhale like a confession.

"I think it's too cold for cold noodles."

"...yeah?"

"Well I haven't had the time to but any groceries, feels like I haven't had ramen in so long. Been to busy working."

"...s-so, th-then... y-you want ramen..?" She asked, eyes quizzical.

"Yeah, but s'okay, I'll just go to one of those Stand-and-Eat Soba bars before heading to work."

Hinata glanced at him closely, curious and quiet, seemingly displeased with his answer. If he brought it up, then why change his mind?

"W-we can.. can go g-get so-some ramen right n-now.. i-if you w-want, Naruto-kun?" Hinata added, a nervous edge to her hopeful tone. She was fiddling with her hair, a curly strand dangerously wound tight around her slender finger, almost strangling it.

Surprised and suspicious, Naruto blinked at Hinata's words. He turned to her, and found her stiffly wound like the hair around her finger. She kept her eyes ahead as if the world would collapse, not even taking notice as he leaned in closer and closer to her, his suspicious stare prying into her.

"You mean now?" He asked with such disbelief, brows furrowed in tight. "Are you a delinquent?" Naruto teased in a light voice. Hinata fidgeted with her words, sucking in her bottom lip and chewing on it hesitantly.

"I-if I a-am.. th-then you must be r-rubbing off on me, Naruto-kun."

In response to her smiling answer, Naruto laughed out loud.

* * *

"Okay, hurry up! Get my stuff!" Naruto shouted hushedly through closed teeth, a wide grin on his face. He was becoming highly amused. Naruto watched Hinata stroll into their classroom, the lunch period nearing its end, justifying his urgency.

This was a covert operation.

Stealth and swiftness was imperative.

Naruto had entrusted Hinata with the task of recovery, while he stood glued against the wall outside the doorway.

Like a POW lurking through enemy grounds undetected, Hinata wormed her way to their desks and grabbed their things; coats and schoolbags. She shifted hers on her shoulder, and walked towards the door, Naruto's things in her arms. She never noticed, perhaps she had long forgotten, Kiba had raised his eyes from his desk when she entered, only to now watch her leave. A rough and nagging tug on his mind got the best of his curiosity when he saw Hinata take The Yanki's belongings with her. It hurt to look and not know, to not understand but witness. He felt the urge to get up and follow her, but at the same time he was stuck nerveless. He couldn't bring himself to move.

The moment she reached the halls, his things disappeared from her arms, Naruto quickly jumping into action and running down the hallway, while he hastily shrugged on his coat and bag.

"Hinata-chan! Hurry up!" He shouted over his shoulder, disturbing a few classrooms.

So much for stealth.

Completely caught off guard, Hinata scurried to put her coat on before chasing after him. Amongst the initial disappointment she felt, the adrenaline rushed throughout her body, warming up her limbs, mixing up her emotions in a flurry of excitement.

She couldn't believe they were ditching school like this.

* * *

Naruto kept running through the opposing traffic, Hinata trailing further behind him, tired and out of breath; She felt like she was swimming upstream. All she could do to keep up with him was to look out for his delightful blonde head. He should know though, that he didn't have to keep running. The school was 14 minutes far off , and no one but a 3rd year teacher saw them. She was amused, though slightly distressed, that they had been caught back there. Hinata thought Naruto was gonna run the poor man down, but instead side-stepped around him and ran on through the gates. The teacher nearly grabbed a hold of her, but her bag had swung into him, knocking him away.

_'God, I'm going to be in so much trouble..!'_ She dreaded yet laughed. It had to be Naruto's fault for her recent carelessness. Perhaps he truly was rubbing off on her. She couldn't help but smile at that, feeling proud.

She caught up to him at the end of the sidewalk, both stood amongst the crowd, waiting for the light to turn.

The little man in the sign lit up, allowing for traffic to continue on foot.

Hinata floated beside Naruto, eyeing his empty hand constantly. She made wiped her palms dry before making her move.

Naruto had been keeping an eye out, scouring for a place to eat and hoping he wouldn't run into any familiar faces. He blinked at the sensation of clammy warmth wrapping around his idle hand. Naruto glanced down, then turned questioning eyes to Hinata. She nearly let go out of shyness. Her smile was tiny but sincere, her eyes averted the other way. Naruto tugged on her hand several times to get her to look at him, but Hinata seemed to only hide her face further; he couldn't even get a peek from her.

"Oi, Hinata-chan.."

She looked up, finally.

Naruto had this addled look on his face, like he was trying to figure her out but he kept coming across road blocks.

She was definitely the weirdest person he ever met.

With a teasing glare, he said, "Nevermind.", and pulled roughly on her cheek.

Naruto leading, they continued their trek hand-in-hand. Something about this seemed familiar though different to him.

_He remembered he was trying to sneak away from the VPO officer and had taken Hinata with him. She had to leave with Kiba after school, but he tried to keep her awhile longer._

Unconsciously, as if in tune with the memory, he began to glide his thumb gently back and forth across Hinata's skin, though his eyes kept ahead. Hinata flushed, smilingly gleefully. This was far better than any of her recent fantasies, because it was actually happening.

Hinata was in her own world, her world being Naruto at the moment; she was completely absorbed. Naruto didn't notice any of this. He looked ahead beyond the sea, a neon image of a ramen bowl stood out from the building side, like a lighthouse leading them the way to shore. Hinata, wrapped up in Naruto's grasp, she moved to lay her head against his shoulder, but Naruto pulled away before she could connect, causing her to stumble foward.

She nearly fell over.

As soon as they entered, Naruto let go of her hand and found a seat at the counter. The stand was tiny and modern. Plastic chairs, hard plastic coutner with laminated picture menus taped down, listing their sushi and ramen. The restaurant flaps were colored deep forest green, with white characters displaying the name. Beyond the counter, a middle-aged woman, a young man, and an older man cooked and served the food.

She wasn't sure why they had stopped here, she had imagined a nicer destination. And part of her expected the moment earlier to go on forever.

Tentatively she moved to sit beside him, between him and an older man who seemed soggy with alcohol already. His face was flushed, his tan windbreaker heavily wrinkled with stains on the collar and worn spots on the elbows of the sleeves. His balding, salt-and-pepper head shined in the low light, while his stubby fingers gripped at his half-empty tea cup, as if trying to grasp reality. He was grumbling miserably to himself.

Hinata was wary of him, but to her dismay, there were was no where else to sit. Beside Naruto was a 30-something secretary on her break, slurping quietly on her ginger ramen. Unless the woman could eat any faster, Hinata was stuck.

Shifting uncomfortably in her chair, she finally brought up the nerve and touched Naruto's hand again.

"What?"

"C-can.. I.. can w-we sw-switch seats?" She whispered hesitantly, her eyes staring out the downward-right, making sure the drunkard wasn't making any questionable movements.

"Why?" Naruto looked at her quizzically. He mustn't have noticed.

"...please?" She begged quietly. Naruto looked up from her to see what her worry was, an annoyed exhale drifting past his lips.

"He's not gonna do anything to you. Chill out." He told her, shaking his head. Unsure and disappointed, She tried to ignore her distrustful feelings, somewhat saddened that Naruto dismissed her so easily. _'As if there's nothing to worry about... how can a man be drinking so early in the day? Naruto-kun, this isn't fair.. you don't know how creepy this is..'_

The older woman behind the counter took their orders, but not without giving them both admonishingly looks. They were still in their uniforms. She could tell they ditched. Naruto laughed at how tense Hinata, pulling on her cheek again, ignoring her pain-filled whine. Couldn't he tell that really hurt?

The moment their bowls of steaming broth arrived, Naruto was digging in like a ferocious lion. Hinata chose to wait for hers to cool off. She still needed to know what Naruto liked best in a girl. Chin in her hand, she observed him with a far away stare.

_'He's already made a point of not liking cosplayers.. and he doesn't seem to find my hobby attractive either..' _The secretary payed her tab and left the stand., _'...I think all I know is what he doesn't like. Ohhh.. I wish I hadn't turned him down that day!!' _Hinata was in turmoil. Sorta. She brought her head up when she heard Naruto slurping loudly again, and realized her bowl was missing. She turned to him and couldn't believe it.

"...Y-y-you're eating m-my food?!" She exclaimed in an indignant whine.

Naruto paused to answer her.

"Well.... you weren't."

"..But!"

"You want it back?" He asked breezily, then placed it back in front of her. Only one remaining strand of noodle sat lonely and cold at the bottom. What was the point in eating it now? Hinata sighed. _'This isn't much of a first date..'_ Then she sighed inwardly again, reminding herself. _'..then again, perhaps it's good that it's not a date at all...'_

The man beside Hinata began to stir in his drunken stupor. Unfortunately for her, it seemed like something about their antics got his attention.

His drunken, miserable slur made Hinata jump, his words snaking down her spine.

"You.. you're aloooooooot-t.. like m-my ownnn da-daught-ter..."

Naruto took one look at Hinata's face and couldn't hold down his amusement. He burst out laughing, slapping his palm against the counter repeatedly.

Hinata looked scared eyes to the man, eyes connectingly briefly.

"..exccccept.. she wa-wasn't bl-l-ind..." He continued on to say, mistakening her pale eyes. That got Naruto going again. Hinata couldn't understand how he could find this so funny. Tears stung her eyes, and even her crybaby face shouting at him _'You're so mean!!!'_, couldn't get him to stop. If only, it made him laugh more.

"Hey.. (snicker).. hey, Hina-chan.. (laugh).. is that.. that's your dad?" He teased with a stupid, shaky grin.

"Noooo!!" Hinata squealed, her face red. She couldn't seem to get mad at him, though part of her knew she should, she could only get upset. And she was starting to get upset. She was so embarrassed now, his words mean and the situation creepy. How he could go ahead and tease her, she couldn't understand nor appreciate.

A near silent, high-pitch shrill flew from her lips when she felt the man's stocky hand rest on her shoulder, his blind fingers squeezing her flesh at intervals of a slow heartbeat, as if he was trying to make sure she was there. She looked to Naruto for help, but he was stuck, biting his tongue, curious where this was gonna go.

"Swweeetie.. ple-please.. forg-give your shameless fa-a-ther.." He drawled. Hinata swear she was going to cry from fear. "..I.. I had hoped.. that our-- our incestuous a-affair would keep you fr-from eloping tha-that bu.. b-boy.."

Full-blown horror exploded on Hinata's face.

_'INCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEST?!!!!!!'_

"WHOA MY GOD!" Naruto shouted with alarm, jumping to his feet in a second. He still had that open-mouth grin on his face, despite the immense incredulity his eyes showed. Hinata couldn't believe he was freaked out and still found amusement out of it, AT THE SAME TIME! "Hahaha, okay! We're done!" Naruto laughed it off, casually reaching for Hinata's school bag. He took out her wallet, took out several bills and payed their tab.

_'HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHERE MY WALLET IS?!'_ She screamed in her head, as Naruto grabbed their things and dragged her away to safety.

The people, the storefronts, and the cars passed them by in a blur of shapes and colors, Naruto's smiling face teasing her indirectly. It was like he was still laughing about the whole ordeal.

"Yeah, I'd like to see it happen to you.." She grumbled under her breath.

"Whaaat?" He grinned over his shoulder, eyes twinkling mischeviously.

"Naruto-kuuuun! I told you! I wanted to change seats!"

Naruto stopped their running. He let go of her hand and walked up to her.

"Yes, you're right! I am sorry Miss Hyuuga!" He smirked, speaking in a overdramatic tone. He got a hold of Hinata, taking her into his arms. The way she was half-fighting against him, made it look like he was wrestling with her. He got her from behind, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "But you know, you shouldn't have had an 'incestuous affair' with your father." Naruto moved his hands around to teasingly smother her face, covering her mouth, ears and eyes. "Hahahaha! That's just fuckin' gross!" Naruto's laughter stopped short when Hinata bit him. He let her go with a shout, and began laughing again.

"You're awful! How could you let that happen to me?!"

Hinata stood with her arms crossed, glaring mildly at Naruto. Honestly she wasn't mad at him, but she felt it was necessary to pretend she was. She held her ground when he approached her.

He took her pouting face into his hands, causing her to blush deeply. He took into account the way her glossed lips pursed outwards, the way her grouchy face constrasted against her round features (only to make her seem less than menacing). He noticed how hot her face was, a heartbeat in her cheeks humming against his palms. Bemused and amused, Naruto was surprised; she really was cute today.

Hinata couldn't figure out if Naruto was laughing at her again or not.

So she stuck her tongue out at him.

_

* * *

_

I think I'm far too new at this.. I don't understand how boys are.

_Naruto-kun perhaps is the most confusing of all._

_I wish I had more experience before him... then I'd know what to do, and not feel so intimidated by him._

_It's not good being a virgin, is it?_

Laid out against the hard ground, cold half-dead grass stuck to the back of Naruto's neck. Hinata sat beside him with magazines piled on her lap.

"Okay, what about these girls?"

Naruto looked up to view the open magazine, several women varied in looks and style posed in the pages. He sighed inwardly. So far he was rolling with it, but this was the third mook she'd shown him. Was she gonna try to show them all? Sighing outwardly this time, Naruto propped himself up on his elbows.

"...She's hott. She's hott. She's hott too. She's cute. Whoa, she's fake. Cute, cute, hott, cute." Naruto plopped back down, eyes closed in repose.

"...Can't you say something more than 'hott' or 'cute'?" She pouted. It was just like in the article she read with the less eloquent twin. How was she gonna become what he wanted, if he couldn't tell her?

"Well you're asking me for my opinion, right?" He asked.

"Mm-hm, yeah.." Hinata nodded.

"Well, that's what I think. What'm I supposed to say?"

"You don't find any model particularly attractive?" She pursued, thin, dark brows furrowing together delicately.

"They're all attractive. But if you mean, 'am I attracted to them?', how the hell can I be?" He shrugged. "I don't know any of them, and I'm never gonna meet 'em either."

The air between them fell silent. Hinata turned back to her mooks, barely reading them, his words sinking in, syllable by syllable. It was awhile before she spoke again.

"Yeah.. I suppose so.." She agreed soberly. She flipped through the pages, skipping past the make-up tips and latest installment of an indie Shoujo drama, until she came upon a quiz.

_**FOR THE GIRLS! Do you two go together? See how your love ranks! (**__boys take the quiz on the next page__**)**_

Hinata squealed.

"Naruto-kun, Naruto-kun! Take this quiz!"

"Whaaaat?! Quiz?! We just left school!"

"Pweeease??" She giggled, remembering when he tried that on her.

His brows twitched and knitted together, giving her a weird look, though he did not look at her, his eyes still closed.

"You know, you're asking too much of me." He smirked.

"Am not." She pouted, whapping him in the shoulder with the magazine's spine.

* * *

The sun was gone, a glimmering splinter on the horizon growing fainter and fainter, the sky growing darker, the contrast lessening.

Hinata tossed the magazine across the floor of her room, miffed and annoyed.

The quiz ranked them at 8% combatability.

She couldn't believe that. Apparently the quiz relied heavily on horoscopes. What a load.

She tossed all her things beside her futon, collapsing into the mountainous pile of comforters with a less than graceful 'thunk'. Her insides continued to twist themselves into frustrating knots, squeezing out every bit of energy she had, wet yearning filling up in her stomach, giving her an uncomfortable sensation.

She had enjoyed her time, every touch, every look, every conversation giving her a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, like she was reaching her goal to his heart more and more. It seemed just about as easy as any romance done for the sake of fan-service. Until the moment that Naruto had to head out to work and she had to go home. Everything suddenly changed. That was only twenty minutes ago. And now, when just twenty minutes ago she felt so sure, now she felt helpless and desperately heartbroken, aching with need. Her eyes stung, her face filled with the familar pressure and hotness that meant tears would soon surface. She couldn't tell that she was overreacting. Nothing bad happened at the end of the day, but nothing good happened either. Somehow every flirtatious gesture and teasing exchange they had earlier that day became meaningless when no result came of it.

He didn't hug her. Nor touch her. Nor hold her hand.

He said no endearing words, nor the use of a nickname.

He merely waved her goodbye and left.

Nothing happened.

That's what got her going.

That's what was creating saline stains on her pillow.

Nothing.

Wet face buried in her pillows, she blindly reached around, her fingers touching up on the spine of a magazine. sniffling wistfully, she grabbed it, rolling onto her back to look at it.

She flipped listlessly through the glossy pages, wondering about Naruto, always wondering about him.

He hadn't even told her his preferences, she couldn't get a single thing out of him.

All of these women were so tall, skinny and adorable, aside from a few rabbit-like smiles and beakish noses, there wasn't a single fault with them.

"I wish I was hott or cute."

* * *

Naruto strolled through the kitchen doors, struggling with the ties on his golden-orange kung-fu shirt, before giving up all together. He saw his older co-worker Ryoji across the room, sweeping up peelings and the like.

"Oi, Ryoji! You ever had a girl ask you questions from a magazine?" Naruto leaned to the side, against a counter stacked with trays. Ryoji paused with brows quirked up.

"Yeah, sometimes. By my sisters. Why?"

"Ever had a girl ask you like fifty different questions from every mag she had?"

"The hell? What's this about?" Ryoji chuckled, confused, amused and somewhat incredulous.

"I dunno! " Naruto shrugged rather vigorously, becoming quite animated. "Well.. the girl I know, well.. we ditched school, and she spent half the day asking me all kinds of dumb stuff!"

"Like what? Maybe she just wants to get to know you." The darker male with a scruffy face mused, leaning forward on the broom.

"No. It was more like.." Naruto's voice changed to a mock-Hinata pitch. "'Do you like tall girls or short girls?', 'D'ya like pale or dark?, 'Tan or white?', 'Dyed or not dyed?' It was sooo annoying! But I couldn't say anything either!"

"Haha, you serious?" Ryoji laughed.

"Ain't lying." Naruto sighed.

"Huh, wonder what that's about."

Naruto shrugged.

A waiter from outside entered the door, and stopped by Naruto. He tapped his shoulder to move aside, so he could get to the trays. He gave Naruto this annoyed look, clearly displeased with his socializing.

"Is this the same girl you said that cries alot?" Ryoji piped up from his brooming.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at the waiter's back as he left the kitchen to deliver the dishes. Naruto began to move small things around, pretending to be working and talking at the same time, before he answered his co-worker.

"Yeah, she's pretty delicate."

"Maybe she was trying to get to know you, or get something from you. Sometimes girls wanna get everything out in the open."

"What, like that? With a million stupid questions?"

"Yep."

"Well.. it couldn't have been more insincere than that. She wasn't even asking about me." Naruto stopped moving around, a thoughtful expression on his face. He squinted out at nothing, as if trying to grasp a memory. "..actually one time she said she wasn't interested at all."

"In you?"

"Pretty much."

Ryoji shrugged. "Hm, that sucks. I guess."

Naruto gave him a lazily pointed look, then went back to moving things around.

"So what do you like t'en?" Came the little voice, like a bell chime. Naruto turned to the side to find Hiro leaning her elbows on the counter close to him. She had come from the greeting hall by the door, a couple of sticky menus lay by the sink. She wore her hair down, and was dressed in an over-sized dark blue kung-fu shirt, her smooth and lithe legs sticking out like a crane's. Then he realized that she was just wearing the over-sized shirt, that came down a little past her hips.

Had to have been the Manager's idea.

"Where's your pants?" He asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

She looked down and answered like it was no big deal.

"Oh, t'ese don't come wit' pants."

"Uh..huh..." He nodded, still incredulous. Suddenly an idea came, born from mischevious curiosity. Naruto made a move, his hand swiftly aiming for the hem of her long shirt/dress thing. He managed to lift it enough to see her wearing tight short-shorts, before her small hands slammed down on his wrist in a crossed-karate chop, knocking him away.

"Holy crap!" He exclaimed with awe, a shocked smile on his lips. "You're strong!" He seemed to praise. Hiro smirked haughtily, her black black eyes glimmering impishly. She crossed her arms across her chest and did an imitation of _Don Kononji_.

"Look, don' touch." She winked with a smirk. She nudged Naruto lightly in the ribs before heading to the back of the kitchen.

"Hahaha, you're a dork, Hiro-chan!" He laughed, his smile gleaming.

"Nya nya nya! Back door swings open!" She sing-sang nonsensically, shaking her butt like a chicken, making Naruto laugh again.

"Heheh, what the hell??"

In the background, Ryoji looked between the two, eyeing Hiro suspiciously.

He felt like he had witnessed something private.

Shaking his head, he went back to sweeping the kitchen floor.

* * *

The next few days went astray.

At Moe's enthusiasm, Hinata let her mess with her hair. She curled it to look like the 'devilishly cute' women of the _AgeHa_ style. It looked good on her for a time, until the next morning, when it flattened out. And she tried to perm it again. But all that heat dried out her strands, and the winter air had been extra-dry.

_Naruto stepped aside when he first saw Hinata, this look of 'what the hell' on his face. He wasn't sure what to think, seeing her with such frizzy hair. Was that bed head? Didn't she have the decency to clean up in the morning? _

_Even Hanabi was avoiding the fuzzy dark strands that flew out in all directions._

Hinata had tried again to express her love to him.

During lunch, Naruto didn't even touch his food, seeing her all-encompassing fruzzy hair seem to geve everywhere, even in the rice.

_Naruto scooted far off to the side, to put some space between him and her hair. He was disgusted and fascinated ---as he moved aside--- to watch bits of rice come off, and stick on her hair, like chunky dots of snow. If it hadn't been his food, he would have laughed. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to tell her._

She went the whole day with food stuck to her hair.

As the day went on, the air got dryer.

Hinata tried to put on her wiles on him again, but everytime she touched him or got in close proximity, Naruto got shocked.

By the end of the day, Naruto couldn't wait to get away.

_A black Maybach 62 pulled up alongside the school gates. The window rolled down halfway, revealing a familiar set of dark blue color contact eyes and buttermilk hair. Hinata nearly walked past the car, far too absorbed in her embarrassment and failure of the day._

"_Emi-chan!" , called the voice from the luxury car. "Hey, back up!" She ordered the driver. The car rolled in reverse a couple feet before stopping. The back door flew open, and LaBelle pulled Hinata inside, practically abducting her. _

"_Oh my god, did you see that?!" , a male student exclaimed, pointing at the car as it began to pull out. _

"_What're you talking about?", replied two friends, watching as the car drove off._

_"Abduction! Abduction!" He shouted out, weirding out his friends._

_In the backseat of the car, Hinata remained layed on LaBelle's feet, still in shock how she got there. She was surprised to find how spacious it was in here. Hinata felt LaBelle's stare, and looked up to find a similar look of amusement and incredulity that she found on Naruto and a several other people today._

"_Sooo.. how'd your day go?" She snickered._

_The embarrassment too great, Hinata began to sniffle._

"_I kept shocking him!"_

_LaBelle's laughter rang within the confines of the car._

_All of Tokyo could hear her giggles._

_She found it that funny._

The next day, Hinata tried a body spray that smelled like raspberries and roses.

_Discreetly she pulled out the bottle and gave herself an allover spray, as Naruto put his outdoor shoes away in the locker._

_Suddenly he began to sneeze uncontrollably._

_One, two, three, four... Naruto shut the little square door of his shoe locker, and turning to face her... a fifth time consecutively he sneezed. On her. Accidently._

_Like the powers of Medusa, Hinata stood frozen. The spray of his sneeze had been like that of an ocean's, she still felt the cold, wet dots on her face, on her neck, in her hair, on her clothes._

_It was really gross._

"_What're you wearing?" He asked, sniffling._

"_B.. b.. b-body sp-spray.." She stiffly mumbled in stupefied voice._

_Walking past her, he said, "It's awful."_

The day after that, Hinata tried a moisturizer that Moe gave her.

She broke out into hives.

_Hinata had been reclusive all day. Nothing new really. Except for the red welts on her face, neck and hands._

_She avoided any sort of contact, and she made sure to hide her face from everyone, even Naruto. Which depressed her to no end. _

Until lunch time came.

_Hinata, with her sleeves pulled over to hide her hands, meekly gave Naruto the boxed lunch she gave him. He thanked her, though not without giving her a funny look. She was acting particularly strange. He couldn't even see her face. _

"_Oi, Hinata-chan.."_

_She looked up, finally. _

_Her red face was a like a red flag, bringing unwanted attention unto herself._

"_Oi! Oi!" called out Masabo, pointing a stubby finger at her. "Look, look at her! She looks just like the ugly girl from 'Shaolin Soccer'!!"_

And just like that, the whole classroom laughed.

The girls giggled snidely.

The boys howled in packs.

Even Naruto had to laugh in agreement with Masabo.

The past few days had truly gone astray.

* * *

It was the end of the day. Naruto shut his shoe locker and walked off, waving Hinata a half-assed goodbye.

Had she been looking up, she would have seen it.

Instead to her, it felt like he left without saying goodbye.

Pulling herself together minutes after he already left, Hinata dragged herself out into the courtyard.

She was uneasy. Her self-esteem was on its last legs, any moment she would collapse. Perhaps give up. Perhaps fall into some mood of self-bashing. She wasn't sure. Part of her was still confident that she could get his attention again, that she could get his affection again. Otherwise she wouldn't still be trying. However she grew pessimistic, and would occasionally put herself down.

'_How is he going to like me.. when I'm so.. so imperfect..?'_

Across the yard, a familiar hatted-head came into view and caught her eye. Hinata quickly approached Shino, hastily greeting him.

There was something strange that she noticed the past few days, but had brushed off. It was only until she saw Shino, that she remembered it.

"Aburame-san.. Have you seen Kiba-kun lately?"

The softened concern on pale face left Shino to question her. Through darkened glasses, he gave her a hard stare. She seemed sincere, he couldn't doubt that. So that must mean she is naive. He knew what Kiba had been up to the past week, not once concerning himself nor pitying the dejected boy. He didn't doubt that Hinata rejected him, but at the same time he knew she hadn't directly rejected Kiba either. Meaning that she truly didn't know what has happened to Kiba.

"He's been isolating himself in his room." He answered in his collected and detached voice. Hinata's eyes furrowed, an innocent look of confusion.

"Why?"

He gave her another deeply focused stare before choosing his words. His answer was truthful but cryptic.

"He got the new remake of _Splatter House Part 2_."

* * *

The door shut, the windows locked and blinds closed tight, the room remained in twenty-four hour darkness. Posters hung in shadow on the walls, posters of _Freddie Kruger _and _Pumpkinhead_, movies like _Dawn of the Dead_,_ Shawn of the Dead_, and anime like _Hellsing_, _Trinity Blood_, _Vampire Hunter D_ and _Chibi Vampire_; Hollowed out eyes of fake skulls on his marred wooden dressers, and figurines from _Castlevania_ stared unseeingly into the darkness. Three real kunai lay embedded in the scarred, pock-marked wood of his door. Horror genre manga lay strewn across the dirty floor, candy wrappers and days old of unwashed plates from his previous dinners littered about haphazardly. The room had a stagnant smell, but Kiba didn't notice nor cared.

The ambience of screams and sounds of his character's meat cleaver hacking into the monsters was all he could focus on, the gore on the screen taking his life away little by little. He wasn't sure what he was gonna do with himself when he finished the game.

He was completely immersed in the game, the character Rick killing his way through the levels to save his kidnapped Jennifer from the evil Dr. West.

"I'll save you Hina-chan." He mumbled to himself, as he picked up a chainsaw and took the monster apart into bloody chunks. "...I'll save you..."

* * *

Another look of confusion crossed Hinata's face, before new question came to mind.

"Are you going to see him?"

Shino shook his head.

"Can't. I have cram school."

"Oh." She replied quietly, looking away. Shino wondered why she sounded so disappointed. Looking at her, he could see the gears turning, her thoughts clear to him like diamonds.

"I don't think you should either. It wouldn't be a good idea." He said. And with that he left.

Hinata watched after him, unresolved confusion still set in her mind.

She wondered if she had been imagining it or not.. but Shino's voice.. had sound surprisingly tender, almost sympathetic, and a little wary.

She hoped Kiba was alright.

* * *

Naruto was getting frustrated. He'd been feeling tense all day ---like having someone poke you really hard once when you were enjoying yourself, and then letting that one small thing piss you for the rest of the day--- it seemed one little annoyance had set of a continuous bad mood for him, and now, as he tried to take the orders of a braindead group Ganguro-gals, his irritation was beginning to show.

Just looking at these fake-baked, cake-faced girls digusted him.

Listening to them like listening to ten-thousand seagulls, and you couldn't tell them to shut up.

"Oh, can I get this without the Mexican's sausage?" asked Bleach-blonde number two.

"Whaddya want, Yun-chan? The Chinese' sausage?" pervertedly replied her friend, the Bleach-blonde number 1. Suddenly the booth burst out laughing, like shrilly, shrieky seagulls.

"Tehehehe! Chinese don't have sauasages, they have dumplings!!" giggled one of their cherry-red headed comrades, her lazy comment procuring another round of squeals.

"Don't they have lumpia?"

"You're thinking of egg rolls."

"Yeah, lumpia is smaller."

"Filipino penis is smaller?"

"Haha, ew, who'd eat those beaner balls?"

Naruto groaned. He wasn't sure what he was annoying him more, the way the laughed, or the way they joked? _'I don't even wanna hear the word 'penis' from the mouth of idiots. Reminds me too much of that asshole Sai.'_

Or maybe it was because they must've thought they were real cute, when they were just stupid.

He definitely didn't like uncute girls who thought they were cute.

Those types were usually pathetic.

A busboy walked pass Naruto, heading for a empty table to clean. But before he could get there, Naruto grabbed him and shoved the pad and pencil in his hands, making his escape.

The poor busboy watched Naruto leave and turned sheepishly towards the group of giggling girls, visibly daunted by them.

A pair of usual voices faded into ear shot as Naruto trudged through the back of the restaurant. Ryoji was talking with Hiro and another older female co-worker. He pulled out a box of cigarettes, saying that he was gonna head outside. The older female co-worker smilingly declined and excused herself. Ryoji shrugged, and opened the back door, leading Hiro out as they continued to chat.

Feeling he had nothing better to do, Naruto decided he'd tag along.

* * *

"So what're you gonna do tomorrow?"

"I dunno. We could go drinking, or play the arcade. Or we could do both and play under the influence."

"Heh, that's real adventurous." Ryoji snickered.

"Yeah, we do that, and the zombies will seem more real."

Hiro sat out on the cement steps tapping her feet rhymthically while Ryoji took laid-back drags.

"What's tomorrow?"

Hiro turned halfway towards the voice as the intruder closed the backdoor, leaving the three in the dim lighting of a single overhanging bulb.

"It's her birthday." Ryoji answered in his relaxed manner, taking another drag. Naruto glanced down at Hiro, her deep black eyes peering up at him.

"Yeah, I'm turning nineteen."

Naruto's blue eyes shot wide.

"Ehhh?!" He exclaimed, nearly losing balance. Suddenly the door shot open, smacking into Naruto's back and sent him forward.

"YOU MEAN THIS WHOLE TIME YOU'VE BEEN LEGAL?!?" Mr. Masaharu schreeched in a betrayed tone, startling the former calm of the group. Hiro didn't seem to be disturbed by him, even as he continued to rave like the exuberant man he was. Ryoji looked to his right where Naruto lay face down.

"What the hell!" The blonde berated clumsily, fumbling to get to his feet. "You mean _you_ didn't know??! How did you not know?!"

"I didn't read her application!" Mr. Masaharu admitted in a whine, as if he was saying 'Why're you asking meeeee?!'.

"Why?!" Naruto shouted, finding this all so incredulous and ridiculous. Sure the manager had a crush on her or something but...

'"Why?!'? Just look at her! What do you think I cared more about?!" He exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the lithe, little lady, as if it were so obvious. She sat there innocently, not wanting to involve herself in the situation, even if it was about herself.

Naruto face-faulted, disbelief held for the two of them. Mr. Masaharu was like a loonier version of Ero-sensei. (Naruto was actually rather grateful that the Manager was more like a girl-crazy bastard, rather than a pervert and total womanizer.)

He couldn't believe Hiro was almost nineteen, she was woman already.

Ryoji's deep and warm laughter echoed off the walls of the back lot.

The Manager continued to whine to Hiro about some 'lead-on' nonsense.

Naruto couldn't believe she was older than him.

* * *

Hinata wandered around the bathroom naked. Her clothes lay abandoned by the scale, much like her self-esteem. She turned around sharply, and paused. That white, rectangular piece of metal was staring at her, repeating the dreaded numbers in her head like a curse. The damn thing wouldn't leave her alone, it refused to. She could feel it tower over her, its will greater than hers. She could not overcome.

_Porcine porcelain pig._

_Haven't you seen the way he looks at you? _

_He doesn't._

_You're no where near attractive enough._

_You're not worth his time._

_You're quite the cow, aren't you?_

_Look those udders.._

_Disgusting girl._

Hopelessness dampened her cheeks, a bitter frown on bitten lips.

Her stomach growled emptily, a mild ache twisting her insides.

She ignored the pain, hellbent on perfection, she swallowed a couple more diet pills.

The metal monster began screaming at her now.

_You're gonna have to take more than if you wanna even begin to look good!_

_Pathetic girl! _

_Pasty, pasty girl!!_

_What can you do for him, huh?!_

_He can do better than you!!_

_How could he ever like an ugly girl like you?!_

_Stupid child!!_

_BUG-EYED NOBODY!!!_

Hinata inhaled sharply, before choking. She couldn't take control of her impulses, coughing, gagging for air, she stumbled for the toilet. It felt like her entire body was being squeezed, her insides retching, her head drowning under waves of nausea.

These empty convulsions shook her, wracked her til her muscles were sore, her face clammy with sweat and cheeks flushed.

Mucilaginous saliva dripped from her lips.

But nothing came out.

She wanted to cry.

The convulsions had passed, yet she continued to gag, her body feeling the need to get rid of something.

This was the second time she had dry heaves.

* * *

"C'mon, hit the damn ball!!"

The boys and girl on the other side of the fence looked at Naruto like he was insane. Hinata couldn't believe how worked up he was getting about volleyball.

He was being so confrontational.

"Can any of you guys even play?!" He argued through the net, seemingly exacerbated but no one could understand why. His belligerence, however, seemed to influence his teammates into a more spirited mood. Some of the boys and girls were incredulous, talking about his behavior with embarrassed, slack-jaw smiles. Others were participating in the taunts, energetically tap-dancing in their haunched stances, chanting mindlessly "I'm ready for you!", "Bring it!", "C'mon!".

Asumai-sensei and Kurenai-sensei looked on with bewilderment, partly amused and partly apprehensive. This was new, almost something to behold. Never had they seen their students so pumped up, it was hard to believe the troublemaker could be so affectual.

There was something about his brash energy that Asuma found familiar, but..

Suddenly the teams burst into a mix of shocked and indignant cries, surprised laughter and frightened squeals.

A male classmate sat up, gingerly cradling around a broken nose, blood on his hands, a spill on the court.

The only one celebrating was whooping and parading around the court. Either Naruto was unaware that he broke a nose, or he was happy about it.

Asuma and Kurenai stood there with weary sweatdrops, their second thoughts now justified.

Perhaps he wasn't as good as they had hoped.

* * *

Kiba hadn't been in school for the past four days or so, too apathetic and miserable to face Hinata, too engrossed in his muddled despondancy to pull himself out. His mother and sister had finally gotten back last night from a dog convention in Osaka, immediately banning him from his room after finding out what listless stupidity he'd been up to without them around. Hana had wondered if they shouldn't have brought Akamaru along with them, maybe Kiba wouldn't have isolated himself as he did; the whole house had been lifeless otherwise.

Tsume was irritated, disregarding his reasons, whatever they were. Impatiently she reasoned with herself that she couldn't watch him all the time, and neither could Hana; She was embarrassed to even think that her seventeen-year-old son needed looking after like some orphaned mutt. Even Akamaru had been tougher as a puppy, this was just ridiculous for her.

In order to get Kiba out and about, she went as far as to make Shino his escort to school.

That's how he got here today.

Now some of his classmates were making under-the-breath comments, saying stuff like "..the goth kid has become an emo now..", dick stuff like that.

_'Fuck, I'm not a goth.. not a frickin' emo pansy-ass either..'_

He flipped around through his _LUNA SEA_ albums on his iPod, as he looked up to find both Hinata's and the Yanki's seats empty. The melody of drums, bass, and guitar started off upbeat, contrasting against the hopelessly amourous lyrics. He wasn't sure what he was going to do about Hinata. He thought he had given her up, or decided to do so, but that didn't seem to be true. He didn't mean to obsess, too late for that, he was seriously and deeply into her; and moreso, jealously insecure.

Kiba wondered how long this must've been going on, her and the yanki, the damned troublemaker. He sure made a ruckus during gym, Naruto's behavior pissing Kiba off. _'Attention-whoring douchebag.' _He swore to himself. He wished he could have broke his nose then, stop his rampant parading.

But he knew Hinata was enjoying the display, from afar he saw her enamored expression, a smile of pleasure on her pink lips.

Perhaps the biggest thing bugging him today was how she looked.

She was prettier than usual.

What was she trying to do??

His instincts about her were giving way to more hopeless and distressing lines of thought, his assumption seemingly obvious and assured.

It made him sick, like being drowned from the inside or left in the cold.

_'He must be enjoying her though, I bet..'_

* * *

Hinata couldn't be sure if anything she tried was working. It'd been awhile since they had an intimate and fun moment.

He seemed more distant and beautiful than ever, like a shining star or the sun itself.

Her cheeks grew hot and red, a girlish giggle bubbling out her lips spontaneously from her embarrassment. She couldn't believe she just thought of him like that.

Naruto turned to give her a questioning look, only to spur a new spout of giggles. At this, she could say nothing. Naruto shrugged her off then.

A cloud drifted over the sun, dimming the rooftop, leaving a subdued feeling over the two.

Hinata giddily peeked at Naruto from the corner of her eye, enthralled just to be sitting by him, fascinated by him; from his smile to his temper, to the fierceness he displayed earlier. She didn't know he could be so competitive, these different sides of him were refreshing.

He was such an exhilaration!

Hinata took a bite out of her diet cookie, inwardly despising it, as she sidled discreetly to get closer to him. Naruto saw this, but did nothing. She brushed up against him, her face growing flush. She smothered a giggle with her slender hands, startling Naruto beside her.

_'What's with her all of sudden??'_ He worried, if more for himself than actually her.

Lost in her lovesickness, his warmth, his heat radiating, permeating through her; she couldn't help the thoughts she had, the urges she felt, yearning for him. She restrained herself, however. Her imagination told her she could do so much more and get away with it, told her just 'do', but her meekness held strong.

Hinata reached her hand out for Naruto's, wrapping her delicate fingers around his in an affectionate grip and lay her head against his shoulder. Shock and a shiver ran through her, her eyes widening for a mere second.

_'OMIGOSH, HE SMELLS GOOD!'_ Her mind squealed.

Naruto looked all around with wide worried eyes, confusion leading him into a sort of awkward distress.

_'What the hell is goin' on?!?!'_

Hinata smiled sweetly, rubbed her cheek lovingly into his shoulder and fondled his larger hand. She was naive to the nervousness that was becoming Naruto.

This was getting really weird for him. He knew Hinata had been acting strangely recently, but he was certain now her weirdness was peaking.

The warmth of her glowing face pressed gently against his arm was actually rather nice though. She was like a cat. (Even though he hated cats).

Hinata was lost in her own world, and it smelled like him.

An awkward half-smile made its way tentatively, the unprepared Naruto unsure what to make of this.

He brought his free hand up, and began to jokingly pet her the top of her head.

* * *

Hinata hadn't been home in awhile it seemed like. LaBelle would either abduct her from school via cadillac, or she'd head over to Moe's apartment to hang out and talk. Even now she didn't go home after school. Naruto said he had the day off from his second temp, and a shift at The Ichiraku in another three hours.

Easily deciding she had nothing better to do, she eagerly chose to waste time with him in Shibuya before he had to go to work.

Naruto put a few coins in soda vending machine, while Hinata beside him fixed her hair in the dim reflection of another vendo. Naruto wasn't paying her any attention. He received his _Ramune_ and with a casual nod, signalled her to follow.

She began to realize.. it was gonna feel pretty weird going home when she had to.

They trodded through the recesses of the Inner-city, swerving through the crowds like bees, the short-lived smells of an Italian Bistro surrending under the over-powering smell of curry from an Indian Restaurant, the two mixing together before disappearing on the breeze. Annoying aches resounded in her sides, an affect of using the pills, her stomach gurgling with hunger for real food and not the diet crap.

As they came to the vast intersection of the famed Shibuya Crossing, the lean 'Red Bull'-shaped _109_ mall staring at them from across, Naruto went headlong into the stream, making no move to make sure she was with him, assuming that she would be able to keep up. Alarm shot through her. She ran after him and clung to his arm, stopping him in the middle of traffic.

He paused and looked at her cockeyed.

"You're really clingy today, Hinata-chan." He stated observantly, neither expressing amusment, pleasure, or annoyance. Yet he said it in such a way that greatly embarrassed her, blood rushing to her cheeks.

"No... wh-what if I get lost?" She countered reluctantly, promising that was her only reason for her abrupt action. Without a hint of approval or distaste, Naruto detached his poor arm from her grip and grabbed her hand instead.

"Here, since you like it so much." He teased coolly, embarrassing her further.

She was beginning to feel like a dope.

* * *

They wandered the lobby of _109_'s first floor, smell of _Starbucks_, _Panda Express_, and _Cinnabon_ stinking up the whole floor in a wonderous odor. Naruto was reading the directory when Hinata got a buzz in her bag, interrupted by another buzz.

First text was from LaBelle, second was from Neji.

From: LaBelle

Subject:URGENT!!

Meet me the Bridge

tomorrow (sunday)!!

Dress ur best, wear

something new!

BLOW SOME 100

CASH IF YOU HAVE TO!!!

There's something rly,

rly important going

down in Yoyogi Park,

and I need you there!

-(heart icon) LB

(ps - don't blow this!)

Hinata blinked.

From: (Neji's cell number)

Subject: Hanabi

Where r u now?

Hiashi will arrive

in a few hours.

I have not seen

Hanabi at all today.

Her cell is turned off too.

I think she may still be out.

Try to find her. Don't get caught.

The first text message had been crazed and cryptic, this one was perturbing. Now she really felt estranged. Aside from cooping herself up in her room, trying to lose weight and be prettier for Naruto, she hadn't seen Hanabi for the past three weeks or so. Even in the morning, Hanabi left earlier now, heading to school on her own rather than with her. Hinata couldn't believe how little she knew of her sister now.

Hinata hoped that Hanabi would arrive home on her own. She didn't know where to look or where she should look or was supposed to look. How Neji thought she could find Hanabi within the allotted time was unfair. And if her cell was off, then who was to say she wasn't watching a movie, hm?

"Ready to go?" Naruto called. "Let's head up to the fourth floor." He smiled.

Hoping against hope that Hanabi would go home on her own, Hinata pushed down her fears and worries, smiling back excitedly, her face swollen with love.

How could she refuse him?

* * *

Star - So sorry, that was a really crappy ending. Wow, perhaps my first cliffhanger ever, and I don't do cliffs. XD Sorry to leave you guys hangin' like this, hehe. :P Yo, and next time you see me, I'll be changing my pen name 'starfairy14s', to 'Momoko Kawase', bee-yotch! XDDD Hahaha, j/k about the beeyotchin'. :P

And please review, or else I may not be motivated enough to update. :D I'm not even motivated enough to put the liner notes here, when I said I would. I guess if you have any questions, you may ask them in a review or PM. :3 And if it's a culture-related thing, like a name or whatever and you really wanna know, then google it up baby! XDDD

Love ya guys soooooooo much, bai! X3

(PS - I'm part filipina, so about the filipino joke I made about the lumpia and stuff, doesn't mean anything at all, I was just trying to make more dumb chin-chin jokes.. ;P same goes for using the term beaner, and sry if you got offended, don't hate!) XD


	26. The Heart is a Monster

Momo- Wow.. I kinna miss typing 'Star'. (overwhemled) ... Well anyhoo.... I wrote this chapter differently than my usual chapters. It lacks scenic detail, because it focuses more on dialogue and actions of the characters. Also, you will see that this chapter has been broken up into different parts, each (trying) focusing on a certain theme. Hope you dig it. X3

BTW... IS ANYONE HERE A KIBA FAN???! Not KibaHina, you prolly shouldn't be here, lol. XD I mean, just ANYONE! IS ANYONE HERE A KIBA FAN?! Or if not a fan... WHO HERE DOESN'T HATE KIBA?! Cuz I like him! He's my number 2 guy, lol. XD But I just want this to be like.. even-handed or whatever, you know? O_o And I'm resisting the urge to do anything out of fandom from now on. X3 I don't wanna rush this! LOL

So I hope ya like this chapter! Bear with, if you think it's choppy! (nervous)

ENJOY!!!

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch.26 - The Heart is a Monster that Fools the Brain (And the Brain is a Voice that Discourages You from Love)

_"It is impossible to love and to be wise."_

- Francis Bacon

"You're happy." Moe laughed.

Hinata sat on her bed, clutching a bright orange pillow in her hands, and smothering it against her chest in a immobilizing hug. She nodded vigorously wordlessly, lips stretched to her ears. She had carried on like this for several days, somehow it all felt longer.

For her friends, they couldn't remember her this happy. And they couldn't imagine her without either.

For Hinata, she couldn't remember past last week, somehow it seemed like their had been no life before Naruto, before she ever fell in love. Every day was like a believable dream. She was lucid yet high. Her mind was stuck only one thing and she was fine with that, more than fine, whether she controlled it or let it control her. Like having someone tell you to step in front of a car, she let love run her over willingly. She never had a choice whether to resist or not, she just did.

LaBelle sat at the desk intently, her stare absorbed in Hinata's gushy display. It was amusing and adorable to say the least. But also equally distrustful. LaBelle wasn't sure what the progress here was, how far she's gone with him, if at all, or whether she was officially his girlfriend. Niether had yet to ask, Hinata would just always gush, grin and giggle. And that would usually stop their questions, assumptions pushing their way forth to the scene.

Was it so obvious?

No, not at all. At least to LaBelle, who actually chose to pay attention. Or perhaps that was just her anal-retentiveness showing. If nothing has happened nor changed since, then how could she be so happy? LaBelle was hitting road blocks, every thought leading her down detour after detour, never able to get to the full picture on her own. Yet part of her felt she could trust Hinata, otherwise why would she be acting so idiotically cute? Her happiness was sincere, just suspicious.

Hinata often spoke fondly of the man-of-mystery, never uttering his name for the longest time, now making LaBelle think otherwise. It didn't sound like it was Kiba. Which made LaBelle feel so anxious. And the more she began to realize that the mystery man wasn't Kiba, the more she began to dislike the whole affair. Then came the constant nagging, her gut instinct telling her to trust Hinata. She just wished to hell now who the guy was. There had come times where Hinata would let some things slip that were odd, and LaBelle knew that Kiba couldn't be fronting to impress Hinata.

This guy, this lucky bastard, was not Kiba.

Perhaps worst, that made LaBelle a bit distrustful towards Hinata, was that she had no idea what Hinata's type was. And all she could to do was expect the worst despite all of Hinata's feelings.

If this was her first time being in love, whose to say that she wasn't making a mistake?

LaBelle inwardly shook her head, once again, for the third or fourth time, reassuring herself that Hinata wasn't vapid like other girls.

She wouldn't make a bad choice.

She was sharp, a good judge of character.

..Right?

LaBelle hadn't noticed that the two had been talking for awhile, her ears finally conscious to whatever reality this was.

Wait a second... what is Moe saying??

"Okay, I'll pretend to be him, and you just be you." She grinned. She even changed her voice, and put on this dominating air.

"Okay.." Hinata murmured, closing her eyes, easily falling in the haze of her own making.

"Emiri-chan, the more I see you, the harder it is to resist." Moe started out, gently placed her hands on Hinata's shoulders. She began caressing the side of her face for awhile, continuing in that dramatic mock-male voice of hers, "Your cheeks are so smooth... like a baby's butt." The last choice words made Hinata giggling, reminding the two of them that this was a joke. "Your hair is so shiny, it makes me want to reach out, but I get shy."

"..He's not shy, though.." Hinata mumbled in response, her smile fond.

Then Moe firmly grasped her arms and drew her in closer, startling her at first, but she kept her eyes closed, his face crystal clear in her mind.

"But it is your mouth that I find the most appealing! So cute and pink, I just want to kiss it!"

"YES PLEASE!!" Hinata squealed loudly, feverishly, her happy lips heading straight for Moe's, completely falling for the fantasy.

Thunderstruck, LaBelle moved out of mortified embarrassement.

"STOP! THAT'S NOT REALLY HIM!"

_...idiots..._

* * *

Hinata stood before a window display of an electronics store, her reflection peering back at her slightly, as the sun shone overhead. The people bustled through the sidewalks, with their shopping bags or suitcases in hand. Naruto stood beside her indifferently, watching the individual channels on the television sets. Nothing on but three different news channels, a beauty contest, a game show, and another really crappy anime about a card game. Too bad for Naruto, the beauty contest was of the middle-aged nature, where clearly half of female contestants had some kind of surgery.

Hinata continued to tap a well-manicured finger against her lips, sneaking a curious glance at the boy beside her.

He didn't seem very animated these days. He was less expressive, almost guarded, and he didn't seem to respond much to her unless she had said something really interesting. To think that he may not want to be with her like this was too depressing. Especially when she had been trying so hard; 800 yen fake nails, 4,600 yen vintage-style black ankle boots with belts, 1,600 yen playful teal leggings, 7,800 yen grey boho-style balloon dress that hung off the shoulders, and various sparkly jewelry that amounted to roughly 3,000 yen. She did her face lightly, and pulled the top section of her hair into a large poof, held in the back by bobby pins, the rest of her hair let loose in waves.

She had been trying to so hard to look 'hott' and 'cute' for him. Yet it he didn't seem to care.

This apathy of his was silently noted, but Hinata, in her hopeful naivete, chose to overlook it.

She looked back to the store, the smallest of smiles on her lips.

"I"ll be right back, 'kay?" Hinata chirped in a voice oozing with caked on charisma, as she patted his shoulder. Naruto just nodded mutely, never looking to her as she brushed passed him and walked into the store.

The bell chimed, then the door closed, shutting off the background noise of the city in daylight. Hinata sighed visibly, letting her muscles relax from being so tense.

It was really hard for her to hold that flirty, confident facade. She was used to slouching, used to looking down, and after watching so many _genki_girls she thought she finally got their mannerisms down, but she could never make them her own. She turned around, looking out through the window display; she could see Naruto watching the televisions with listless intent.

She wondered if he really was interested in that beauty contest.

With a shrug, she strolled over to the cell phone rack, never noticing the set of eyes that were locked on her from across the store.

She scoured the new styles and models, not sure what she was looking for, but wanted to find something really good.

The man that had been following her with his eyes, walked out from around the counter with a confident stride, while putting on his best smile.

"Hello there miss, can I help you with something?" Came the low voice, startling her. She turned around clumsily, a goofy smile on her face, embarrassed for having been caught off guard.

"O-oh, h-hello." Hinata stumbled out, as the man began to laugh warmly.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" He smiled.

"H-hai, a-anou.." She mumbled, the man laughing again. She wondered guys always laughed around her. Naruto used to alot, awhile ago that is. Of course, that was when he would tease her, so perhaps he was laughing at her.

Hinata wilted slightly on the inside.

The thought that perhaps all he ever did was laugh at her was also depressing.

* * *

Standing outside, the wind blowing fiercely and the atmosphere overall dull, the door to the electronics store finally opened, Hinata stepping out with a little bag in handle and the same loving smile, but with a touch of triumph around the edges. The man inside watched her leave, with a look of failure on his face.

Naruto cocked an eyebrow curiously at her, wondering what she got in the bag, as she dug it out and held the object tightly in her nervous grasp.

"F-f-f-or y-y-you.." She struggled, her hands going a little clammy and face glowing.

She completely forgot about her facade.

Naruto took it, her heart soaring with hope and anxiety as he eyed the gift carefully.

It was a cell phone.

She got him a cell phone.

"...Thanks, Hinata-chan." Naruto mumbled back, unsure what to think.

Hinata was jumping up and down inside herself.

* * *

It was hot and tight.

Naruto shifted slightly and let out a groan.

He was crammed in good, and much to his dismay, stuck.

_'If only I coulda gotten to the seats faster.'_Naruto thought, as he looked the crowded train car over. Everyone was shoulder to shoulder, bodies smooshed together involuntarily. There was a businessman's briefcase hitting the back of his knees, a tourist's engorged backpack shoved against his shoulder, pinning his arm to his side, and the sliding door in his face. Naruto had to bend himself in a wierd way, just to avoid contact with all that was around him.

He hated taking the train, but knew there was no other way ever since Reishi got rid of his bike. And the whole time he'd been taking the train, he kept an eye out for the infamous groping or something even more perverse and sordid. But he never witnessed anything. He partly began to wonder if they were just myths or something. All those underground adult videos Jiraiya had stored away.. Naruto truly had thought those kinds of things happened in real life.

The moment the train slowed to a halt, the door opened, Naruto heaving a sigh of relief as the car breathed in fresh air. A few people left, but only more people poured in. The sudden flood pushed Naruto back, oblivious to his existence and ignorant to his indignant shouts.

Bullet trains were insane.

Naruto so much wanted to knock people to ground, the damn place was so tight and stuffy. Wierd smells were hitting him from all directions: B.O., cigarettes, something like Indian food and bird crap. And there was also the faintest smell of super sweet perfume excuding off to his right, nearly making him gag.

A strange, buzzing and mild vibration erupted in his pants pocket, startling him.

"Whoa, what the crap?" He rushed to grab the blowing up cell phone, bewilderment on his face. He flipped it open, the screen reading _'1 missed call, Hinata'_. "Hinata-chan?" He mumbled, wondering how it already knew her name. He didn't program it yet, didn't even bother with the profile settings. He actually never had a cell phone before. He couldn't believe that, nor understand why, she bought him one. But since she did, he wasn't going to question it.

Naruto's thumb moved all over the touch screen, skimming through all the settings and features: mobile internet, satellite radio, video and music, camera.

_'Huh, let's see how good a picture it takes.'_

He looked around for a victim like it was target practice. He finally set his crosshairs on a lithe, little brunette, just a few inches shorter than him. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, her sailor uniform showing that she was still a middle schooler. Naruto pointed the phone at her, til she came up on the screen, and zoomed in on the delicate profile of her face, focusing a little more closely on her exposed neck.

_Ka-chik!_

Naruto examined it and smiled, before looking for another pretty face. _'Wow, that's pretty good..'_

_Ka-chik!_

_Ka-chik!_

_Ka-chik!_

_Ka-chik!_

Naruto turned around with difficulty, discovering another find behind him. He had this ominous feeling, like it was telling him he was pushing his luck. But it was partly that feeling that was egging him on. It was a challenge with fate, luck and the like. He was betting he could get away with it.

If he wasn't anything like Jiraiya, he could get away with it.

The woman now in front of him stood facing away, her back to him. She was taller, much taller, by like an entire foot or more. She was standing on heels too though. Her hair was long, pin-straight and dyed maroonish-purple, her attire; a white satin shirt that hugged tightly against her waist and chest, the sleeves were loose, pirate-style. And her black skirt was form-fitting as well. She might be a cocktail waitress now that he thought about it.

A dumb grin popped up on his face. He held the cell phone down and reached over, creeping closer and closer. He was getting anxious, nervous. He then pointed it at an angle so it was looking up her skirt. His thumb trembled slightly before he finally pressed the button.

_Ka-chik!_

"Little boys are awful." Came a demure voice that trickled down his spine. Naruto looked up nervously. It was her voice. She stared him down with one eye, her face half-turned towards him. Her pale face was a mix of pity and cold annoyance.

The train slowed, then stopped. The bodies filed out. The stern-faced waitress turned to face Naruto, causing him to back out of the train car slowly, keeping wavery eyes on her cutting face.

The woman curled her strong bony fingers, threw her fist back and thrust forward.

Naruto fell back, flat on his ass with a voiceless shout, lips and teeth erupting in a tingling pain.

She got him square in the mouth.

"I hope you don't have a girlfriend." She said.

* * *

Naruto stretched his arms above himself, letting out a groan.

"Sore?" a quirky voice quipped behind. Naruto nodded dully, craning his head from side to side, the soreness mostly in his jaw. He didn't want to admit he got punched out by a cocktail waitress on the train. _'At least I still got away with some great shots! Heheheh..' _

The moon hung in the sky like a spotlight, the wisps of clouds glowing foggily. The Elephant Cafe closed for the night, Naruto and Hiro ready to head out into the city. Ryoji couldn't come along as planned, saying he needed to study for his semester finals. As soon as Hiro shrugged on her black-and-gold baseball jacket, they took off.

"So you're really nineteen?" Naruto asked with a little chuckle at the end. He still couldn't believe it. He totally thought she was fifteen or something. She was shorter and she looked so young.

"Yep." Hiro nodded.

"College girl?" He asked again bringing a hand to the back of his head, a nervous edge to his voice.

"Just community."

"So, what.. you don't have to study for the semester or something?"

"I don' have to worry like Ryoji, 'Mr. Big Shot Biochemist'." She laughed.

Cars sped past, their headlights creating streams of white, red and yellow in the streets. The temperature continued to drop little by little, the night life steadily booming. Night owls prowled through the streets, an air of unhibited excitement and electricity filling the city. Some people were ready to break loose, others ready to get bashed, boozed up and numb. Naruto was looking forward to a few drinks himself, hoping that Hiro would help him out with that part.

"Where should we head?" He asked lazily, hands behind his head as they slowed to a stop, waiting for the pedestrian to turn.

"I dunno. Don' care, somewhere cheap." Hiro said in her quick and quirky way. "You ever been to Shinjuku?"

The cars slowed to a halt at the white lines, and the light changed. Naruto and Hiro moved to follow the crowd. A rhythmic clacking noise came from behind. Naruto stopped to turn around. Hiro turned too, she was already halfway across the street.

"What's up? Why you sto--" Hiro stopped just as a bicyclist sped narrowly past her, carelessly speeding through the crowds of civilians. "Frickin' jerk, run me over!" She moved to turn back, but just then Naruto past her. "What t'e hell! What're you doing?!" She called out after him.

"THAT'S MY BIKE!!" She heard him scream on the top of his voice, his arms and legs pumping after the man.

"Whaat??"

Confusion came first then alarm, giving her a reluctant feeling overall. She chased after him. He didn't leave her much choice.

* * *

They ran all through the city, down the sidewalks, main streets and alleyways til the man stopped by an _AM/PM _convenience store. Naruto ducked back behind the corner of the alleyway, as he watched the man lock up the bike and disappear into the store. _'Damn..'_ He cursed to himself.

"What was t'at?" Hiro piped up, coming up from behind. Naruto glanced at her, taking in her consistently cool demeanor. He turned back and walked out into the streetlight, Hiro following behind. He stooped down to the old and slightly marred bike rack, the yellow paint all nearly chipped away, to reveal the shiny steel. Alongside five other bikes, was his, or at least the bike that he claimed to be his. "T'at is you're bike t'en?" Hiro asked curiously, hovering over him.

He looked deep in thought. Chin in hand, eyes fixated grudgingly on the bike. It definitely was the bike. The same basket, dark red paint, same skinny wheels, seat, everything. Perhaps even more convincing, the name that used to say _ICHIRAKU_on it had been scratched off. The entire down tube was covered in rough scratches, the steel exposed. It looked like they used a file or something to scratch off the paint. Naruto reached out and touched the lock. He grasped it and pulled, sighing to himself.

"How'm gonna get it back?" He muttered tiredly. For the past few weeks he had been planning on getting a new bike, but now that it was here, now that he found it again..

Hiro watched on curiously, narrowing her eyes questioningly.

"Why does t'is guy have your bike?" She asked, somewhat incredulously. Naruto let out a sigh again, still fixated on the machine.

He answered her rather distractedly.

"Stupid cocksucker stole it from me and sold it." He grabbed the lock again and tugged. "Maybe if I just twist it enough, the chains'll break.." He muttered hopefully under his breath.

Hiro blinked innocently.

"Who is 'cocksucker'?" She asked. When Naruto didn't answer her, she tried again. "Is man inside 'cocksucker'?" Still no answer and more self-mutterings. Hiro put her hands on his hips huffily, then crossed her arms. She was really curious now, and he wasn't listening to her. "Hey, fishcakes!" She shouted, startling him.

"Fishcakes?" He repeated back incredulously, a funny look on his face, brows quirked oddly and a light blush on his face. _'What the hell is fishcakes?!'_

Hiro stood there, arms crossed cutely, eyes wide in an annoyed and expectant manner. In that moment, Naruto had to question her age again.

_'Okay, now she really looks like a kid.'_

"Who is 'cocksucker'??" She asked again, sounding like a nagging girlfriend.

"What's it matter??! It's not like you're ever gonna meet him!" Naruto sighed out, growing exasperated, as a gloom entered his thoughts. _'Definitely never gonna see him again..' _"Reishi. Is that all you wanted to know?" He finally answered.

Satisfied, Hiro smiled cutely and nodded. Naruto rolled his eyes and turned back to the bike, when she took off.

Naruto didn't even notice that Hiro left. She ran across the mostly empty street, the area they were in particularly secluded. She walked into the section of the street that was being closed off, orange cones and tape stretching from one end to the other. Unused bags of cement were left unattended, and tools strewn about. Hiro grabbed a pipe wrench and ran back.

"Here! Use! Quick!" She quitely shouted waving the tool in his face, getting frantic and excited. Naruto looked but didn't recognize at first, an excited smile of his own slow to blossom.

"Yeah!" He whooped, taking the wrench in hand. He began artlessly smashing at the lock and chains, bringing the wrench down over and over, determination and fear mixing in. The chain finally broke. He kicked at it a few times, pulling the bike away and letting the pieces fall to the ground.

"Okay, c'mon!" Naruto yelled, mounting on the bike. Hiro jumped on with a surprised little laugh, grabbing his waist as he pumped at the pedals. They charged headlong into the brightly lit neon city, the frigid wind rushing past them, the chill against their exposed hands and face.

They were already gone.

Naruto felt his cheeks grow pink from the cold. There was this awful flutter in his stomach that ceased to go away, adrenaline coursing through him. He pumped the pedals harder, let go, then pumped them again. Hiro laughed, incredulously amused at his thrilled mannerisms; shouting, cheering, swearing and repeatedly smacking at the handlebars.

"Hold up, stop! Do you even know where we going?" Hiro called out, peeking over his shoulder.

"Where are we going?!"

"Let's go to Piss Alley!"

"Where the hell is that?!"

"Shinjuku!"

"Damn, you wanna go there?!" Naruto nearly whined, brief feeling of anxiety washing over him like a hot flash. Shinjuku... Though he never ventured through the district entirely, he still opposed going there. He was always gonna think of yakuza, always gonna associate Shinjuku with bad memories.

"What's wrong?" Came Hiro's voice; warm, calm and heavy. She noticed how quiet he got, which made her curious.

"N-nothing.." Naruto muttered grudgingly, before diverting the subject. "What's in Piss Alley?"

"Really yummy ramen is t'ere!" Hiro smiled. She nearly fell off the bike, eliciting an alarmed shriek when Naruto stood up and let out another victorious whoop.

"YEAH RAMEN! WHOO!"

"You don' know the way! Lemme steer!" Hiro sat up, reaching her arms over his shoulders and leaning her body against his back. If Naruto wasn't already so excited about ramen and still secretly freaked out about the bike, he would've noticed how close she was, how her body felt.

* * *

Naruto fidgeted excitedly in his seat, giggling stupidly as Hiro poured him a third cup of sake.

"You drunk already?" She smirked. "You know t'ese not shot glasses, right?" She smiled warmly when he chugged down the tiny tea cup, rolling her eyes at him for doing so. "How t'e hell you getting home, fishcakes? Can't ride a bike under t'e influence."

"What, you wanna get rid of me already?" He grinned, leaning in close to her. Hiro stared at him flatly, and stuck a soybean pod in his mouth.

"You are pretty ugly." She stated matter-of-factly, clearly teasing him. Naruto glowered jokingly at her, pouting inwardly. He bit on the pod, til a bean popped into his mouth, and he shot the bean at her face.

"Bullseye." He grinned dumbly, the bean having bounced off her cheek.

"We hanging out? Or am I babysitting you?" She glared at him flatly.

"Alright, alright. Sorry." He sighed tiredly before the smile re-appeared on his lips, eyes slyly peeking at Hiro, only making him appear even more immature than seconds ago.

The air fell silent between the two. The cozy down-and-out atmosphere of the narrow, cluttered alleyway filled them with a homey sort of comfort. Sounds of cars echoed off the hidden streets, various conversation and arguments mixing in with televised voices talking through a baseball game, or sumo match. Naruto wanted to watch the _Puroresu_match, but Hiro wouldn't let him when she chose this stand.

Hiro poured him another cup.

He didn't down it this time.

He wanted to enjoy the atmosphere. He might've been hasty to drink before, because he was still nervous being here. Yet Shomben Yokocho (Piss Alley), was different, felt separate from the rest of the seediness and craziness. Naruto took another look around. This place was a little worn down, but it didn't look old. Yet there was an antique feel to it somehow.

"You know t'is place got burned down, right?"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. She sounded so solemn.

"Burned down?"

"Yeah, it was.." Hiro paused to look around, soon giving up with a sheepish smirk. "Well, it was one t'ese ramen shops. It caught fire. T'en the rest burned. Not all burned down, but most." Hiro glanced out the corner of her eye, observing Naruto curiously.

He had grown quiet too, his face solemn and his eyes far away, like he was seeing something.

It was another minute before he spoke again.

"That sucks."

* * *

Hinata threw the hot bath water on herself, holding the bucket above her head. She rubbed the soap and water out of her eyes, her insides a disquieted mess.

She got in another superfluous fight with Hiashi, while Hanabi ducked out of the altercation, hiding away in her room. Deep down she was aggravated and pissed, but at the same time in an infinitely good mood. Which made her feel hyper and strange.

_'Naruto didn't pick up any of my calls..'_

She ran her slender finger through her roots, combing out the water from her hair.

_'Maybe I should have left a message...'_

The door of the furo opened, making Hinata jump a little. She turned around, worry turning into disinterest as Hanabi sat herself down on the adjacent stool. Hanabi ignored her innocently. She knew she was the one in trouble, after Hiashi finally caught her sneaking back home late. But she let Hinata get yelled at. She knew how to divert his attention. Hanabi never had to say Hinata's name to make her the scapegoat, it was kinna automatic.

She knew it wasn't right, but at the same time she refused to feel bad about it.

Hanabi grabbed the shampoo hat and fitted it atop her head.

Hinata peeked at her from the corner of her eye, timid and hesitant to be mad.

She really didn't care though, huh?

Hinata glared at her.

"So..." She began, Hanabi sensing the danger immediately. "..What have you been doing this whole time?" She asked suspiciously in her quiet voice.

Hanabi hesitated, choosing to ignore her, but realizing that it wasn't possible like this. ("Like this": Sitting naked on stools, soaked and covered in soap.)

"I don't ask you about your business." Hanabi answered back coolly.

Hinata whirled around on her, Hanabi's attitude getting to her.

"So you're not gonna tell?" She nearly shouted, giving Hanabi an admonishing look.

Hanabi wasn't affected.

"I don't have to." She said.

"It's not fair that I get the brunt of it all..!"

"I know that. And _you_know that father yells at you anyways." Hanabi spoke honestly. Hinata looked to the side unhappily. "I think he's just frustrated from work." Hanabi added innocently, as if saying 'not my problem'.

That really got to Hinata.

Most times Hanabi could be so cute and so sweet. Why other times she could be the greatest brat, Hinata didn't know.

_'Clearly she is as bad as she is good. It's kind of perturbing.'_

"Whatever." Hinata huffed irritably, dumping another bucket of water on her head. Then the wierdest look came upon her face. While her anger shown outwardly on her face, she directed her thoughts to happily think of Naruto, a large smile stretching from ear to ear.

Which made her look kinna evil.

_'I'll call him a couple more times. Maybe I'll send him a picture. But what kind of picture?'_

* * *

Naruto lay slumped against his desk, dead tired. The sun glared down on him from beyond the window, making him see red spots behind his closed eyes. When he opened his eyes, the world looked slightly blue, and he realized he'd been in the sun too long. It was still crazy windy outside, the sky devoid of clouds.

Winter was nearly over!

But Naruto was too exhausted to celebrate.

Much to Hinata's dismay as well.

He always seemed to be tired during school.

Naruto pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. He brought up the pictures he took yesterday on the train, stifling a mischevious giggle but to no use. Hinata turned around when she heard the strange sounds, and saw that he was distracting himself.

_'Wonder what he's looking at..'_

Hinata had called him five times last night, once more for good measure, but he never picked up. And she hadn't sent him a picture, far too discouraged at that point. Now she was kinna wishing she did.

Hinata turned back around. This teacher was far-sighted, and Hinata knew that she and Naruto sat in a blind spot.

_'l'll text him!'_ She giggled excitedly with delight, grabbing her cell phone and opening it up inside her desk.

Two giggling idiots. That's what they looked like to those classmates that were paying attention, or rather, had no choice, because they were so hard to ignore right now.

One girl particularly was getting wierded out by Naruto, her assigned seat being next him. Curiousity got the best of her, and she could no longer keep her attention on the lecture. She observed Naruto with a little difficulty, his spiky blonde head blocking the view of cell phone screen. He was looking at something, she knew it. She just wasn't sure what it was. And considering the way half the boys would crowd over Masabo's laptop to view softcore, she could only assume that Naruto was being a pervert. Text bells or buzzes weren't going off either, so he wasn't laughing at a secret conversation. And if he was, she doubted it was with anyone in the room. Cuz no one really liked him. Basically.

The girl craned her head to either side, leaned into her desk to see over his head, her movements slow, small and inconspicuous. She heard an annoyed heave of a sigh behind her, a serious female classmate trying her best to ignore Naruto. The serious girl muttered "Idiot." under her breath.

The girl next to Naruto went back to observing him, feeling that if she didn't find out what he was doing, her curiousity was gonna bug her through the rest of the day.

Naruto continued to press buttons, adding _emoji_ and other icons to the pictures, when he felt an uncomfortable sensation in his pants. No, it wasn't _that. That_wasn't happening. Naruto squinted his eyes, and clenched his fingers tighter around the cell phone, his free hand curled into a fist. He crossed and uncrossed his legs, the feeling getting worse.

Much to his embarrassment and horror, he knew.

_'Oh god, I got an itch..!!'_

Naruto shut his eyes, bit his lip, and tried to ignore it.

But it just persisted.

_'M-maybe no one'll notice...'_ He prayed nervously, turning his body away, towards the window. He figured, _'Not like anyone pays attention..', _so what were the chances anyone was watching now?

The one girl was. Three more students were watching now too, through quick glances, wondering why he suddenly curled into himself.

She watched him closely, eyes focused on his.... wait... where was his hand going??

Her face turned white, only a set of three words floating in that empty space of a brain.... _'Oh my god...!' _.... before a ear-killing squeal erupted from her lips.

"EWWWWWWWW!! THAT IS SO DISGUSTING!!!"

* * *

Naruto shot out of the school courtyard on the bike, pissed off about how the rest of the day went. Seemed like people couldn't wait to say something, to start some shit about him.

_'Why am I such an easy target?! Dammit!'_

First the girl screeched. Then the classroom erupted in noise. The teacher tried in vain to calm her down, but she kept sputtering accusations. After that, the entire class adopted a uniform smirk, looking down their noses at him. The smart ones knew, but the dumb ones reigned in majority, making the situation hopeless for himself.

And for what's worse, Hinata wouldn't stop asking him what happened.

Like he was gonna tell her he was scratching himself!

Naruto grimaced wearily, a shame-faced blush on his cheeks.

_'Just hope she doesn't believe what others are saying...'_He sighed aggravatedly.

He sped through the busy sidewalks, careful of passengers, the cold smoothing his nerves and the speed calming his ire. He was eager to show Ayame and Teuchi that he got the bike back, this small feeling of pride growing more and more like his smile, a feeling he didn't get to experience too often. He even painted the name _ICHIRAKU_ back on it, though by paint he meant with a permanent marker (over some duct tape to hide the scratches). It looked a little silly, but he wasn't worried. And he doubted they would care that much either.

The Ichiraku rolled into view, Naruto's stomach growling happily in response at the thought of ramen.

"HEY GUUUYS!" Naruto shouted, waving his arm side to side, and grinning almost madly.

Ayame perked up at his voice, a little surprised to see him so soon. When he pulled up, a smile blossomed out of amazement.

"You got the bike back?!" Ayame squealed, elated and impressed. Naruto's chest swelled with pride once more, chuckling through a toothy grin.

_'Haha! Yes, I rock! I'm the best!'_

But then Teuchi had to ask.

"How'd you get it back?"

His words crashed on him like a boulder, stopping him dead.

Naruto actually never told them what really happened to the bike. He told them; _"I didn't lose it, but I don't know where it is."_. And somehow they believed him. Or they didn't believe him, but didn't blame him either. Which was cool.

Except for the part where he had to keep up the little white lie.

"....I found it."

* * *

"So you got his cell phone number?" Moe asked, excited as always.

They were in her bedroom again, hanging out on the comfort of her bed comforters, the room in its usual cozy disarray.

Moe browsed through Hinata's phone, clicking on several different things at a second's time. Hinata looked shyly away and nodded, embarrassed at the fib she made.

She said she got his number, as if he gave it to her. When in fact, she practically stole it from him, since she bought him the SIM card and everything. She put her number in his address book and under speed dial, and his in hers.

She browsed through Hinata's address book, scrolling through the names and numbers.

_'So funny, she alphabetized the names.'_

_Kiba_

_LaBelle_

_Mei_

_Miki _(random cosplayer she only talked to once, who asked to exchange numbers, but for some reason, never calls her.) (And Hinata never had the heart to delete her as a contact.) (Even though it seems she doesn't go to the bridge anymore.)

_Moe_

_NARUTO-KUN_

_'Why's it all in caps?'_

She scrolled through the rest, then went back, stopping at the unfamiliar name in all caps. Moe smiled, realizing who it was. She was surprised at first, then excited and proud. She was the only one who knew the guy's name now, nobody else knew! Even LaBelle didn't know! Moe was jumping up and down in her head in victory.

_'I'm closer to Emiri-chan than LaBelle is! Haha, take that snotty bitch!'_

"LET'S CALL HIM!" She squealed, hopping up and down on the bed. Hinata squeaked out in fear, making a grab for the phone, but Moe kept pulling it out of her reach, teasing her. "C'mon, c'mon! Let's call him!"

"N-n-n-n-no! I-I-I c-c-can't!" She shivered and stuttered with anxiety.

"Y-y-y-yes! Y-y-you c-c-can!" Moe mimicked affectionately. Hinata pushed her down on the bed, reaching over for the cell phone, but Moe kept pushing her away with her feet.

"Stoooop!" Hinata whined uselessly.

"Don't you know it's bad karma to keep a number you don't use!" Moe pinned on her, confusing Hinata.

"How's that??"

"I dunno, that's just me." She shrugged with a wild giggle. "It's bad to keep things you don't need."

The room went quiet, Hinata halting her movements to stare at her ironically.

Moe had A LOT of things lying around that she couldn't possibly need: month old bags of chips, random piles of price tags from favorite pairs of pants, old cardboard packages that have been opened (she really wasn't using them for anything, just kept them lying around like mementos), and she even had a collection of those ad cards you get at stores promoting some sort of nightclub event (which she never been to). How could she possibly say this was all needed?

"But.. you burned your middle school uniform!" Hinata stated in her bewilderment.

"Exactly! Keeping that would have been bad karma!"

"But, how is..?!" How was that less of a memento than this other garbage?!

"Wait, you still got your middle school uniform??" Moe asked innocently enough, a thought already pregnant in her mind, ready to follow up if she affirmed.

Hinata nodded, deriving an instant squeal from the older girl beneath her.

"You should put it on! We'll send him a sexy picture! Does your crush have any fetishes??"

"What?! No! I don't know!! I'm not doing that!"

"Alrighty, fine.." Moe rolled her eyes and huffed. _'So much for that. That woulda been funny as hell!'_

* * *

"Ah, shit. It's you." Naruto huffed mopeishly, the young 20-something parole officer smiling innocently up at him from the table. Naruto couldn't believe Mizuno had the gall to check up on him at his work. Amongst the wild rucus of chants, songs and two dozen conversations competing with eachother over the noise level, Naruto didn't have to struggle to differentiate who was talking and who was singing. Hiro was close by. He considered dumping Mizuno on her so he wouldn't have to deal with the man, but it didn't seem likely to work.

"Don't get too excited now, I'm actually not here to eat." He explained, annoyingly complacent as ever. His polite smile was the worst.

"Yeah, figured as much." Naruto grumbled to himself, with the roll of his eyes. Didn't matter what his reason for appearing was, it was unwanted.

"Got in contact with some of your teachers." He started out, ever-so pretentiously. "Are you even trying?" He asked.

Naruto sighed loudly. "I have tables to get to."

"This won't be long."

"What'd they say?"

"Harada-san believes you can do better. The rest see no effort, and hope you can do better."

"That's a surprise." Naruto huffed, finding it all pretentious and possibly untrue. He couldn't name more than two adults in his life that believed in him, even just a little bit. This all had to have been words. Teachers don't really care, they just hate slackers.

"Also since you seemed to have been frequently absent during the month of January." Mizuno pointed out.

"Yeah, I think you already asked me that.." Naruto glanced off to the side, trying to push down his anxieties under a mask of irritation; a clearly defensive move to Mizuno.

"And what were you doing for all that time?" He was determined to get an honest answer out of him.

"Extracurricular activities?" Naruto bit out snarkily, smirking to look less defensive. He glared mildly at the man, as if giving him warning.

"Is that how you describe it?" Mizuno asked flatly, secretly half-smirking, inwardly amused.

"...." Naruto pressed his lips together, face scrunching inwardly in a childish glare. He really couldn't stand this guy. Mizuno may find enjoyment in his job, he may be noble for what he does. But Naruto felt no respect from the man, who was practically leeching on him, trying to be a guardian for him. Naruto detested that self-righteous crap. It was all because of Sakio-sensei that Mizuno was assigned to bug him. All because he was a minor; because he lived alone, that he suddenly became in the government's eye again.

Nobody cared.

They just had to make sure he wasn't going to do anything questionable.

* * *

Naruto was beginning to look forward to hanging out with Hiro again. (Especially after she helped him steal a bike).These past couple weeks he spent heading out into the city, most recently in Hiro's presence. He hadn't gone home since. Always stumbling back to bed, just an hour before school would start. He didn't mind. (Except perhaps for the part where Hinata would always call his phone or knock on his door, or both, just to wake him up.)

_'She's a nice girl.... kinna annoying now, though.'_ He mused listlessly, wondering if she had always been this annoying or not. He couldn't seem to remember what she was like when he first met her. He gave up his thinking with a tired shrug, no longer caring.

"Where the hell is she?" He muttered aloud in the freezing cold, the night-time streets ablaze with lights, color and noise. A speeding taxi slammed his horn at a stupid driver that slowed down for no reason when they were on green, a series of alarmed horns following behind. Naruto shivered and chuckled at the ruckus, his hands stuffed in his pockets, trying to warm them in the vicinity between his thighs.

All he wore was an old pair of dark-wash jeans, worn-out tennis shoes, t-shirt and his old black hoodie, with the elbows worn through, creating a constant draft in his sleeves.

"Heheheh, d-dam-m-mi-it.." He chuckled ironically, still shivering. He had lost his snow jacket sometime yesterday when he had been with Hiro. He couldn't be sure if he left it on the bullet train, at the park, at the bar, at the sushi bar, at the other bar, or back at school. Though he never saw it again at school, so he figured it was long-gone.

"Why you been here all t'is time?" Hiro finally called out, stepping out of _The GAP_ three-story building.

Naruto snapped.

"WHAT?! You t-told me t-t-to! I've been standing here for f-f-forty-frickin'-mi-minutes waiting f-for you!"

* * *

"Maybe you should quit school." Hiro mused aloud.

"......why?" came his slow response, slurred slightly from exhaustion.

The train moved smoothly along the tracks, the bluish shadows of trees and buildings passing by like a single surrounding entity. It felt like they had been circling around the city for hours. Hiro checked Naruto's cellphone, the screen reading '3:19 am'. She glanced to the side to view him, his heavy head finally resting atop hers. His arms were crossed, and his body leaned to the side towards her. She giggled quietly to herself, taking his head into her small hands and placed him in her lap, receiving a sleepy mix of protest and gratitude from him. He semi-consciously grabbed her knees, trying to bring her closer and nuzzled into her skinny-jeans-covered lap, before finally conking out altogether.

His last thoughts had been, _'..this pillow is awesome...'_

Hiro browsed through the contents of his cellphone, finding nothing but some dirty pictures and a single number in his address book.

She decided to take pictures of him while he slept.

_Ka-chik!_

_Ka-chik!_

"Too bad I don't have marker, heehee." She smirked.

_Ka-chik!_

* * *

Naruto slapped his cheeks repeatedly in an effort to stay awake during gym. But his eyelids felt so uncomfortable and heavy. He would have gone to the nurse's office to take advantage of the beds, if only that place wasn't currently forbidden.

He had no idea how to smooth things between him and Tsunade. And an apology of all things, was not considered.

"Eight serving two!" The girl announced, raising the ball and sending it across the net. Naruto dove for it, startling shouts out of his teammates, as Yamato spiked the ball easily.

Mixture of irritated and amused shouts echoed throughout the court, aimed at the beyond-tired Naruto......

"What the hell was that?!"

"Moron!"

"You suck today!"

....who even seemed to struggle at getting back on his feet.

* * *

Hinata placed her hand in her chin, letting out a wistfully disappointed sigh.

Naruto was dead at his desk again.

She didn't understand what was going on with him.

_'He sleeps during class...'_

Hinata blinked.

_'...He sleeps during lunch...'_

Hinata blinked again, this time slower to open her eyes.

_'...He hardly talks to me anymore now... cuz he's always...'_

Hinata closed her eyes, after a few seconds, snapping them back open.

_'...sleeping...'_

She snapped her eyes back open, and lifted up her head. There was a strange pressure in her head, making her feel tired and fatigued. She wanted to put her head down, but knew she couldn't.

Open, close, open, close went her eyes. Up, down, up and down her head went. She kept drifting in and out of consciousness, never realizing that her name as being called.

"Hyuuga-san! Pay attention!"

"H-hai!" Hinata bolted in her seat, eliciting some snarky laughter amongst the class.

"Read the next line." He ordered. Hinata stood up, looking straight down into the book. To her dismay, she lost her place. "Stand up straight, lift your head!" He ordered once more, finding her pose to be disrespectful. "And pick your book up!"

"H-hai.." She mumbled, running her finger through the characters in search of a familiar spot. "These times have passed, and there was one who drifted uncertainly through them, scarcely knowing where she was. It was perhaps natural that such should be her fate. She was less handsome than most, and not remarkably gifted....." Hinata trailed off, the words coming out of focus. She began to feel like she was swimming through a heavy fog, her sight murky. "Yet.... as the.. days went by in monotonous...... succession....." Hinata paused again, blinked once, then blinked harder again. Her face was growing flushed. She felt hot and cold in her cheeks. ".....she had... occasion to look at the..... old romances.........." She was getting light-headed. "...and.... found them m-masses... of the... of th-the... rank....est fa..bri....ca....tion......"

_THUD!_

"Omigod!"

"What happened?!"

"Hyuuga-san?! Hyuuga-san?!"

Hinata had fainted.

* * *

She awoke to the sterile smell of the school infirmary, her tired pale eyes peering up at Tsunade's honey-colored ones.

"Ah, there you are." She half-smiled, as she took her hand away from Hinata's clammy forehead. Confusion passed over her, her big pale eyes taking in the closed off setting of the curtains surrouding her, the bed's sheets pulled up to her chin. She hadn't realized that Tsunade had been talking the whole time. "Hyuuga-san? Hyuuga-san, can you explain why you may have fainted?"

Hinata finally caught Tsunade's questioning eyes, answering her naturally like a freshwater stream.

"I was trying to get rid of my muffintop."

_

* * *

_

_'She was taking.. diet pills??'_

Tsunade picked her head up from her hands and turned to observe Hinata, as she talked with the boy Inuzuka Kiba, who seemed infatuated with her.

"You're okay, right?" Kiba worried, holding her hand in his.

She giggled warmly. "Yes."

"That was really scary. I saw you hit your head! It was so loud..!"

"Oh, really?" Hinata giggled again, her happy-go-lucky mood making Kiba worry nonetheless. "I don't feel a bump though.." She joked, making Kiba growl in frustration.

"Don't be so calm, when I can't!" He berated, deriving soft laughter from the quiet girl. "This is serious!"

"But the nurse looked me over. I'm fine.. just need rest..."

"Can't believe you passed out like that.." He sighed tiredly.

Tsunade continued to watch their little private display from her desk. Kiba was being a total puppy. There was so much affection in the way he held her hand, the way he looked at her, the way he spoke to her. And she either didn't acknowledge him or she was playing nice; She treated him politely, with warm innocence and kind discretion.

_'She probably didn't reciprocate him'_, Tsunade assumed.

"Ne, Kiba-kun..." Hinata started out timidly, her sudden shyness luring Kiba in closer to her.

"Yeah?" He asked her curiously, eyes drawn to her lips as they formed into the sweetest smile. He hadn't been this close to her in forever. He thought he might die.

"Can you bring Naruto-kun in here?" She asked in sugar-coated innocence, eyes sparkling brightly with love.

Kiba just died.

She really asked for him.. She really asked for the Yanki, that attention-whoring troublemaker. She really asked to see him. Kiba was beginning to feel like shit. But all the same, he was beginning to see Hinata little differently. She was the same sweetheart of a girl, but... something was different too. He hated to admit the changes: The hair, the make-up, the new clothes. He even caught her laughing differently and talking differently around the brat. To think that she was doing this to get his attention, made Kiba feel a little sick and disappointed. Not just for his own loss, but for her, because she was trying to get his attention, because she was needy for his attention. And that made Kiba feel ill inside.

Kiba didn't even see any progress on her end. Not that he wanted to see any sort of progress. He couldn't stand the idea... Hinata was way, way, way too good for that clown. Way too good. And he scratched his balls in the middle of class! _'He probably has some sort of disease.'_Kiba grimaced meanly. How could she like him, when he was so disgusting?! And that first day he was here?! When he beat the crap out of the students?! How could she liked that kind of guy?! She was WAY too good for that!

But it wasn't like he could tell her all that.

_'She wouldn't appreciate it...'_

Kiba banished the storm cloud from his eyes, donning the sparkliest of fake smiles he could muster.

"Yeah, sure. I'll go get him." Kiba grinned, despite his eyebrows being permanently furrowed in anger. Reluctantly he let go of her small hand and stood up.

"Thank you Kiba-kun." Hinata said sweetly like a goodbye, never hearing the loud sigh forced from his throat as he walked out of the room.

_'Yeah right. Like I'm really gonna do that! ...Shit.'_Kiba smirked bitterly to himself, cursing the blonde-headed kid. After that, all he could think about was the look of pure adoration in Hinata's eyes, and how she had asked for the boy. _'.....SONNUVABITCH!'_

* * *

Tsunade moved around the infirmary, tidying up the shelves and organizing labels. Shizune manned the desk, sorting through Tsunade's _other_paperwork grudgingly. Tsunade kept her eye on their single patient, Hinata, who layed awake staring at the cieling. There was this adorable smile on her lips, but it was her diligent waiting that was bothering Tsunade.

She had been surprised to hear her mention Naruto's name like that. Was she not sleepy or was she still waiting for him? That boy Kiba said he was going to retrieve Naruto for her, but so far he was a complete no-show. Even Kiba didn't comeback to check up on her. It looked like they both abandoned Hinata.

She hadn't gotten a single visitor since. She had friends at school, didn't she? They all couldn't be too busy to visit.

Tsunade refilled the tongue-depressor and cottonswab containers, glancing back at Hinata. She was quietly humming an upbeat tune, and dancing under the sheets; wiggling her feet back and forth and shaking her head side to side, while her eyes remained on a single spot in the cieling.

It was really adorable to say the least.

"You should sleep, Hyuuga-san. You need to regain your energy." Tsunade told her, suddenly confused when she heard her own words. _'What'm saying? She has energy.'_

"I don't want to miss Naruto-kun though. If I sleep, he won't stay."

Tsunade couldn't believe she was hearing this. This girl... she passed out from eating more pills than food! Just to... what? Get skinnier for Naruto?? And the way she says his name... with such fondness... it was the most unusual thing she ever heard. What were her feelings for him? What did Naruto do to make her so devoted to him?

_'Either she's pure, or she's stupid.'_Tsunade thought. She cared for Naruto, she really did. But she couldn't imagine him with a girlfriend. She just couldn't. Naruto was not adept at handling a girl's heart, he couldn't possibly perform being a boyfriend flawlessly.

The girl would get hurt if he wasn't interested in her first.

* * *

Tsunade was beginning to dislike this more and more.

Hinata had finally gone to sleep.

And Naruto never showed up.

But it wasn't just that, that Tsunade was growing displeased with. Hinata was a soft, sweet and meek girl. Soft, sweet, and meek??! Naruto never met a nice girl! She couldn't imagine he would know how to treat her..! On the one side, he was a really good guy; chilvarous and caring, possibly big-hearted (but a little too sensitive). On the other side, he was terrible; Abrasive, self-centered, thick-headed, foul-mouthed, childish, perverted, temperamental, unpredictable, uncontrollable, violent! He was practically self-destructive, except he was too stubborn to believe otherwise. He stuck out out too much; He was a proud show-off and had a dangerous ego.

You love him, you support him, and he'll think he's the Emperor of Japan.

You hate him, you criticize him, OR try to reign him in _just a little bit_...! And he'll try to rip your head off!

Tsunade sighed wearily, dropping her head back in her hands.

_'No.. no.. He won't be able to handle such a fragile heart. ...And she won't be able to handle such a wild personality...'_

Tsunade couldn't bring herself to think positively.

This couldn't end well.

* * *

The infirmary was empty. Tsunade and Shizune had to step out for a teacher's meeting. Tsunade had stubbornly refused, not seeing how it had anything to do with her. But Shizune managed to make her go.

In the midst of their absence......

Hinata smothered a squeal and a giggle, pale hand clasped tightly against her mouth. After her fit died down, she let out a contented sigh. She had been replaying the same recorded 16-second video on her cellphone, for the past thirty minutes, squealing, giggling and sighing everytime.

The video was a little pixelated, and those in the video were covered mostly in shadow, while in some parts, depending on where she had pointed, more light entered the cellphone's camera lens, allowing the people in shadow to be seen much better.

_Naruto stood in the middle of the classroom, a few classmates standing around him or sitting on desks. He was showing off again._

_"You can't do it."_

_"No, okay, you know what? You're stupid. I can do it!" Naruto grinned cockily._

Hinata swooned.

_"Alright, how many times?"_

_"How much you bet me?"_

_"Once at most."_

_"What?! I can do it ten times! Consecutively!" Naruto exaggerated cockily._

_"Consecutively?? Show then!"_

_"Alrighty." Naruto smiled once more. Naruto balled up a piece of tissue and--- _that's where the video ended. But Hinata remembered the rest. Naruto didn't get ten, but he managed two consecutive shots into the garbage bin.

Hinata giggled happily to herself.

He was such a delightful goof.

* * *

Hinata sat up on her bed, and pulled the curtain partly aside to see into the office. The black-haired lady Shizune was busy at the desk, and Tsunade was nowhere to be seen. Hinata threw the covers aside, smiling giddily to herself and slipped out of bed. Over against the wall was the medical scale.

Hinata couldn't help herself.

She had to check her weight.

She stood on it and pushed the weights til the beams were perfectly balanced. Hinata bit her lip and squinted hard, as if she was deciphering a great mystery. She reread the numbers in her head over and over again, until she believed them.

Excitement broke out across her face, a delighted squeal singing her from lips.

Shizune from across the room jumped scared in her chair, a hand clutching desperately at her chest.

"What the hell?" She breathed uneasily, leaning over the desk to see Hinata. She was jumping up and down like a happy little kid, throwing tiny fists in the air, and parading like she just made an incredible goal at a soccer game.

"I lost weeeeight, I lost weeeight!" She sing-sang goofily to herself. Shizune shook her head bewilderedly. Teenage girls were so silly these days.

_THUD!_

Hinata passed out again.

"OMIGOSH! HYUUGA-SAN!"

* * *

"Oi, oi.. Hyuuga-san, wake up now." Came Tsunade's voice, filtering through Hinata's semi-conscious state. Tsunade continued to tap on her thigh til her eyes fully opened. Hinata searched the shadowy room, confusion slowly dissipitating into disappointment. Tsunade read this easily, knowing she didn't have to tell her.

Naruto never showed up.

"It's time to go home, Hyuuga-san." She smiled.

Hinata nodded. She climbed out of the bed, looking down all the while, as she picked up her coat from the chair beside.

Tsunade wasn't sure what to do, she felt like saying something, she felt partly involved. She'd known Naruto for quite some time, maybe she couldn't claim knowing him for most or all of his life, but she knew him long enough.

Tsunade handed Hinata her school bag, pity whispering from her honey eyes.

She found the words to say, depsite not thinking them through, they seemed right.

"You need to be more conscientious, Hyuuga-san."

Hinata looked back at her once, unsure by her meaning, then left.

The whole day seemed pointless.

* * *

Hinata leaned against the bathroom sink, scrutinizing the bottle of diet pills with ambivalence. She was more than pleased to know that she was fitter now, but the bottle was still half-full. She couldn't bring herself to throw it away when she spent so much money on it.

"Maybe I can save the rest for next time.. in case I gain again..." But at the same time, she really didn't want to see these things again. "Alright. I'll take a couple more, then throw the rest out." She popped the bottle open and spilled three capsules into her hand, discarding the bottle hastily into the garbage bin.

Hinata perked up at the sound of the door opening, revealing Hanabi on the other side, giving her this peculiar look.

Hanabi knew what Hinata had been doing this whole time.

"That's disgusting." She said openly with a poker-face.

Hinata swallowed the pills.

"Gonna be you in a few years." Hinata teased. Hanabi was in her bratty mood again. Hinata wasn't going to care.

"No. I excercise." Hanabi countered, still ever so calmly, getting the last laugh. Hinata's face crumbled, a look of confusion and loss in her wide eyes. "Bye." Hanabi said, then closed the door.

Hinata looked her body over again, staring particularly at her waist. She grabbed at her lovehandles and lifted her shirt up to analyze her belly. The results were there, but somehow, she felt fat again.

"But.. b-but..." She patted at her belly, finding that it was happily flatter than a few weeks back. "..excercising would've taken too much time..." She weakly reasoned with herself.

She was done with her 'diet', she declared it.

So why didn't she feel any better?

_

* * *

_

"No woman ever falls in love with a man, unless she has a better opinion of him than he deserves."

- Edgar Watson Howe

"Naruto-kun is perfect." Hinata declared aloud firmly, with tiny fists. She seemed to forget where she was or what conversation she had been in, eyes focused but staring out at nothing. Moe and LaBelle were either walking too fast or their brains were to slow to catch what Hinata had said.

"WAIT, WHAT?!" Moe schreeched.

"SO IT'S REALLY NOT KIBA?!" Came LaBelle's exclamation, her mouth opened so wide you couldn't see her eyes.

"Oh wait.." Moe paused to think. "'Naruto-kun'. Duh, I already knew that!" She laughed embarrassedly, slapping her forehead a couple times. "He's perfect?" Moe questioned, growing immensely curious. She could only name a few guys that were perfect: _'Kenshin, Raito, Sephiroth, Tuxedo Kamen, and Gackt.'_ And only of of them was real! Moe could only imagine what this 'Naruto-kun' must look like if he was 'perfect'.

Was he chill (and gorgeous) like Gackt?

Hott like _Jun_?

Or was he undeniably 'kawaii' like _Koike_?

Or was he pale and beautiful like _Eiji_?

Moe thought her brain would explode trying to conjure up the 'perfect' boy.

_'Hope he's not exactly like Koike-kun.. cuz I think he might be gay.... WHICH WOULD BE AWESOME FOR ME! But bad for Emi-chan, Kukuku.'_

"He is! He's completely perfect!" Hinata excitedly stated once more, hopping up and down, as if she could no longer contain herself. "I'm so in love, I might just die!"

LaBelle shook her head and rolled her eyes. Part of her laughed at Hinata's words. She knew she started this: she had told her she was in love. But then again, what did she know? LaBelle despised dating or even having romantic relationships. They never last, and they don't mean shit when they don't. Boys are a headache period. And romance is a different headache altogether. Nurturing relationships is a waste of time and money, if there is no 'real love' there. Which is scarce to find these days anyways. But it wasn't just her feelings on these things that made LaBelle grimace at Hinata's newfound behavior.

For one thing: LaBelle never met the boy. (So who the hell knew what he was really like, right?)

Second: Hinata never been in any sort of relationship previously.

Third: There was no perfect anybody. No perfect guy, no perfect girl. There was NO WAY this guy could be 'Perfect'!

And fourth!: Applying to fact 2... How the hell would Hinata know what a perfect guy was?! How could she call this guy 'pefect'?! And why would she?? What'd he do to make her think so well of him?

_'She's naive. Totally deluded.'_

LaBelle was more irritated than usual, she wasn't sure why, she didn't really acknowledge it herself, but when Hinata said _"I'm so in love, I might just die!"_, she really wanted to shake her or something. What's more obnoxious than some twit who talks like that? Who announces they're in love like a clueless prepubescent? What did Hinata know anyways? She had to be told that she was in love! She couldn't figure it out for herself! And maybe it's not even like that, she might just be falling for an illusion her heart made up. But she had to be super lonely to mistaken infatuation for true love. LaBelle was starting to think that Hinata had no right to say she was in love. LaBelle was beginning to feel that Hinata didn't know what she was talking about. And it really irritated her.

Then again, maybe it was because Hinata was acting just as hyper as Moe.

"What's his blood type?" LaBelle asked coolly, seemingly detached from their mirth. Blood type: It's an important question.

"Um.. he's.." Hinata paused to think, trying to recall from the day they skipped school together and she made him take the combatability quiz. "He's B!" She grinned.

"That's good!" Came Moe's naive optimism. _'Blood type B is delicious! GYAHAHAHA!'_ This coming from the girl that loved herself too much.

"That's bad." LaBelle cued in, her words lifeless and cold; a real buzz kill. Moe glared up at her, questioning her rude statement when LaBelle replied. "Emi-chan. You're bloodtype A. He's B. You two don't mix."

Moe saw the way Hinata wilted. LaBelle felt no pride, nor happiness or relief in what she did. She just felt the need to inform.

"Can I slap you?" Moe asked semi-seriously.

* * *

Naruto scrubbed the countertops clean as the workday waned into night. It was an hour to closing for _The Elephant Cafe_, and to Naruto's disappointment, Hiro wasn't here. Ryoji said she called in sick. Naruto hoped it wasn't his fault, since they kept staying out later and later together.

Naruto sweatdropped and grinned sheepishly to himself.

_'We sure have fun, though. Heheheh..'_

"Ne, fishcakes."

"Gah, now _you're _gonna call me fishcakes?" Naruto asked, glaring at Ryoji's smirk.

"Sorry, shoulda known. Only Hiro-chan can call you that." He smirked wider, an embarrassed look crossing the younger boy's face. "Here." He said, presenting Naruto with a full grocery bag. "Got some junk I think you'd be interested in."

Naruto took the bag hesitantly at first, giving Ryoji a suspicious look before peering into the bag himself. It was full of dvds! And some magazines, the 'hot-model-girls-in-bikinis-and-underwear' type of magazines.

"It's all Yukorin," Ryoji explained, a really happy smiling passing over Naruto's lips, like a child who recieved candy. "...Since you said you were a fanboy." Ryoji added, embarrassing Naruto again. He clutched the bag under his arms, as if to hide them.

"Shh! Don't say fanboy..! Do I look like some pasty-skin loser?" He whined in a rather annoying way. Ryoji rolled his eyes exasperatedly, bringing a hand to the back of his head.

"Whatever. Anyways, I've had these sitting in the back of my car for awhile. So you can keep 'em."

"REALLY?! Ha, so cool!" Naruto grinned wildly, his unrestrained display embarrassing Ryoji now. "There's probably 600,000 yen worth of shit in here!" He announced a little too loudly, staring at the items like he was in love. When he was done, Ryoji was so close to hitting him.

_'...man, what a moron.' _He thought, shaking his head and chuckling.

"This is all great, but I can't let my girl.....friends know about this." Naruto added lamely.

Ryoji's thoughts all stopped.

"Girlfriends?" He mocked.

"Uhh, yeah." Naruto fronted nervously, puffing out his chest hesitantly. He wasn't sure why he lied like that. Not that it mattered though if Ryoji didn't believe him or cared to.

Ryoji would stop him right now, if it weren't already so funny.

"You dating all of them?"

"Hell yes."

Ryoji struggled to stifle a wide smirk. _'...Fool.'_

"D'you know how many? Gimme their names."

Naruto hesitated, looking off to the side, trying to gather some names. He didn't have time to ask himself why he did this.

"Three." He held out three fingers. Ryoji raised an eyebrow, prodding him to continue. "Erm.. Sakura, Hinata... Hiro.."

Ryoji nearly burst out laughing. _'Holy crap, he is not dating Hiro-chan!_'

"Pretty generic names you got there." Ryoji teased.

"They're real girls!" The blonde pouted.

"Alright, introduce me. Bring them around next time." The darker man smirked. Naruto nearly lost his front before a self-confident grin broke across his face.

"I can't do that! Then they'd know about eachother!"

"Ho-ho-holy crap! Hahaha, oh my god! Hahaha! ..Y--! You're a bastard! Ahahahahaha!" Ryoji clutched at his stomach, nearly doubled over in his laughter. The few co-workers that remained looked at them admonishly, used to --but still annoyed-- with their loud behavior and lack of work effort. "Wha-wha.. Haha, dude, how do ya... Haha, what do you do with three girls? How do ya handle that?"

Naruto smirked, another cocky answer at the ready. Now that it was more a joke, than a lie, it was easier to bullshit for fun.

"Easy. Got one girl for each hand, while the other gets to ride."

"Oh my god, hahaha! That is wrong! That is bad! Ahahahaha!" Ryoji burst out laughing like it was the best thing he ever heard, his eyes growing wet. Naruto was smirking beside himself, when an older male busboy passed by them with a mop, his face humorless.

"Ogre." He muttered caustically to Naruto, then left through the double doors, out into the restaurant.

Ryoji's hollers waned into short spouts of laughter, then into peculiar high-pitch cries of amusement and disbelief, that sounded a little funny coming from him because his voice is usually so low.

"Ahaha, wow! Ahaha! Now I _really_hope you don't have a girfriend!" Ryoji laughed tearily, in spite of Naruto's glare.

He thought they were joking around. Why'd he have to go and say that?

* * *

Another sunny sunday.

Another sunday that Hinata did not attend as a Lolita.

Her dresses left abandoned in the wonderous clutter of her closet, her frilly shoes left untouched, and cosplay wigs ignored; Hinata dressed up a different way. Yet it was starting to seem less different and more usual. She couldn't even recall when she started doing this, just that she had been.

She permed her hair in large, loose, layered curls that fell about her shoulders and back. She dressed up in a flouncy, earth-brown cotton and satin dress, with a floral-embroidered sweetheart neckline that accentuated her breasts nicely. Hinata pulled on a snow-white military jacket with marine-blue accent trim, and white pumps.

She turned back to the mirror to check her make-up, doing light touch-ups on her blush and eyes.

Hinata hoped this would be the day. She almost forgot why she was doing all this, but she remembered last night.

She wasn't doing this just to get him to ask her out.

She was doing this to get his love. His unconditional affection and love.

Sometimes she got his affection, but it didn't mean much without his love.

Of course, without affection, there couldn't be love, right?

_'So maybe that means he does love me! He's just too shy to ask me out!'_Hinata was so excited, she thought she'd die for true. "I've just got to drop him more hints!"

* * *

The house was dark. The only light on was the one emitting from the television. Naruto had pinned his bed covers to the window, to work as a make-shift curtain.

He needed all the privacy he could get for this.

Naruto crawled up closer to the tv set, grinning dumbly to himself all the while.

_"I made this myself. Please enjoy." Yuko said to the camera sweetly, placing a delicious looking veggie omelet on the table. A hand reached out and cut a piece, then took the piece with a fork. The hand retreated, giving the illusion that the omelet piece had been eaten. _

Naruto continued to grin. It was as if she was cooking breakfast just for him.

_"How do you like it?" She asked so innocently, her gorgeous eyes staring directly into the camera. Subtitles appeared at the bottom, representing the viewer's response: Oishii (delicious)._

Naruto repeated the subtitles in the goofiest, giddiest manner possible, a tone of voice he saved in private. "Oishii." He gushed, sounding so absurd.

_"Ah! I'm so happy!"_

"I"m happy that you're happy, Yuko-chan.." Naruto gushed and grinned. _'She looks so cute in that apron. ...Hm, they shoulda made her do the naked-apron thing though... heheheh..'_

Good thing nobody knew he was doing this.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!_

"SHIT!"Naruto screamed under his breath, rushing to find the remote. But then he realized that he never had a remote. "Shit!!" He stumbled forward and began hitting different buttons on the television, struggling to find the power button.

_knock knock knock!_

"H-h-hold o-on!!" Naruto sputtered clumsily at the door, turning back to the tv that refused to cooperate with him. He could have turned the lights on, but he wasn't very bright under pressure. "Yes!" He found the power button, but something strange caught his eye. The scene changed to a living room. It was supposed to be one of those scenes where she's posing half-naked while the camera roamed her body, but instead.. "What the hell..?"

_KNOCK Knock knock!_

"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" Naruto yelled out, turning the tv off. He ran for the door, slipping mid-way on his futon, before reaching the handle.

He found it a tad ironic when he found Hinata standing there, smiling bashfully at him.

Yukorin had been dressed up as a lolita.

"N-Naruto-kun.. d-do you.. have a-any time f-for m-me?"

* * *

Naruto was beginning to question how he got here. Last he could remember was being in the darkness of his house, and he had planned on marathonning those freebie dvd's. But instead, here he was, taking a walk down Omotesando street with Hinata under his arm.

He glanced to the side. He followed from his shoulder, down to his elbow where it lay rested on Hinata's shoulder, his arm draped over her and her body held close to his side.

He could smell her perfume.

He was thankful it didn't reek this time. He briefly wondered why some girls willingly bought super crappy body spray.

He began to observe her more closely.

She had her hair done, her face done, her clothes were pretty; real romantic and classy. And she smelled nice. She had this cute smile on her lips, and a real blush hidden under a cake-layer of fake blush.

He realized then, he had a pretty girl in his arms.

Another pretty girl actually. He held Hiro like this too sometimes. Though partly because he couldn't hold himself up after a couple drinks, but it grew from that, and he would lean on her on purpose and hold her close. She didn't seem to mind either, she never said anything. It was cool that she let him do things and not criticize... it was cool that she helped him steal a bike! It was cool that she bought him drinks! It was cool that she never ditched, deserted or ignored him. It was cool that she always chose to hang out with him after work.

But that was Hinata too.

She always wanted to spend time with him.

Even on Sundays.

So slow it took him to acknowledge her, so quickly he was to forget her.

_'I wanna go back home, man... what'm I doing here?'_

* * *

The cosplay bridge in Harajuku was bustling, a thoroughfare of tourists passed by, snapping pictures as they headed for the Meiji Shrine across the way. Some local bands were performing live, real low-key stuff, just street performances. Fans gathered around, sitting at their feet. Tourists stopped for a song or two, as well as the usual pedestrians.

The upbeat ska-rock tune gave the bridge a youthful atmosphere, the spirit of the cosplayers full of uncontained energy and repressed defiance.

Amidst the carefree smiles and conversing cliques, not too many felt upbeat, and not too many felt complete.

Hinata was missing.

Again.

Moe held out hope that Hinata didn't quit on them.

LaBelle believe that she did, that Hinata just ditched them altogether. For what, she could only guess, and hated what she guessed.

And Kiba... he was left floating in nothingness. Before he met Hinata, he just went to the bridge for the hell of it, because it was fun and there were occasionally really good cosplays to be seen. Before all he did was play horror-survival video games and watch zombie movies. But when he met Hinata, she was like an anchor for him. Rather than float around Tokyo, wandering around bored, doing nothing; she made him want to be involved, to want to enjoy things fully. He wanted to be with her, he loved the way she enjoyed the little things, the way she smiled and giggled.

She was a joy that he was not meant to have.

Kiba meandered through the bridge, dressed in nothing but his school uniform, unwashed for three days, appearing as inconspicuous as the other locals. He looked up from the stony square pattern of the walkway, to see LaBelle. She stood away from the regular group. She probably got in another argument with Moe or something. She always seemed like a self-sufficient girl, never needing a friend or needing to be with a group; totally independent.

"Have you seen Emiri-chan?" Kiba asked somewhat hopelessly, trying to mask the disappointment and desperation in his voice.

LaBelle kept her eyes straight ahead, seemingly growing angrier by the second, unable to respond.

Moe shook her head to Kiba, signalling 'no'.

He nodded dumbly.

_'Shoulda known.. this is the third time...'_

"What is going on with her..?" He asked aloud, not sure who he was directing his question to; whether to himself, them, or another being. As if the air would know.

They looked at him seriously, unsure by what he meant. They did see her a couple days ago, and she was their same lovey-dovey, suddenly annoying, sweetheart. Was there something else now?

"Kiba-kun.." came LaBelle's voice, calm. "You attend the same school as her, right?"

"Yeah.." He breathed out, staring dumbly at the ground, his face blank and mind confused. LaBelle wasn't sure if he was hypnotized or pre-occupied, but she wanted to smack him either way for not speaking with eye contact.

"What is she like during school?" LaBelle asked, sounding more sincere, and more worried. Kiba hesitated. She saw this. He didn't speak for another minute, like he was gathering all his words.

There was so much he could say, so much to tell.

He could tell them Hinata was weak.

_Gym class, final day of volleyball. Hinata finally worked up the nerve to participate, mostly in hopes of impressing Naruto with her (lack of) skill._

_She stood in the center of the middle line, hands clasped together and shaking, sweaty. She was so nervous, but she held enough optimism to keep standing. Naruto stood on the otherside, she was so excited to be across from him. She felt herself swoon a billion times per second as she kept her eyes on him. _

_He looked so cool._

_He looked so confident._

_He looked so... serious._

_The teams waited for the server to call._

_"Seven serving eight!" He called, serving up the ball and sending it over. Hinata watched it arc over her. She jumped startled, when a player behind her jumped up to smack the ball, the sudden movements overwhelming her._

_She was so unprepared._

_The few players in the front lines kept bumping and slamming the balls, back and forth, back and forth, blocking and countering over and over._

_A girl bumped over Hinata, and jumped to hit the ball, but it hit the net._

_"Gawd! You know, you could have gotten that!" She yelled, turning on Hinata, who just curled into herself. _

_"Why do you just stand there?!" Another girl shouted._

_"Wake up, stupid!"_

_"Yeah!"_

_"Hey, Hyuuga-san!" Called a boy from Naruto's team. "Don't make this too easy for us now! Haha!"_

_That taunt just made it worse. The girls and boys from either side were beginning to feel more comfortable with expressing their aggravation and frustration with her performance, and the criticism were swift to follow._

_Even with Naruto. _

_Though it looked like he was joining in on their jeering, he had been focused throughout the game. He was getting annoyed with her too._

_He was mean, but with the best of intentions. _

_"Hinata-chan! Either try or leave!" He shouted, unintentionally rallying up the classmates against her._

_"Leave!"_

_"Leave!_

_"Leave!"_

_Kiba watched her from the court next to them, the rest of the class having paused their battle to watch; out of curiosity, out of amusement._

_She walked timidly away, cheeks ruddy, eyes clouded. But despite the hurt, there was still a tiny joyful smile on her face._

_It really wierded him out._

_Kiba met her at the end of the period, outside the girl's locker room. He waited as the female body poured out of the door in a noise of teasing gossip and smiles, til no one else came out, and he knew that she was still in there. _

_Doing what though?_

_He was hesitant to go in, but he thought about it. The urgency to check up on her bugged him fervently like an itch. _

_"Alright, I'll get her..." He announced aloud, reaching his hand for the door handle. He opened it slightly, then Hinata popped out, scaring him halfway to death. "Aah! H-Hinata-chan!" He blurted, jumping away. Kiba paused when she said nothing, made no response, no reaction. He took another look at her._

_She looked totally different than she had all day._

_Normally girls do quick fixes after gym to re-pretty themselves, or just say 'screw it'. But Hinata... she over did it: Eyes redone, lips re-colored, hair re-curled and updone, even her uniform she modified more. The skirt was clearly hiked-up, now like a mini-skirt. And she had on more eye-catching jewelry._

_Hinata stepped out of the doorway meekly, a shy little smile on her shiny, rosy lips._

_There were still those tears too._

_Kiba wanted to talk to her. He wanted to console her so badly. He had all the words planned in his head..! But he knew she was doing all this for Naruto. And it was pathetic. He still loved her, but he couldn't help being disgusted all the same._

_Kiba shut his mouth and turned away, unsure how to speak to her now._

He could tell them Hinata was obsessed.

_Kiba sat at his desk in the back corner of the room, earplugs in and MUCC on._

_This was too embarrassing to watch._

_Hinata must've been in her own world. She must've thought no one was looking, but many were, and she was none too discreet._

_Ka-chik! Ka-chik! Ka-chik!, went the camera of her cell phone, as she continued to take picture after picture of Naruto, who was currently asleep at his desk._

_Whispers and mutters went around the room, and though Kiba couldn't hear them, he knew they were about Hinata, the way they were all looking at her with incredulous eyes._

_"That's super creepy."_

_"I knew it, she likes him..!"_

_"Wow.. what a stalker."_

_"Hn.. Who do ya think is the bigger fool?" One asked, looking between the camera-happy Hinata, or Naruto, who had no idea what she was doing to him._

_Kiba sighed wearily to himself._

He could tell them Hinata was being fake.

_Hinata tried squeezing into a conversation with a few of Ukue's friends that were chatting up with Naruto. _

_They all sounded suspiciously flirtatious._

_Their fun-loving banter and random back-and-forths went over Hinata's head, a blank smile on her lips revealing how totally clueless she was._

_"I told them you scratched yourself in the middle of class." Ukue teased with a cat-like smirk._

_"Gah?! What?!" Naruto blurted out clumsily, turning red and blue at the same time. He glared at her, biting his bottom lip and jokingly shook a fist in her face._

_"It's okay, Naru-chan." One of Ukue's kogal friends piped up cheerily, using the nickname Ukue used for him. "My dog scratches his all the time!"_

_The group laughed. Hinata was left out._

_The girls ignored her, a couple of them looking at eachother, silently conversing._

_'Why this girl here?'_

_'I dunno, but I'm getting uberly creeped out!'_

_'Should we shove her out?'_

_'Come over here, slide in so she can't invade!'_

_The second girl made a move to slide in, but Hinata already had her head poked into their conversation, and the girl didn't want to get any closer._

_'No good.' both girls thought frustratedly._

_'Can't she tell we're talking here?'_

_'This girl has some nerve...'_

_"You know, Ukue-chan's got balls." Naruto smirked, as Ukue stood smilingly proudly, as if saying 'Damn right!'. "I've seen 'em too!" He laughed, earning a smack to the arm._

_The group laughed again. Hinata laughed too. Except it was unnatural, because she had tried to laugh like them. They all stopped, and Hinata kept laughing weakly, cluelessly, all the while getting a strange look from Naruto and a confused one from Ukue._

_"Oh, Hinata-chan, I didn't see you there." Naruto said dumbly, scratching the back of his head. He was rather oblivious to the tenseness among the group of girls who chose not to look at Hinata, though they all acknowledged her._

_She continued to feign a big smile, totally oblivious herself to their ire, and mind blank of intelligent thought._

_'This is uber awkward.' The group of girls thought uniformly._

_"Hyuuga-chan, you wanna come in?" Ukue asked sweetly, sincerely. She had been ignoring the facial hints her friends had been making about Hinata, and really wanted to let her in. She seemed like a nice girl, maybe a little hapless, maybe a little strange._

_But they made their opinion known._

_"NO!"_

He could tell them Hinata was disgraceful.

_Everyday, Hinata shortened her skirt a couple centimeters, as if trying to find the right length._

_Everyday, Hinata milked a laugh, and overdid a giggle, as if hoping he'd get hooked._

_Everyday, Hinata talked like somebody else, as if her own voice wasn't a desirable sound._

_Even then he didn't hear her. Even then he never noticed how soft her baren thighs looked. Even then he didn't find attraction to her giggle._

_Everyday she tried, to be attractive, sexy, cute, never realizing that she was embarrassing herself. Never realizing that everything she did reflected the opposite. Never realizing that everyday, she did something very uncute, unsexy, and downright pathetic._

_Kiba decided to follow Hinata one time, just to make sure she wasn't going to act stupid anymore. Fat chance of that, if she was still in love with the punk. _

_They were going to the rooftop again, like so many times before. He was starting to think that place should be off limits now or something, just so they couldn't have their privacy together anymore. He wondered what they did up, what they REALLY did up there... All alone... together.... 'Dammit, no gonna think about it...!' He thought aggravatedly, clenching his teeth hard._

_He saw Hinata hop her way up the steps, Naruto a few steps behind her. He could hear her giggles, her clearly fake giggles. So high-pitch and overly cute._

_So uncute._

_Maybe they felt real to her, cuz she was so in love and so into pleasing the blonde boy. Who really knows? Girls are an indecisive bunch. Even she wouldn't know._

_Kiba stopped and hid behind the corner. He peeked over to observe her.. and for a harsh second, he sorta wished he didn't know her._

_She stopped on the steps to hike her skirt up a couple more inches. She was doing this in front of him, while he was watching her. Well actually it looked like he stopped watching, walking right past her up the steps. Then there was a look of dismay on her face._

_Kiba couldn't believe it._

_She really did that on purpose._

He could tell them that she was naive, that her weakness was causing her to act so ridiculously. She had her ugly side on a sleeve! One moment he shows up---! She turns into this completely... emotionally primitive, habitually disquieting, unattractive child of a girl!

But it was best they didn't know that. For her sake.

"She's not herself." Kiba vaguely admitted, startling the friends that knew her best. Or so they began to think.

There was confusion and disbelief on LaBelle's face, on Moe's face.

They just saw her a few days ago. She was love-struck for sure, but she didn't seem any different.

What the hell was she doing in school?

* * *

"Do you want that?" Hinata asked sweetly, looking up at Naruto.

He seemed distracted, slow to respond. He turned to her.

"Nah. It's too much." He said, turning away from the high-priced, bright orange wristwatch. He didn't care if he had it, not like he needed it. But Hinata could tell he really liked it.

"I-I'll g-get it!" She squeaked out nervously, fretting he'd change his mind. She wanted to do something for him, to get some more nice words from him.

"You sure?" He asked skeptically with an eyebrow cocked, clearly surprised.

"Y-yeah.." She breathed, calming down. That loving look appeared on her face again, like it always did. "Whatever makes you happy, Naruto-kun." She said.

She'd been saying that all day. It was like her declaration to him.

She wanted to do whatever it took to make him happy.

And she would do it. She would really do it.

Naruto didn't realize that. Normally he brushed her words off with a nod, and let her do it.

Afterall she was offering.

"Alright." He said, shrugging.

He'd been saying that all day too.

Hinata grinned gleefully, a strange feeling growing in her chest. It felt heavy, and hard. She thought it was pride that was swelling up in her, but that was just the surface. She couldn't tell what it was. There was an occasional tinge of hurt, of helplessness, but she didn't care either way.

She was happy to do this.

Hinata called the man over and pointed at the watch in the display case. He picked out and rung it up.

"88,000 yen."

Hinata used her card.

Naruto whistled and looked around the store, hands stuffed lazily into his pockets.

"Man, Omotesando sure is expensive."

* * *

Naruto was tired from walking around and carrying his bags. Hinata was tired too from walking around and carrying his bags. (Hinata offered to carry the bags. Naruto decided they split the load).

They stopped at a bench outside a park, the wind rustling through the bushes and the trees behind them. The traffic of cars bustling before them.

Naruto let Hinata rest her head on his shoulders, thinking it'd be cool, since she looked pretty today.

She was incredibly happy. Just to be here with him. Just to be close to him.

Hinata giggled to herself.

He still smelled good.

She was so happy, she felt like she was in total ecstasy. It was like an ascension of birds inside her chest, flying off the highest of mountain peaks, so high. She felt so high.

"U-um... y-you know.." She murmured, struggling to overcome her embarrassment and nervousness. "Y-you know... i-in.. H-Heian times.. w-we'd... w-we'd a-a-already b-be m-married..." She smiled to herself, unable to look up at him. She imagined his wildest of grins and squealed inwardly with delight.

Naruto wasn't grinning at all. Her words nearly went in one ear and out the other, when he caught the last set.

"Oh yeah?" He asked aloud, staring out into the streets, not really interested. He kept thinking about the soft dvd's he left back home. _'Crap. I don't think I shut the player off... Yuko-chan's half-naked with no one to watch her..'_

"Y-yeah.. erm.. the u-uh.. b-book w-we're r-reading in cl-class?" She stuttered, bringing her index fingers to finger-fence eachother to death. She was getting that nervous.

"Oh yeah.. how's that go?" Naruto turned halfway towards her, starting to listen a little more. As if he really knew what was going on in class anymore. He just slept or daydreamed the day away.

"E-er... w-well.. A-after th-three days... o-one is con-considered m-married... A-and.. w-well... w-we've b-been in con-contact for ov-over thr-three days.." She explained, her voice growing fainter by the vowel.

"Hn, I see.." Naruto nodded.

He didn't really care.

* * *

The two walked home, Hinata still clinging to his arm like an octopus. Naruto payed no mind, letting her do what she wanted, though part of it was starting to bother him. The sun had set, the stars out and the moon hidden behind a fluffy veil of dark clouds.

Spring was so close.

Hinata was thinking about asking Naruto if he wanted to attend the Setsubun Festival with her. He probably didn't know what it was like to celebrate it in Tokyo. Now she thought about it, she didn't know where he came from. She tried to recall, thinking he told her at one point or another, but she couldn't remember.

She gave his arm a loving squeeze, embarrassed and slightly ashamed for forgetting where he lived.

_'You never forgot. You just didn't ask. I bet there's a lot about him you don't know.'_ Her inward voice spoke from the back of her head, nagging her at the most inconvenient of times.

She shooed the voice away.

She didn't want to think about that kind of stuff, she wanted only to enjoy the moment with Naruto.

They neared their block, Hinata's heartbeats speeding faster.

They came to the steps of his house, Hinata's heart pounding harder.

Anxiety swept through her mind, knocking out all rational thought and common sense.

All she knew was that their time together was at an end, that their night was almost up and he still hadn't asked her out.

_'I'm running out of time, I'm running out of time, I'm running out of time..!!'_

Her face flushed, cheeks awash with blood, beating painfully red. She felt tears leak into her eyes, as he released himself from her grasp, his hand now on the knob.

She saw it all in slow motion; his hand turned, the door opened with ease, Naruto took his first step into the doorway. Hinata flew up the steps. She grabbed his hand. She tugged him to turn around.

When it was all over, when she blinked...

She found herself in the black shadows of his house, the meager moonlight of the night sky outlining their bodies, clumsily smashed against one another on the floor.

Hinata wasn't sure what happened, what she did. Maybe she pounced him, maybe she tripped and made them fall. All she knew was that she had her arms around his neck, her chest pressed against his, legs tangled in his.

Naruto looked at her strangely, an awkward blush on his face.

He squirmed to get away, wishing to no longer cause any damage, but his movements only managed to arouse similar movements from her. He felt her arms tighten around his neck, as her legs wiggled around with his.

Hinata wasn't thinking straight. She was desperate. All she could think of was not letting him go, not letting him get away.

Naruto thought he would have enjoyed this in another situation, but he wasn't in the mood to play with her. She looked like some drunk party-girl, the way she was climbing up all over him, her eyes closed as she tried to lure him into a kiss.

And it wasn't cute at all.

Naruto wasn't sure what to say, what to do to get her off, to get her away.

The top of her dress was slipping! Her breasts were spilling out! Why the hell was her dress strapless?!

"H-Hinata...chan.. y-you're too heavy..!" He said, not sure if he was lying or not. His chest was feeling tight, like he couldn't breathe easily. Part of his brain assumed there was a large weight sitting him.

His words shot through her, like gunfire. She felt the birds that had soarn inside her chest, die, fall in a bloody hail, like rat-like piles of meat.

"N-no! No, no, no, no, no, no!" She cried out, struggling to hold her grasp on him.

She needed to get a hold of herself.

_'Don't let him get away, don't let him get away, don't let him go, don't let him escape...'_

_"You're too heavy!"_

_'I'm not! I'M NOT!'_

_"..You have the ability to winsome, beautiful. You just gotta learn to show it more, okay?"_LaBelle's voice rang in her head, she was trying so hard to win him, to be beautiful like she said.

But she was screwing it all up.

He was beneath her, she had him right where she needed him. He was right beneath her and she couldn't even enjoy it.

She was too focused on him, on getting what she wanted from him, on what she felt she needed.

But he grasped her arms and tried to push her away.

He kept trying to push her away, but she wasn't getting it.

Confusion, desperation, yearning, frustration; So many feelings she couldn't handle all crashed on her, tears stinging her eyes blind.

Why wasn't anything working?!

"H-Hinata-chan...!" Naruto gasped out, alarmed at her desperate behavior. He kept pushing her away, and she kept holding on. She now had her arms tightly grasped around his waist like a vice, her face pressed against his belly, as she kept blindly crying out.

"No! Nonononono!"

"What's wrong with you?!?! What do you want?!?!" He shouted, overwhelmed and aggravated with her.

He could feel his shirt turn moist from her leaking eyes, confusion arresting his mind.

She wasn't going to let go.

And he knew that now.

She sniffled. A whimper escaped her. But her grip did not loosen for a second.

Naruto gave up.

He had no idea what to do.

And she wasn't saying anything now.

She was torpid now, almost comatose.

Hinata was scared.

She was too scared now to answer him, to explain herself, to reveal her feelings.

She was afraid he was mad at her.

She was afraid he'd leave. All she could do was hold him. It was all she could do to keep him.

She was too terrified to move, afraid of pushing him away, afraid of disturbing the moment.

She was too terrified to leave, knowing that he hadn't asked her out.

Knowing that she failed.

* * *

Hiro sipped albeit noisily on her blueberry boba tea, as she stared out into the crowds with little interest.

Naruto seemed equally bored, perhaps exhausted. He was slouched back on the bench, arms dead at his side. They only walked a block before landing here. Niether felt like do anything extrenuous.

"You want t'e rest?" She asked, handing off her drink to him. He stared at it for awhile, like he were half-asleep.

"Sure." He shrugged, taking the drink. He stared at it again. There was more boba balls in the bottom than there was the tea. "How'd ya avoid the balls?"

"I spat t'em back in. I don' like tapioca."

"....gross.. backwash. Here." Naruto handed it back to her.

He was in an apathetic mood. His senses felt dull and his body immobile. He kept trying to push back any thoughts that had to do with Hinata. What had happened was stressing him out. _She_ was stressing him out. He wasn't sure what he was gonna do when he saw her again. And that's why he didn't wanna think about it.

Hiro stood up and walked over to the garbage bin, throwing her cup away.

There was something familiar about this; loitering beside busy streets, wandering aimlessly like a vagabond. There was that down-and-out feeling, that almost romantic, homeless feeling. He would've felt lonely if Hiro wasn't around like this, being here would've been purposeless. Even though they weren't doing anything interesting, he was content enough to do nothing with somebody.

"Wanna do somet'ing fun?" Hiro suggested, standing before him. He brought his eyes away from a pretty older girl chatting on her cell phone across the street, and looked up at Hiro. The afternoon sun hid behind her, her outline highlighted in sunshine and her face covered in shadow. Her big black eyes peered out at him, her calm, expressionless eyes. He wondered what it would be like to piss her off. It was easy to get a reaction out of Sakura, sometimes he enjoyed getting hit by her, just to see her mad. Though that fascination died pretty quick after a few years. He doubted Hiro could hurt him.

Naruto shrugged further down the bench like a stubborn child.

"What do you have in mind?"

Hiro smiled lightly.

* * *

Naruto waited for Hiro outside the art store. He had no idea what they were gonna do.

The door opened with a chime, Hiro exiting out with two plastic bags. She began to pull things out and started walking down the street, Naruto following close beside her.

"See?" She said, pulling out large sheets of cardboard paper and fat markers. "We can make posters with these."

"Why??" Naruto heaved incredulously, looking at her strangely.

They stopped at the curb of an active intersection, where they had the most public visibility. Hiro was nearly done with her scribbling.

"Look." She held up the poster. There was a strange mixture of poorly-drawn katakana and traditional kanji characters.

Naruto was amazed.

"Your handwriting is shittier than mine." He said with such awe.

Hiro kicked him.

"Oww!"

"Fine. I'll just re-write in engrish." Hiro scribbled up a new poster and showed it to him.

"I... don't know how to read english."

Hiro kicked him again.

"Okay, what the hell?!" He shouted, grabbing his shin. "What's the point of this?! What're we trying to do?!"

"Panhandling. Poster says 'Will kick his ass for 500 yen'." She smirked proudly, looking like a happy fool. Naruto glowered at her, and with an amused smirk, he grabbed the poster and marker from her hands, and began writing on the back. When he was done he gave it back to her.

It said: 'Free Striptease'.

Hiro smirked back at him, giving him an evil look.

"Jerk."

* * *

Niether knew what they were doing anymore.

Nothing had worked, they didn't get any money.

Hiro had suggested they use a hat or bucket, since the pedestrians wouldn't know where to drop the money. Naruto had run out to get something and came back with a large beer mug he found outside a bar. Even after that, they received nothing.

Naruto and Hiro kept making new signs when one didn't work, each one getting stupider and more ridiculous than the last, until they were no longer advertisements.

Naruto: 'Used panties for sale'

Hiro: 'Go inside...'

Naruto: '...for free X'

Naruto: 'He's cheating on you'

Hiro: 'Satan loves you'

Naruto: 'I lost my job'

Hiro: 'Road to Heaven' (with an arrow pointing left)

Naruto: 'Road to Hell' (arrow pointing right)

Naruto: 'I'm a ninja'

Hiro: 'I am a banana'

Their antics caught several stares; the older people admonished them, the young girls avoided them, the boys laughed (some even stopped and asked for the panties and X) (though some of them thought the drug and some of them thought the band), and the tourists took pictures.

Naruto was surprised he hadn't gotten in trouble yet. _'Guess because this city is friggin' huge..'_ Back at his hometown, it was easy to get caught. Not just because it was small, but everyone somehow knew him, even before he chose to act out for attention and acknowledgement. By now someone would've reported him, chased him out, or detained him.

But so far he was free and clear.

"Too bad we not making any money." Hiro pouted jokingly, dropping her poster at her side. Naruto laughed.

"You thought this would actually work?"

"It could have." Hiro shrugged. "I t'ink we should put a tip box at work."

"But we do get tips."

"But if ya put a box, t'ey'll t'ink it's mandatory and do it anyways."

"Oh yeah! Let's do that tonight!" Naruto grinned, impressed and enthusiastic. "We'll split it 50/50. And if anyone finds out, we bribe them."

The afternoon was waning into evening, the sun hidden behind the skyscrapes. The intersection was covered in shadow, its crazy traffic unchanged.

They never noticed the two foot police patrolling the district.

"I think we should trick some tourists. That'd be really fun.." Naruto mused, trailing off as he heard something.

Naruto turned his head at the quick and steady march of feet, the same brief feeling of anxiety washing over him like a hot flash. Instinctively, Naruto glowered at them, resentment for their kind taking over him.

"Gonna have to ask you to remove your sign, boy." The first officer said gruffly. The overly polite manner is which he spoke betrayed his sturdy and standoffish appearance, the scowl he was giving Naruto, none too discreet. Maybe he was glaring because Naruto glared at him first, but Naruto was quick to assume this policeman disliked him.

Naruto made no move, just stood there glaring. He couldn't seem to think straight at that moment, their prescence, their glaring eyes putting him on the defense.

"I said remove your sign."

Naruto didn't hear him. Hiro had long already hidden her sign, the two officers paying her no mind. She stared expectantly at Naruto, wondering why he wasn't doing as he was told. Was he that dumb?

The officer made a grab for the poster, and tore it from Naruto's hands.

"...stupid kid." The man muttered under his breath, as he folded the sign up. He gave Naruto one last look and walked off.

"Move along!" The second officer patrolling ordered, before marching alongside his partner.

Naruto watched them, his body tense, and hands clenched.

He hadn't realized that he had been holding his breath the whole time.

_

* * *

_

"Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."

- Robert Frost

Naruto wasn't particularly happy here. He'd been in Tokyo long enough, yet he was still left with a feeling of being on unstable ground.

He had a home, but it wasn't much of a home, just a house.

And he had friends, but not really friends, just people to talk to and waste time with.

He wondered if he really belonged here, yet at the same time threw that thought away as quick as it came. Because far as he knew, he never belonged anywhere. He wasn't exactly accepted back home, so what did that say?

But he knew he had to be here. He sometimes forgot and would lie in bed, staring at the cieling in a trance. And when he remembered, he was filled with remorse and insecurity. It felt like homesickness, but it was really just desperation.

He felt like he was abandoned, adrift at sea. Or like a bird taken from his cage and placed into another one. A bigger one; a wider, taller, more spacious cage. With all that room, he had no idea what to do with and it overwhelmed him. It seemed like a cruel joke or useless contradiction. Because didn't matter how much room he had to roam, he was stuck, trapped.

It didn't matter, because it was still a cage.

Now that he was here, he had to stay here.

He missed all the freedom he used to have a child.

He missed all the crazy things he did, and his friends.

He missed it all, and at the same time hated it all.

_'Maybe I'm just stressed..'_Naruto figured, wondering where all this treacherous moodiness was coming from.

If it was just stress, he was going to have to find a _new_ way to release it.

* * *

Naruto just wanted to lie down. Everytime they passed by a park, he felt the urge to sleep on the grass, but Hiro kept going and he didn't want to be left behind.

The sky was turning lavender and pink, a new day breaking.

He felt a headache behind his eyes. He could barely keep his head up, and his legs were numb and sore.

"I have school tomorrow..." He thought aloud, dragging his feet, soon realizing he actually had school in a couple hours. Skipping was his usual response, but he knew he couldn't miss any more days. Even though it didn't make much difference either way because he ended up sleeping through all his classes. He kept telling himself he was going to do better, but he couldn't bring himself around to truly do so.

And he found himself getting easily distracted.

Whatever Hiro was going to do, he found himself participating.

She was so much fun that he didn't care about school or work.

It was like she had no responsibilities whatsoever, and he wanted to be just like that. He wanted to ignore all the little things and say 'fuck it' to the big problems.

It was just like younger days.

"Do you really care about school?" She called over her shoulder, never slowing down once for him. He wondered if it was a college student thing to be able to stay up til dawn. He couldn't keep his eyes open. He didn't even know where they were going or if he was even heading home. She hadn't called their thing over, or maybe she wasn't supposed to. But he didn't want to go home yet if he didn't have to.

He never answered her question. It was a mix of yes and no. Yes, because he chose to go to secondary high school. He didn't have to, but he chose to, just so he could have something to prove when he went back home. And No, because he kinda hated the place. No, because he felt like he gave up something dear just to do this, just to be here. No, because only graduating with a higher education would prove that he wasn't a failure. No, because he felt forced into this.

Nobody cared if he did anything else. He use to have plans, but all were met with disapproval. In the eyes of society, he was a danger to their way of life, that his ideas opposed the norm. For so long he fought all that. Then it came to a point where they were actually right.

They had actually been right.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

"If you knew you had school, t'en why are you still here?" She asked nonchalant, albeit incredulously. He had to be a dumbass not to know when to quit.

He didn't say anything.

Naruto thought she was finally getting sick of him.

* * *

Hinata felt like she was running out of options.

She couldn't make lunch for him anymore because he was bringing his own lunches again.

She kept trying to be attractive, but it didn't seem to make a difference.

She kept buying him stuff, but that hardly got a smile out of him anymore.

"I suppose.. I could offer to do his homework... I hope he doesn't get held back, I'd be so sad if we weren't in the same class anymore."

Hinata plopped down on her bed, pulling a fluffy pillow over her face. She tried to calm the ache behind her eyes, tears pushing their way to sting.

She couldn't stop thinking about that night, that past sunday night, and how she had acted. So desperate, like some poor widow clinging to her last hope for love. Maybe that was how it was, how she felt. There wasn't anyone but him, she couldn't think of anything else but him. And the thought of not having him... killed. And at times she couldn't help but wonder; If she couldn't have him, who was? Who was gonna take him from her? She didn't know, and couldn't imagine that far. She kept hope that he loved her, that he was just too shy to say so. And if not shy, then he was too proud and manly to say he loved her, because.. well some guys are just like that.

Why else did he have his arm around her?

Why else did he chase her around the rooftop?

Glomped her from behind?

Grabbed her waist?

Held her hand?

Teased her?

Why else did he do all that, if he wasn't into her?

And since she thought him perfect, she didn't believe he was like other males.

Since he was perfect, he couldn't have done all that so insincerely.

And the only reason why she couldn't have him, was because she felt she wasn't good enough.

* * *

Hinata wandered behind her friends, her head slightly down, hands limp at her sides. She was in one of her quiet moods again. LaBelle didn't find this quite right. She was usually happy and hopping around because of _him_.

LaBelle frowned.

So what was dragging her down now?

If she was so happy with this guy, then she shouldn't be sad like this. Unless he was making her sad!

LaBelle glared at this.

Of course, Hinata could be her own cause for remorse. Maybe she did something irreversibly stupid.

LaBelle grimaced.

For so long she told herself and hoped that Hinata was smart. But... she was a girl in love, therefore stupid.

But there's always more to it than just that. Hinata could be doing clumsy and inane things, but that's so miniscule. What about this guy? What about him? He must've done something, unless he hasn't done anything... which must mean...

"He hasn't asked her out yet..???" LaBelle uttered in awe and confusion. It makes sense! That had to be it! She's sad....! Because _he_...! Hasn't asked her out yet! Which means...! She's been getting NOWHERE!! "What the hell Emiri!!" LaBelle burst out, whirling around on the sad little girl, startling those around them and her. "Has he asked you out yet?!"

Moe snapped to attention at this.

"Wait?! You mean he hasn't _YET?!?_"

Hinata curled into herself, shame filling her face, cheeks hot and red. She couldn't answer them, barely conceive a mumble. She was too proud and partly self-deluded to admit it; he hadn't asked her out. And she felt it probably had to be because he found her too digusting. Because she had been clinging to him for that movie kiss that's supposed to make it all work out. Because she wasn't good enough for him.

Finally, she shook her head in defeat.

"What have you been doing this whole time, Emiri-chan?!" LaBelle stared at her quizzically, incredulously, as if accusing her of in-action. Everyday! Everyday! They were forced to hear her talk and gush about this boy! Everyday! What on earth was Hinata's excuse that they weren't together yet?! Was he half-dead at the hospital in a coma or something?! Or maybe he wasn't real! Maybe she was in love with a ghost or something! How could they not be together yet?!

Moe's tenseness deflated visibly, disappointment and sympathy on her face.

"Aw, man.. Why? I thought you two were all lovey-dovey."

There was a slight wince that went unnoticed. But LaBelle saw it, like an eagle searching for prey, it was so obvious. Dreadful suspicion swam through her, overturning all hopeful and optimistic thoughts like stone. Every rationalization, every defense she had forced herself to believe disappeared. She threw all of it out, and was left with a crystal clear perception on the reality. She could see right through her, and that slight wince revealed thousands of secrets. Yet still so many were left hidden, and LaBelle knew she wouldn't be able to figure her out completely without calling her out. But she didn't want to embarrass Hinata like that, she didn't want to be cruel if all she had was educated guesses.

She needed more evidence.

So LaBelle stayed quiet and chose to keep to herself.

She was going to watch and wait for now.

"You're gonna call him."

* * *

"Hey, dude. Aren'tcha gonna get that? You've been blowing up for the past five minutes." Ryoji pointed out, as he came back with a pile of dirty dishes. Naruto appeared busy, eyes focused on one dish at a time.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto mumbled out, sounding disinterested. There was only one person that had his number, though he never gave it out, she was the only one that called him. Which in some ways he wouldn't mind, but he did, because he never willingly gave her his number, making the whole thing kinna wierd and unwanted.

"So you're not gonna pick it up?"

"Not if I'm working. Not if I don't have to. Not if---"

"Smart ass." Ryoji grumbled out, half-smirking. He grabbed Naruto's shoulder, holding him there while he snaked his buzzing cell phone out of his pants pocket.

"Hey! What're you--?!" Naruto dropped the plate and sponge, a tired fear sparking in his brain.

"Moshi moshi? This is dumbass's phone." Ryoji answered nonchalant.

"I thought I was a smart ass." Naruto pouted aside, being ignored.

Ryoji wasn't expecting anybody or anything interesting, but he was surprised when he heard the soft, tiny voice stutter on the end.

_"Ehh? O-oh.. s-sorry, I m-must've gotten th-the wr-wrong number.... so-sorry.."_

"A-Ah! N-No w-wait! Hahaha, sorry, that was a joke! This is Naruto's number, eheheh!" Ryoji laughed awkwardly, now feeling embarrassed. He turned away and held his head up high, trying to pretend that he done nothing worthy of teasing, but Naruto was still smirking meanly at him.

_"O-oh.. u-uh.. is h-he th-there?? M-may I speak w-with him?"_came her tiny voice, nervous and sweet sounding. Ryoji was blushing slightly. She sounded really cute. He was amused with how she stuttered. And he then he was surprised that she was asking for Naruto. _'Is this the Sakura girlfriend? Or the Hinata girlfriend?'_Ryoji was amazed, and partly incredulous. Did he have a girlfriend after all? Or more than one? _'Ahaha... wow, no way..'_

Ryoji glanced over at Naruto. He was shaking his head, mouthing 'NO!', and his arms crossed in an 'X' in front of his face. Ryoji raised an eyebrow at him, before answering the mystery girl.

"Yeah, he's here."

"DAMMIT!" Naruto cursed louder than intended, kicking at the floor. He looked like he was throwing a hissy-fit, a ten second short hissy-fit. Ryoji, now smirking deviously, handed the phone over to him.

"What's wrong? You in trouble or something??" He snickered, unable to believe that Naruto was afraid of a soft-voiced girl like that. Or that he would even get an earful from a nice girl like that. But then again, if that were the case, it was all the more hiliarious! He could just imagine some shy little thing wagging her finger at Naruto and verbally kicking his ass, while he took it like a puppy. _'Damn! Shoulda switched it to speakerphone!'_Grinning to himself, Ryoji shook his head and snapped his fingers, cursing himself. Now he was imagining Naruto getting bitched out over the phone by his girlfriend while everyone in the kitchen heard. _'Damn, damn, damn! That would've been so fucking entertaining!_'

Naruto heaved a sigh, before gingerly bringing the phone to his ear, as if afraid that it would burn him or that the receiver would lay a carnivorous, brain-eating larvae inside his ear.

"Moshi moshi?" He uttered stiffly.

_"N-NARUTO-KUN...?!"_Her voice shouted painfully through his ear, shocking him in place. Ryoji tried not to laugh.

"Uh.. y-yeah??" Naruto answered weakly.

_"Oh.. wh-where are y-you?"_

"I'm at work. I'm working." He bit out, clearly unenthused.

_"AH! I'M S-SORRY! I DIDN'T KNOW!" _Schreeched her voice, irritating Naruto and shocking him in place again.

"Ahahah, I heard that! Hurts, does it?" Ryoji sniggered uncontrollably. Naruto glared at him, and stiffly nodded.

_"I'll hang up."_Hinata said normally, like a hasty afterthought. There was shouting in the background, like protest.

_"NO, YOU IDIOT!"_

Naruto jumped, the voice scared him. He could hear more voices in the background, but he could only make out bits and pieces of what was said.

_"Stop---! Don't be so----! Ask him---!!"_

_"LaBelle---! Bitch----! So pushy----!"_

"Uhh.. Hinata-chan.. who else is there with you...??" Naruto asked fearfully, growing increasingly nervous as he scratched the back of his head. He could feel the eyes of his co-workers watching him now, most likely eavesdropping on his conversation. Normally someone leaves the room for a phone call, but Naruto didn't know to do that.

_"U-uh.." _She paused, seemingly nervous herself. She knew he probably wasn't going to be enthusiastic about her answer. _"J-just my fr-friends.. th-they wanna m-meet y-you.."_

The look on Naruto's face did it. Ryoji couldn't hold back his laughter anymore, clutching his abdomen loosely with one arm, his free hand slapping at the counter.

He looked like the creepy Mr. Kimura from _Azumanga Daioh! ;_ face wan and ashen, and mouth hanging wide open.

"What happened? Did she dump you??" He teased, somewhat hopeful that she did. He wondered what his grieving process would be like. He'd seen guys cry before over their girls, so he wondered if Naruto was the crying type. Even funnier that he was still a high schooler, a child in his eyes. He could barely smother his snickers. _'Maybe he'll cry, whine and throw a fit...! Gyahahaha!'_

"No.. she wants me to meet her friends..." Naruto weakly croaked out.

Ryoji nodded, regaining his cool now that his amusement was slightly moot.

"Ah, so that's like meeting the fams, huh?" Ryoji grinned, leaning an elbow on his shoulder. He wondered why he looked so mortified. Meeting your girl's girlfriends is usually fun, at least that's how he felt about it. He didn't expect Naruto's answer however.

"NO! THEY'RE A BUNCH OF CREEPY COSPLAYERS!!"

* * *

Moe was surprised and delighted. She ran and skipped all the way to the building.

"I can't believe it! He's so close by! He's been in Harajuku this whole time!" Moe grinned excitedly, opening the door for her friends. They were immediately met with the indistinct din of talking, chanting, and singing, the smell of teriyaki and curry swimming through their senses.

There were greeted by a petite girl, with big black eyes, short black hair, a polite smile and dimples.

"Hello. Welcome to The Elephant Cafe. How many in your party?"

"Ooh! You're so cute!" Moe giggled, hopping up and down. She bent down to Hiro's level to poke at her squishy cheeks. _Poit, poit, poit..._She paused her poking and looked her tiny mole below her left eye. "Wha! I think your pupil fell out!"

Robin smacked his forehead in embarrassment.

"I said, how many in your party?" Hiro's voice glowered, while she maintained a calm expression.

"Four." LaBelle answered, getting annoyed with Moe herself. She pulled her aside as Hiro gathered four menus and lead them into the restaurant. Robin followed far behind, muttering to himself.

"Why am I here? Am I even important to the story anymore? And what am I? A background character or a supporting character? Or am I just a comic relief? But I thought Moe was the comic relief... am I her comic relief??"

Moe walked over to him.

"What are you doing?"

"Questioning my existence."

"Ah." Moe nodded.

* * *

Naruto and Ryoji staked out behind the giant Buddha statue that sat in the middle of the restaurant.

"Is that them? Which one is Hinata?" He asked curiously, pointing at group of four that Hiro just seated. When he got no answer, Ryoji turned around looking for Naruto. He was sitting on the floor, arms and legs crossed, a mix of a glare and stubborn determination on his face.

He wasn't going to move.

"What the hell? What is wrong with you?" Ryoji nudged him with his foot, lightly kicking him in the calf.

_"H-Hinata-chan...!" Naruto gasped out, alarmed at her desperate behavior. He kept pushing her away, and she just kept holding on. She now had her arms tightly grasped around his waist like a vice, her face pressed against his belly, as she kept blindly crying out. _

_"No! Nonononono!"_

_"What's wrong with you?!?! What do you want?!?!" He shouted, overwhelmed and aggravated with her._

_He could feel his shirt turn moist from her leaking eyes, confusion arresting his mind._

_She wasn't going to let go._

"I'm not doing it. I'm not going out there." He replied, like it was his final answer.

"You serious?" Ryoji sighed out tiredly, wondering what the point of this was. "You know she's going to ask for you. At least prolly look for you."

Naruto hadn't thought of that. He let the words sink in, futily refusing the truth. But Ryoji was right. And Naruto knew that not showing up would be too mean. Even though the last thing he wanted to deal with was strangers. Well her friends were going to be strangers to him, because he wasn't planning on assimilating into her group or whatever it is she wanted him to do.

"Hey! Baka!" Ryoji called him out, sternly glaring at the grumpy Naruto who glared at him back. "Be a man."

* * *

Naruto stumbled out into the open, Ryoji roughly giving him the shove. He stared back at the great Buddha statue, as if it were his sanctuary, before grudgingly marching away and towards Hinata's table. He recognized the back of her head.

He only saw a glimpse of her friends once, when she left with them on New Year's Eve. And he sorta already met Moe ('crazy red-headed brat') and Robin (whom he was decidedly going to call 'gay bird' cuz he didn't remember his name), when he served them ramen at The Ichiraku.

"Oi! Oi!" Moe stood up, waving and shouting at him. Naruto grimaced, feeling like he was walking towards his doom. He remembered people calling him hyperactive when he was a child. He wondered if he would wanna punch his younger self if he ever met him. "Oiiiiiiii!" She continued to call, embarrassing her entire table. "Oi! O-oi.... OI! OMIGOSH! IT'S A FOREIGNER!!" She announced, pointing at him like he were a leper on display.

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks.

All eyes were on him now.

They were looking at him like he was a math equation, even the actual blonde-hair, blue-eyed foreigners.

He glared at her harshly, a bitter, wry smirk on his lips, looking at her like 'oh, that's real funny, but you're gonna regret your mistake'.

He glared at her like that, but he had nothing planned.

* * *

"Where are they?! Where are they?! Cute girls?! Where are they, where're the cute girls?!"

The manager Mr. Masaharu was running amok, rushing around the restaurant, looking for the table Ryoji said Naruto was bussing. He spotted the blonde-haired delinquent and skidded to a halt, running straight for the table.

"There they are!" Mr. Masaharu exclaimed happily.

Naruto jumped, he hadn't seen him there. LaBelle, Moe, Hinata and Robin sat there staring wide-eyed at the older man like an alien had crashed through the roof.

"Dude, what're you doing?!" Naruto called out, but the manager ignored him. He was staring at the group like he was choosing which cookie he wanted at a bakery.

He saw Robin.

"You're not a cute girl." He said straight out, making Moe laugh at Robin and poke his cheek. He looked mortified.

He looked at Moe, taking in her reddish-mulberry hair, black and neon-pink shirt, skull belt, and torn bleached straight-leg jeans.

"Not my type." He said dismissing her. Moe stuck her tongue out at him.

He turned to LaBelle. She looked like a _Banana Republic_ mannequin, except dressed in nearly all _Coco Chanel_. She had her long buttermilk blonde hair updone in a free-flowing ponytail, softening her features, but not enough. She had such a stony expression, sharp chin, and her mouth born a frown. He would find her intimidating, if he couldn't already tell she was a high schooler.

"....You dress far too mature for your age. I already get the impression that you're not a very fun person to be around." He openly stated, LaBelle staring at him indignant and aghast. "And you're too beautiful not to smile. You need to enjoy life more."

Moe was trying so hard to not burst out laughing. She grabbed her napkin and smothered it against her lips, snickers escaping her frequently. _'Omigosh, hahaha! This old guy is amazing, he read her like a postcard!'_

Then he turned to Hinata.

His eyes widened considerably.

_'Long dark hair... pale skin.... and such big eyes....! She has such soft features...oh, look at her little lips!'_

"If only I was twenty years younger." The manager sighed wistfully, disturbing the teens in an alarming uproar.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

* * *

LaBelle and Moe were having another argument, their biggest one yet, a life-and-death match of ideals.

LaBelle was against Naruto.

Moe was for Naruto, only because she supported Hinata unconditionally.

"Hey, LaBelle. It's not like she's having his babies."

"I know, and I certaintly hope not, yet at least. But I'm just saying, he has to be able to support her."

"I know, but you're saying this like we're not in high school anymore. It's fine that he has a crappy job, he's not paying for her shit yet."

"And why not? He should be giving her a rose each day."

"Omigod, that is so cliche! How is that even important?!"

"Because I don't want her to be stuck with some loser! He doesn't even look like he takes care of himself! He looks disgusting!"

"What, like his hair, and the fact that it's a little messy?? That's disgusting?"

"Don't make this sound so paltry! And why is his hair blonde?!"

"Why is _your_hair blonde?!"

"Don't make this about me! It's about Emi-chan!"

"You're the one making it like it's all about you, stupid!"

"Bah! What's going to happen if they're still together years from now, huh?! We don't know what university he's planning on attending, we don't know what major he's interested in...!"

"Why should any of us care about that now?! They're not getting married, they're not even going out yet!!"

"I want to know that he's going to have a good job after high school! I want to know that he can support himself and her! And I want to know what kind of family he comes from."

"SHE'S NOT HAVING HIS BABIES!!! Who cares about his family?! Who cares about money?! This is supposed to be about love!"

"And like you said, they're not going out yet! So where is your so-called love, hm?!"

"Your perspective is so screwed up, I swear!! Ya can't put all these expectations into one relationship! Shit don't work that way! Guys get intimidated by that amount of responsibility!"

"Which is so retarded, coming from the male species!"

Robin was beginning to feel very uncomfortable right now.

"Guys need to care about their own shit! And girls need to care about their own shit! The male isn't obligated to take on the female's burdens! And the female isn't obligated to take on his! She doesn't have to do his laundry, he does his own fucking laundry! She pays for her own bills, and he pays for his own shit! The guy doesn't have to clean the house unless she's asks it of him!"

"What're you going on about?! The guy takes care of the girl! Period!"

"Then the guy ends up with a bratty bitch of a girlfriend!"

"Only unless she was a brat to begin with! Emi-chan is no spoilt child! She won't change, just because the guy takes on a little responsibility."

"Wow, a little?!"

"Yes, a little! As a member of our nation, he is obligated and expected, from birth, to succeed for the betterment and prosperity of our society. He's ought to graduate, get a good job with a steady income, and improve our way of life. That is everyone's inherited obligation. Taking care of Emiri-chan and being able to provide for her is 'a little responsibility'! He should be able to accomodate her needs. He should be able to handle their money, and he should be able to always love her."

Moe didn't say anything for awhile. She couldn't. She gave up and stared at LaBelle with apathetic eyes.

"That old man was right. You're not a fun person to be around."

"Fun no longer exists after high school. That's why you have to think about this stuff now." Labelle replied coldly.

Moe just rolled her eyes.

* * *

Naruto came around with their desserts, he had yet to sit down with them. He knew Hinata wanted him to, but he was ably avoiding it.

"Red bean ice cream for the crazy red-headed brat." Naruto said easily, sliding the dish over, getting shocked looks from the group, except from Moe, who was grinning with amusement. "Peach smoothie for gay bird."

"Ha, he just called you a gay bird!" Moe laughed with her mouth full, ice cream dripping down her chin. "Haha, a peach smoothie. That's purdy gay, bwahaha!" Robin was too indignant, pissed off and wimpy to make a good comeback.

"I thought it was straight to like peaches.." He mumbled weakly under his breath.

Naruto looked at the table one more time. The buttermilk-blonde-headed statue of a girl didn't order anything.

"And.. vanilla pudding for Hina--"

"Th-th-thank y-you!" Hinata blurted out, cutting him off before he could complete her name. He stopped and looked at her quizzically. She just sat there with a wide, wide grin, trying to play it off. Naruto shrugged.

"Won't you sit down with us?" LaBelle asked, taking a sip of her tea, looking like some overly proper rich girl. Naruto grimaced. People like her intimidated him.

"Can't. Sorry. Hate to get the manager mad." Naruto threw out choppily, with a stiff grin. He felt incredibly uncomfortable right now. LaBelle ignored him.

"Then you can tell your manager that your girlfriend needs you." She said coolly, coldly.

Naruto felt his eye twitch awkwardly. _'My what now?' _Something about that and how she said it, severely bugged the crap out of him.

"But.. Hina---"

Hinata cut him off again.

"NARUTO-KUN!" Her shout startled five tables around them. Naruto stopped and stared at her.

"Emiri-chan?" He tried hopefully, still confused, wondering if he was supposed to use her nickname or what.

"No!" Hinata reactively flung a spoonful of her pudding, stopping Naruto from speaking altogether.

She got him right in the face.

* * *

Hinata stood by the door, fumbling nervously with her fingers, distressed and embarrassed at what she did. Naruto growled under his breath, blindly searching for the paper towel dispenser.

"I-I'm r-r-really s-s-sorry... N-Naruto... kun...!"

"Yeah?" He asked, like he didn't believe her, wiping globs of pudding from his eyes.

"U-uh... well.. Y-you know th-th-that y-you c-can't u-use my cosplay n-name.." She smiled weakly, hoping he wasn't too mad.

"Can't call you by your real name. Can't call you by your nickname. What'm I supposed to call you?" He sighed, dipping a handful of clean paper towels in the warm sink water.

Hinata shrugged lamely, answers going off in her head but she never confessed them. _'You can call me darling.. you can call me your love...'_

"Damn.. think I got some o' yer pudding in my eyes.. Ah, crap. It's in my hair too.." Naruto complained aside, making Hinata giggle. He turned to her, his stare halting her giggles. She bit her lip nervously, trying to stifle a smile.

She wasn't looking at him. Naruto never understood this, why she couldn't look at him directly. Part of him still thought that maybe she was scared of him, maybe that was also why she stuttered so. But she put up with him for the most part, so she couldn't be all that scared of him, like he was thinking.

She looked pretty with her hair down like that; slightly touseled, strands framed around her face, bringing focus to her lips, her bangs sweeping over her wide eyes. He liked the clothes she was wearing too, she looked liked a normal girl that takes care of her looks. At least, that is to say, her new clothes were more flattering than those enormously foofy skirts and ribbons. He wasn't sure who she was trying to attract in that loli crap.

"So were you and your friends cosplaying earlier?" He asked breezily, still wiping his face in the mirror.

"No. I'm not a Lolita anymore." Hinata answered suprisingly easily. Naruto screwed his eyes at the mirror quizzically, not quite understanding what she said.

"Really? I thought you were hardcore about that or something. Like otaku pride and all that." Naruto took another sheet of paper towel and wet it, now working the pudding out of his hair.

Hinata's bashful smile dropped a few degrees, her mind becoming briefly introverted. _'I thought I was..' _She mumbled to herself, her treacherous inward voice invading her thoughts. _'You were. ...Oh, do your friends know?'_

She shook her head and smiled.

"I-I don't know about th-that, N-Naruto-kun."

He just shrugged. He wasn't listening to her entirely anymore.

"Y-you look l-like y-your cos-cosplaying th-though.. Naruto-kun..." She teased softly, eyeing his work uniform, as her fingers fought eachother.

Naruto sulked at the sink, embarrassment and shame passing over his cheeks in a blush.

"Bah! Don't say that!" Naruto complained in turn.

Hinata bit down on her lip, unsure whether she was fighting a smile or a frown. She always found whatever he did was cute, even when he was mad or yelling at her. And she felt bad for teasing him, since he seemed displeased, but at the same time loved it, but she couldn't decide between her feelings. Because she felt bad. But he was still so cute. But he wasn't amused like she was. And so she felt bad for being amused. But she couldn't help herself! She was sorry, sad and happy at the same time! It was like a continuous cycle of inconsistency! She wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or apologize. She wanted to hug him a little, but she was afraid to do that. She didn't want to get him more mad at her. And she wasn't sure which was appropiate to do, whether to laugh or to apologize. Both seemed like the initial thing to do. But she was afraid to do both at the same time, because then maybe he would misread her and get mad all the same.

And she knew she could do nothing about it now because she just missed her chance for any response.

She was aware of the rule of timing.

One to three seconds for a regular reply.

Five to ten seconds signals hesitancy or pause.

Ten to twenty is a delayed response.

And any time after thirty seconds is far too late, and usually a new topic is created by then.

She had no idea when she learned these things.

Naruto was watching her idly through the mirror.

He was still curious about that sunday night, why she freaked out like that. She seemed nervous, the way she was chewing on her bottom lip, and fiddling with her hair.

Compared to Hiro, she was a child. She exuded a hapless, clumsy sort of innocence. She was cute too, he knew that, acknowledged it at times... forgot other times, then re-acknowledged it. But other times she was still wierd, even wierder than usual these days.

_'Do I make her nervous?'_He mused at the mirror, observing her reflection.

Naruto felt his brain switch on, his musings leading into immense curiousity. There was a part of him that some people would themselves call wierd, or others were call stupidity. And maybe it's a normal male quirk. But when something caught his interest, he didn't stop until something stopped him first.

And right now, he was in one of those relentless moods.

Naruto pulled away from the sink and turned towards her.

He had a feeling that she wasn't going to stop him at all. Or at least not right away.

There was voice in the back of his head, dark and mischevious, smirking readily, it murmured _'I think it'll be more fun to see her try... girls like her are more submissive...'_

He thought about how she had been climbing all over him, her cries of protest.

_"N-no! No, no, no, no, no, no!" She cried out, struggling to hold her grasp on him._

He thought about the way she had clung to him, her arms around his neck, her body pressed against his.

_He was beneath her, she had him right where she needed him. He was right beneath her and she couldn't even enjoy it._

He thought about how all that movement nearly made her crawl right out of her dress. He could still remember what kind of bra she wore.

Black lace.

Half-cup.

Push-up, no straps.

Her bra could have slipped off easily with her dress.

Naruto felt uncomfortable for a moment. His conscience was nagging him. He forced the voice away, taking slow, deliberate steps towards her.

Hinata became increasingly aware of this. She instinctively stepped backwards, pressing herself against the door, finding herself trapped. She was like a frightened deer, frozen, unaware of her surroundings, her eyes glued on the approaching figure before her. She couldn't read his eyes, his face. No smile, just a neutral expression. His stance was aloof and cool, yet somewhat foreboding. His eyes seemed to pry into her a little at a time, the closer he got, she felt like he was slowly delving into her, deeply.

He stopped inches before her.

She never reached for the knob, though she could have. Something he found interesting.

Naruto let the barest of smirks on his face, a cocky-cool expression passing over him.

She felt intimidated by him. And it excited her.

Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets, and leaned in close to her face.

He smirked to himself this time, inwardly, as he observed her wide eyes.

"Are ya gonna faint? Or freak out? What're ya gonna do this time?" He smirked, the warmth of his breath hitting her lips.

".....what are you gonna do....?" She whispered, her heart pounding exuberantly in her chest. _'Why do I heard drums??'_

"Youuu... wanna continue sunday night?" He probed cheekily in a nonchalant manner. His words put Hinata at great unease, the shame and embarrassment resurfacing.

"....I'm really sorry about that...." She whispered again, like a shy child telling a secret with endearing guile.

Naruto stifled a smile. She was quite amusing at times, especially at this moment.

"Yeah? ...Why?" He insisted, the smirk returning.

".....I didn't mean.... t-to do th-that...." Came Hinata's soft-spoken reply. She wasn't sure, if that was true or not. She hadn't thought about her actions that night, yet there was still some intent for what she did. So to say that she didn't mean to was questionable.

Her confession drew out Naruto's curiousity, her words like an indirect invitation to his mischief.

He took this to his advantage.

Naruto wasn't really thinking straight either, actually he wasn't really thinking at all. His curiousity lead him, his actions inspired by spontaneity.

He moved to reaction, and so far she was egging him on, whether she knew it or not.

He grabbed her hands and placed them against his sides. "You didn't mean to have your arms around me?" He grinned playfully. He walked in closer and placed her hands against his lower back.

Hinata thought she was going to fall, her head was so light and her face so hot, that she instinctually grabbed fingerfuls of his shirt. Naruto felt the way her nails scraped along his back and winced. But it didn't hurt, it actually felt kind of good.

He looked her up and down; she was wearing a tight lacy milk-white shirt underneath a calf-length English-blue dress, the skirt billowy and loose, and knee-high camel-brown biker boots. Shamelessly he zoomed in on her chest. He could see her bra right through that lacy shirt. The dress's v-neckline did nothing to cover her chest. Curiously he reached out and pulled the lapel of her dress partly aside to see her bra.

Dark purple, almost plum. Not lacy, but it was another half-cup, and under that lacy white shirt of hers, he could see the top of her breasts entirely.

Hinata was scared out of her mind, and thrilled at the same time. She felt pride swell in her already blood-swollen face, proud that he was taking such an interest in her. Proud that he was touching her and looking at her, making moves on her. Proud because she finally knew; this was the way he liked his girls to dress. _'This is.. sexy, right? D-does he think me... sexy now?'_

Naruto couldn't believe how nice her cleavage looked. It was a perfect soft line, as if her breasts couldn't get more smooshed together than that.

_'Betcha they can, though..'_ The murky voice inside his head mused, like an afterthought.

Hinata wasn't sure why he was still staring. It was a little embarrassing. She wasn't sure what to say, she missed his touches. She wanted him to touch her more. She could still the heat of his hand against her shoulder, his fingers still wrapped around the strap of her dress.

Nervously, carefully, she released one hand from his back and brought it to her right shoulder strap.

This got his attention.

She bit her lip. It was suddenly hard to swallow. Her throat felt dry, yet at the same time flooded with saliva, yet she was afraid to swallow for fear of making that loud disgusting sound. She slid the strand down and off her shoulder, in hopes that he would enjoy it. She wanted to continue feeling admired.

As she dropped her arm away, the strap fell further down, the lapel of her dress slipping away, her left bra-bound breast revealed to him.

His brain stopped.

He turned to her, gave her this hard, wide-eyed look, and just stared.

He was thunderstruck.

He tried thinking, words failing him even in thought. _'Is... i-i-is sh-she r-really..?'_ But her eyes revealed no fear, no hate, nor disgust. There was nothing there telling him to 'stop'. He couldn't believe she wasn't telling him to stop. He couldn't believe that she wasn't running away, screaming or hitting him. Did she even know what she was doing? Because he didn't, and he hadn't a clue what he was doing.

It started out as playful teasing, with the excuse to touch her and see if he could get away with it. But now she was encouraging him. And deliberately encouraging him too! Not that kind of 'act sweet, then turn into a total bitch in denial' sort of bullshit. She was really doing this.

_'I-i.... is this....?? ..Is THIS what she wanted?!?!'_

He was starting to wonder why she had been so nice to him all the time, why she had never protested to their playfulness on the roof, why she never complained about his touching her. In all his experience, this NEVER happened to him. He was trying to figure her out, his brain struggling to find the rational reasons for her current behavior. He was completely dumbfounded.

_'W-why...? So..... th-then.. why?!'_ Something in his brain clicked. Suddenly it seemed obvious. _'Wait.. is this what they meant when they say 'It's always the quiet ones'?? Ahahaha, n-no way.... No way! Ahahaha, H-Hinata-chan can't REALLY be like that..! ...NO, IDIOT! IT'S TRUE! She really is! Why else would a girl come on to you?! She doesn't like you or anything, she's just a-----!'_

"N-Naruto-kun...?" Hinata called out worriedly, as she reached out to him and cupped his face. _'Why isn't he moving? Why isn't he saying anything? ..M-maybe I didn't lose enough weight?'_

Naruto didn't say anything. He couldn't. He didn't think either. He just reacted to her touch, so soft and cool. He felt like he was in fever.

Naruto grasped the side of her face with both hands and crashed his lips onto hers. He was rough and clumsy. Her lips felt numb and cold at first, like the sudden pressure caused her lips to fall asleep, until he started moving his lips against hers that she began to regain feeling.

Hinata whimpered against him, partly out of awkward pain, partly out of pleasure. She felt her eyes grow wet, her heart pound madly. The tears leaked out with the moans, muffled sounds stumbling from her lips into his mouth. His tongue tasted funny, he was kinna slimy.

Naruto was surprised how responsive she was. Part of him wished he knew what he was doing, for fear of screwing up and making a fool of himself afterwards. But part of him didn't care, feeling too high and narcissistic about the situation, that he didn't care if she liked it or not. She encouraged this anyways, so no going back.

Naruto cupped the side of her head with both hands, cradling her backwards so he could delve into her more.

Hinata felt like she was going to choke, his tongue was so insisting. She felt herself losing balance, continually getting pushed down by him, she hit her head against the door. He had no awareness of her, his mind running down a tunnel-vision of hormones.

She struggled to grab hold of him, something to change their position and regain control. She dragged her hands from his back, to his sides, up his chest, feeling her way for his shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer. She ran her nails across his scalp, sending shivers down his neck, before grabbing fistfuls of his hair.

He grabbed at her hips to hold her in place, eliciting a surprised squeak from her, his fingers holding her a little too strongly. His hands went for the back of her knees, hoisting her legs up a little, his grip hopping down her thighs to her butt, til she instinctively wrapped her legs around his lower back. The warmth and tightness of her legs' embrace felt so unusual, so good, he kept searching for that feeling of being swallowed, of being taken in whole.

Naruto shoved her against the door, striving to get closer to her, imposing his entire self onto her. It was overwhelming. She couldn't keep up with him. He pinned her to the door, kept pressing her against the wood, the sounds she made exciting him; so raw, so cute. He found he couldn't hold her up like this for much longer. He grabbed hold of her hips and swung her over to the sink, sitting her down on the porcelain.

Hinata sighed against him, partly out of relief, finding this position more comfortable now that she was at level with him. She carressed his face, running her fingers through his somewhat unclean hair, down his neck, from his adam's apple to his clavicle, trying to touch every nearby part of him she could.

He ran his hands down the length of her back, wrinkling the fabric of her dress as he went, nearly pushing her head into the bathroom mirror.

She thought she would burst.

She couldn't think. She couldn't think. She felt like she was falling deep inside herself, her sight was bleary, full of spots, full of him. She feared her heart would stop, her face would explode. There was so much blood pounding in her cheeks. All she could hear was his breathing ---short, deep, loud--- an air of humidity stuck against her cheeks.

She licked his lips over and over again. He tasted like the pudding. So warm and sweet. Her lower body felt hot and slimy like his tongue, her inner-want crawling out her lips in quiet mewls.

Naruto couldn't believe the noises she was making.

Hinata wrapped her legs around his back tighter, the heels of her boots digging in slightly.

Naruto groaned into her mouth.

She wrapped her arms around his neck tighter, bringing him closer, pressing herself against his stomach. He could barely move, she had him completely in her grasp.

_'S-she... she's a fuckin' octopus...!'_

Admist all their noise, their wet sighs and choppy breathing, they never noticed the knob turn.

There was a click.

Then the sounds of the restaurant poured in.

Naruto's eyes snapped open, awareness and alarm taking over his body, consciousness regained. He pulled away from Hinata's lips, and stared at the newcomer with wide, sheepish eyes. His lips felt numb, his mind dumb, and body stiff like rubber. He felt like he was having an out-of-body experience, like what was currently happening wasn't true at all. But it was.

Hiro stood there coolly, yet amused, but also intrigued and confused, as she looked between the two of them, unsure which one to address. She had just come in to use the bathroom, never expecting this. (Not that many usually do.)

Funny that they didn't even lock the door.

Hinata never noticed the change, her mind still in the throes of blind passion, contently planting kisses all over his cheek. '.._Even his cheeks tastes like pudding...!'_

Naruto struggled to ignore her and keep his attention on Hiro, trying to play off the situation as a figment of her imagination with a clueless smile.

No luck.

An incredulous snicker stumbled out of Hiro's open-mouth smile, pure amusement now glittering in her big black eyes.

"Fishcakes... you slut."

* * *

Naruto had to wait a few minutes before rejoining Hinata at their table. Partly because Hiro wouldn't stop teasing him and he had to fight her to get her to shut up. And partly because he knew it'd look suspicious if they left together.

His co-workers around the restaurant kept looking at him quizzically. He looked like he just killed the neighbor's dog or something. His eyes were so wide, so full of disbelief.

He wandered over to Hinata's table, her friends staring at him expectantly. LaBelle looked like she was glaring, and Moe was grinning as always. He couldn't quite bring himself to look at Hinata right away. It was far too awkward.

Hinata pushed the bill forward, smiling up at him all the while with concerned eyes. He took it and checked the payment.

"Um, you p-payed... 1,000 yen extra..." He drawled out, seemingly unable to tune into reality.

"What? No, we didn't. Who gave him the tip?" LaBelle asked, looking around the table. Moe and Robin shook their heads. LaBelle then rolled her eyes, realizing what was going on. She stood up and grabbed the bill from Naruto, plucking the 1000 yen bill and shoved it back into Hinata's hand.

"You're the girlfriend! You don't give your boyfriend money! He has to make his own money!" LaBelle scolded, making Naruto feel awkward and a little uncomfortable.

_'...scary, uppity bitch... don't tell me about money...'_Naruto wished he could say that to her, but at the same time didn't wish it entirely.

He finally glanced down at Hinata, then looked away.

Her friends began sidling out of the booths, gathering their coats and bags. Hinata was smiling fondly at him all the while, she couldn't forget what happened, she partly couldn't believe it, but she couldn't forget it either.

Naruto continued to look away, the whole thing felt wierd. He couldn't help but note the way she looked, even in his stupor.

_'...she's glowing...'_

"C'mon, Emi-chan!" LaBelle called, sounding like those upper-class monster moms.

"Coming." She called out softly, still staring at Naruto, waiting until her friends were far enough ahead.

Hinata leaned into him. She grabbed his hand and kissed his cheek; a light, loving peck on the cheek.

"B-Bye." She smiled, receiving a distracted nod from him.

He waited until they were all gone, his mind working so slowly, he found it hard to process things.

He looked down at his hand and unfurled his fingers.

5,000 yen.

She had given him 5,000 yen this time, instead of 1,000 yen.

To her, she gave him her heart.

He couldn't seem to smile.

He kept feeling like he'd done something terrible.

* * *

"Was he stoned or something?" Moe asked in a conspiratory voice, upsetting Robin and Labelle as she always did. Nobody knew what happened, Hinata never uttered a word and they never asked.

"Moe! What the hell?!" Robin complained, feeling so embarrassed of her right now. Not that was ever new.

"Oh come on! Did ya see how spaced out he was there??" Moe laughed a little, trying to convince them she was serious.

"What's your basis for this?!" LaBelle yelled out, hoping she wasn't right for once. She already disliked the boy; he had a low-wage job, he refused to sit and talk with them, he was unsightly all around, his blonde spiky hair made him look like a foolish hooligan... and to think that maybe he snuffed on the job or something was deplorable!

"Isn't that what foreigners do? They get stoned alot, don't they?" Moe grinned naively.

LaBelle shook her head. She was going to ignore this.

"Ugh, whatever. You're such a maniac."

* * *

Hiro couldn't stop shaking her head, she couldn't hide her grin. And she definitely couldn't get the picture out of her head. She just wished she had taken an actual picture, so that she could shame and or embarrass him with it.

He looked like he couldn't climb out of the moment either. He walked so sluggishly, his head hung and cheeks stubbornly stained red. She wondered what was bothering him more; her knowing and catching them, or his doing it with a customer. Which for the most part, she couldn't begin to comprehend.

He already told her that the girl wasn't his girlfriend. And she already knew he didn't have a girlfriend to begin with.

He didn't say who she was, and he stubbornly refused to explain himself.

So that only meant; the girl was either a total stranger or perhaps a classmate. And even then, classmate and stranger was the same thing if they weren't going out.

Which left her with one word, and one word only, and it was steadily becoming her new favorite nickname for him.

"Slut." Hiro grinned cheekily, her teasings leaving him exhausted.

He couldn't even muster enough emotion to express his aggravation.

"Shut up."

_

* * *

_

Momo- OMG! I can't believe I ended it that way! (There was originally gonna be more drama, but I realized that all of that was going to feel rushed) So more drama and angst in the next chapter, yayyyyy! NOW FOR THE NOTES!! WHOO!

* * *

Liner Notes:

-"What kind of perfect is he?": Moe named off different Japanese Male Idols: Gackt, Jun Matsumoto, Koike Teppei, Eiji Wentz (THEY ARE SO GOOD-LOOKING!! ALL OF THEM!!) "Pete Wentz?" SAY WHAT?! I SAID EIJI, FOOL! XDDD

-Blood types: Type A and Type B are said to not go together. But who the crap cares about that! NARUHINA ALL THE WAY, WHOO! XD

-Yukorin: aka Yuko Ogura, a super-cute, super-hottie-wit-deh-body Gravure Model! (I think she'd be Naruto's type. XP)

-Practice of multiple (secret) girlfriends?: IDK, I hear it all the time in my shoujo manga, lol. Ran Kotobuki says "Oh, I have tons of boyfriends, just no one special." YES! Bwahahaha! (Naw, but monogamy is important. XD lol)

-Setsubun Festival: The First day of Spring in Japan, February 3rd or 4th, I forgot. But anyhoo, I originally had planned a pivotal filler episode of the Setsubun Festival. But with the way this chapter has evolved, it won't work out, so for once there goes a well-planned out idea.

-BOBA TEA: IS THE SHYT!!!! HOLY MOLEY, YA GOTTA TRY IT!!!!

-Poster scene with foot-patrolling Police officers: I have no idea if there's laws against nonsensical posters, but I can expect for sure that there isn't any. But the Police in Japan are not part of the government, so in a way they are free to do things within their reign or whatever. Basically the poster scene seemed dumb and insignificant perhaps, but I can imagine the police officers would rain on Naruto's parade seeing how lewd and retarded those posters were, lol. Nevermind, I'll stop trying to rationalize things, eheheh...

-"I hope he doesn't get held back...": Getting held back in Japanese schools?? Does that happen in Japan? IDK, but I saw it happen in the first episode of "School Rumble".

-"OMIGOSH! IT'S A FOREIGNER!" : Naruto is blonde and has blue-eyes. ...foreigner.. lol.

-"Didn't he looked stoned? Isn't that what foreigners do, they get stoned?": Lol, I had Moe make fun of us Americans. X3

-"She doesn't like you or anything, she's just a-----!" : Anyone wanna guess what Naruto was going to say there? (Man, he is soooooooo duuuuuuumb...!)

* * *

REVIEW! I LOVE YA GUYS FOR REVIEWING! THANK YOU SO MUCH, PLEASE REVIEW SOME MORE! MUAHAHAHAHA!


	27. Mind Games, Love Games pt I

Momo - I changed this chapter so much, just to let you guys all know!! So to whoever I said "this chapter is gonna be evocative" or some shit, forget it, I lied!! LOL! In anycase, two/three things about the manga if you've been keeping up: 1) OMFG!!!! HINATA WAS SO EPIC!! SHE TOLD HIM!! HE KNOWS!! OMFG, THAT GIRL IS PURE LOVE!!! 2) OMG NARUTO ALMOST WENT 9 TALES, SWEEET!! RELEASE THE BEAST!! WHOO! 3) YUMDAIME TO THE RESCUE, WHAT THE FUGGERNUGGETS????!!

And lastly... Naruto and Hinata better have a mother-friggin' moment together or else. ;(

Please enjoy this new chapter! XD

(PS TO KALLUWEN!!! I'm sorry that I went ahead and uploaded this before you ever got done looking it over, I got too anxious. Sorry again. But if you are almost done with it anyways, I promise to replace this chapter with your edit. :D PPS - I used the spell checker for this! XD)

* * *

Ch.27 - Mind Games Are Fun, Love Games Are Dumb (pt.I)

There was a game today.

Some game the media loves to play.

The Blame Game.

The Name Game.

The same game.

_"Murder today. Britain English Teacher working abroad was discovered dead at her student's apartment."_

_"Her name was Elly Harter."_

_"Her student was seen fleeing from the room. The landlord has identified him as Ichiyashi."_

_"100,000 yen for Ichiyashi's arrest has been posted at every station and police box."_

_"Tokyo police are still investigating what everyone has called 'The Shinjuku Incident' that occurred in Kabukicho behind a local pachinko store a couple months back."_

_"Daiuchi Ihana, the cocaine lord, has been discovered dead inside his cell---!"_

_"---Part of his shirt ripped off and made into a noose!"_

_"--He had been jokingly complaining of minor back aches, says his attorney, and that he had been unimpressed and uninterested in his upcoming trial."_

_"Dae-Eun Sook, the Korean lord of the former Matsuraba-kai has still yet to be found."_

_"Believed to have harbored his successor here in Tokyo."_

_"Members of Daiuchi's ring refuse to speak."_

_"--some have mentioned a 'blue-eyed demon'. Huh, whatever that means."_

_"Maybe they mean the demons of their nightmares, Ha-ha!"_

_"Ha-ha, maybe!"_

_"We'd love to say that crimes committed by juveniles has gone down, but that does not mean it will end, will it?"_

_"No, I'm afraid not."_

_"And that is why we must take further control of our youth!"_

_"Koreans are not to be trusted! They have no honor, no morals, and nothing to lose! Unlike us Japanese."_

_"The Minister of Finance had this to say about our strongest allies the U.S.: "Lucky, we have yellow faces. It would not be good to have blond hair and blue eyes, we would be untrustworthy if we did.""_

"What a nationalistic bastard."

Hiro glared at the screen.

She'd been watching the television in The Manager's office for the past three hours, cutting herself off from the outside world. He lent the room to her when she said she needed to make an important call during her lunch break. Since then she remained, watching the news for any sign of light.

All she found was narcissism and idiocy.

A voice came into the room then, a fellow female co-worker with a cool look and a smooth voice.

She smiled at her.

"Daiuchi-san, we need your assistance please." She grinned in a half-hearted manner. The light sarcasm and familiarity of her voice helped to pull Hiro out of her thoughts, as she smiled back and nodded.

"Be righ' t'ere."

* * *

"How much do you miss her?" LaBelle probed curiously. Kiba shook his head pathetically, tiredly. There was no smile to be seen. No reason for it.

"A lot." He admitted.

They sat out on the patio of a Moroccan Cafe, out in the dry and cold of late February. The sun pulled out of the clouds, shining off the windows of a record store across the street. A line of taxis blew their horns at a bicyclist who sped recklessly down the crosswalk.

LaBelle had forced Kiba out of his house. She made her need greater than his, and she needed to know what was going on with Hinata. No way he couldn't know, since they were in the same class.

"You've only been friends for a couple months though." LaBelle mused, stirring her hot chai tea, the emanating steam rising up from it. She wondered how much Kiba really liked their Hinata. She didn't believe love existed in such short time.

"So..? What, does that make me less qualified or something?" He scoffed irritably under his breath.

"Kind of." LaBelle smiled briefly. She blew on her tea and took a sip, ever so demure, her movements smooth and measured.

"I"m way more qualified than _him_." He muttered aside. LaBelle raised a brow at him, her curiosity turning into a squirming anxiety she struggled to grab a hold of.

"Is that narcissism, or..." She commented warily with a sly half-smile, trying not to come off as too worried. She never let anyone know when she was nervous. But this was easily something to get nervous about.

"Lemme tell you about this guy.." Kiba began, resentment in his voice. He recalled the past months, what the teachers have said, what the classmates have said, what he himself thought; "He's a clown and a punk."

That's not what LaBelle wanted to hear.

"He picks fights with just about anybody. He nearly fought a teacher. He does stupid shit for the sake of attention. And apparently he has a penchant for immoral behavior."

No, this was the last thing she wanted to hear.

"Yakuza came into our school once."

"What...?"

"Yeah, then he started frequently ditching with a _chinpira_. That's what he is, that's his kind." Kiba stopped there. The rest was obvious. The only thing not obvious, the only thing he could not figure out... was Hinata. He began to shake his head in a poor and pitying manner. Whether he was pitying himself or Hinata, she did not know. Then the most weary sigh she heard came from him. The kind that she often heard her father exhale whenever her mother had cheated on him. It was one of those sighs. "Why she likes him so, I don't understand."

_That's his kind._

_That's what he is._

* * *

The day had not begun so well for Naruto.

Naruto had woken up later than he wanted.

When he went to get ready, he realized that he wore all his clothes already, and he didn't haven enough change to spend at the cleaners to wash them.

Then when he wanted to eat, he found his fridge was already empty. (again)

Thus Naruto ventured outside in his unclean bed-head and dirty clothes that smelled of work.

Naruto wandered through the aisles of the local supermarket with the few yen he had. He kept wasting his paycheck on drinks and bar food with Hiro, so now he didn't have enough for groceries.

The place smelled distinctively of fish and chlorine. There was a young girl mopping up around the fish tanks of fresh blue crab and fish, the catfish gaping dumbly about within their confines.

He picked out some toilet paper and headed straight for the dried-food aisle. He was considering the econo-size ramen bowls, even though they don't taste as good as the regular size, it was all he could afford. He scoured the different flavors; spicy shrimp, curry chicken, beef curry, beef.

The market doors opened, a thirty-something-year-old mother entering the threshold with her screaming three-year-old son in tow. Naruto never took notice of them, until he heard a loud smack, followed by two more.

"Shut up!!" The mother screeched, slapping her young son in the cheek again. "Shut up!! Let me get these groceries done!!"

The young boy stood there, cupping his red cheek, miserably hiccuping loud, achy sobs. The stressed-out mother growled furiously and whirled around on Naruto, knowing that he had been staring at them the whole time.

"What're _you_ looking at?!" She screeched lividly.

He hesitated. Usually he was quick to speak, a habit that often got him in trouble. He wanted to say something. He hated seeing this kind of thing, he was so sick of it. But he wasn't sure if it'd make any difference. The child was stuck with her, she was going to keep hitting him til he was old enough to leave.

"Does that hurt you more than it hurts him?" Naruto finally said, looking at her coolly, though his stomach churned uneasily with anxiety.

Of course he was used to the wrath of adults and their uncontrolled frustrations.

"Tch.. You shut up too, stupid bastard!!"

* * *

The sun hid behind a misty haze of clouds, the late morning passing into a pleasant cool afternoon. The neighborhood trees were steadily awakening, little buds of green and pinkish-white dotting the branches like the last remaining snowflakes of winter.

Naruto meandered his way lazily to the house, his thoughts straying in and out of line.

He thought about going back to sleep.

He thought about cleaning the house.

He thought about not cleaning the house.

He didn't know what he was going to do until work.

As his home pulled up from behind the hill, to his dismay, he had a visitor.

Mizuno nodded him a greeting, with that annoying smile on his face.

"Ugh.." Naruto visibly grimaced at the man. "What now?"

The officer looked at him as if he were confused.

"What do you mean 'What now?'? Meeting's not any different than the others." He explained.

Naruto let out a quiet sigh and walked up to his porch, plopping down on the steps and setting his single grocery bag aside. He'd rather have them talk outside his house, than inside. _'I think I forgot to put the DVDs away... hope he didn't break in, like last time.'_

"When does this end? I've been doing good, haven't I?" Naruto asked, staring out into the empty street.

"Well, let's see.. You're holding up well on two jobs, but you're failing school. Are ya gonna pass?"

"Pass what?

"Are you gonna make it into the next grade?" Mizuno restated, raising a eyebrow at him.

"I'm trying." Naruto huffed with a heave of his shoulders.

"The school year ends in a month. I don't think 'trying' is gonna cut it at this rate. And your first semester grades from.. whatever high school you previously attended.. they didn't transfer. You've got nothing to fall back on, you haven't even completed a full semester here."

Naruto sighed and heaved his shoulders again, unable to understand the importance of these facts.

"What does all that mean?"

"I don't think you'll be eligible for passing." He ended in a rather solemn tone, looking on at the boy with concern in his eyes.

Naruto didn't say anything. He slouched forward on the porch, chin listlessly in hand, keeping his eyes ahead. He didn't care what the man said. He listened, letting the words enter one ear, then chose to push them out the other. He didn't care, he didn't understand what Mizuno was talking about. He held this confidence, this arrogant thought that school didn't matter, that he didn't have to do anything to graduate, that he could breeze through and come out on top. That adults were always wrong, whatever they said was just an exaggeration of facts.

_'....Yeah, I can bring my grades up in a month. ....Month's all I need.'_

Mizuno saw that Naruto was blowing him off and chose to change the subject. He spotted at the end of the porch, the handlebars of a old red bicycle, peeking out from the side of the house. He never saw that there. Mizuno walked down the porch towards the bike. Naruto heard this, but barely looked up. He glanced to where Mizuno had been and saw that he wasn't there. Then he looked to Hinata's house, something catching his eye.

"..Wha--??" He leaned forward and squinted his eyes, trying to decipher what he was seeing. Hinata's bedroom shouji was cracked open just the slightest, a single pale eye staring right at him from the safety of her bedroom. Naruto felt his insides grow cold, his face flushed white with a weary grimace. "..ohh.." He groaned to himself, exhausted and creeped out. _'H--Has she..? ...Has she been watching me the whole time?'_Naruto turned away from her, tiredly hiding his face in his hands._'What the hell Hinata.. Either say 'hi', or go away.'_He shook his head, groaning all the while. "Freakin' wierdo.." He sighed.

"Y'know, we got a call about a stolen bike." Mizuno called out, musing as he looked the red bike over.

Naruto lifted his face away from his hands, brief worry passing through him, before rationalization beat out all bad thoughts.

"Yeah?" Was the only intelligent response Naruto could create.

"Well... not like it's part of our department. A man somewhere between Shinjuku and Harajuku called it in at a police box. Then the police box called it in to us, just in case it's one of our delinquents." Mizuno pulled the bike out into the open, eyeing it curiously. "Funny thing though.. When we asked the man for the bike's registration number, he got embarrassed and left the station." He bent down to examine the down-tube; the registration sticker was gone, and the duct tape bearing 'ICHIRAKU' (written in sharpie) was very peculiar. He began to pull on it.

"H-hey wait!" Naruto jumped off the porch, and grabbed the bike from him.

"What?" Mizuno looked at him expectantly, as Naruto hopped up on the bike.

"I just remembered. I got an early shift." Naruto grinned briefly, "Later!", then sped off, ditching the P.O. where he stood.

Naruto hadn't thought about what would happen after he stole the bike. He wouldn't care, if the officer wasn't already gunning for him.

Mizuno had said, 'Just one offense', and he was gone.

He'd get sent straight to that reform school, that's it.

_'Damn... might have to find another place to stash this thing..'_

* * *

All the while, back at the house...

Mizuno bent down and picked up Naruto's abandoned grocery bag, left on the porch.

Nothing but toilet paper and two giant ramen bowls.

"Hm.. he left in such a hurry he forgot to put away his groceries.."

* * *

Naruto had wandered all around town until he was sure Mizuno was gone, so he could head back home.

He didn't have work for several more hours, it was barely the afternoon. He would've hung out at the Ichiraku if he could, but the stand was closed for the day again. Something he briefly worried about. Both Ayame and Teuchi seemed stressed out about something these days, and they kept closing the stand at odd hours or wouldn't open up for a couple of days. Which kind of helped free up his time, but that wasn't something he really cared about, when they didn't seem to be in best of spirits.

Naruto pedalled up to his block, stopping a couple feet short of his house. He hopped off the bike as he kicked it aside into some bushes, and he crept up behind a coniferous tree. He peeked over the side of the trunk, feeling very strange about it. _'Can't believe I'm spying on my own house.'_ he thought, inwardly shaking his head.

Mizuno was still there, wandering up and down his porch, occasionally stopping to peek inside his house as if he might find something incriminating.

Naruto wanted to get rid of him so badly right then.

_'Nosy bastard.. Doesn't he have other appointments or something??'_

Naruto walked back and pulled the bike out from the bushes. He hopped on and wearily repeated his previous journey.

He figured he ought to do something to eat up his time, rather than spend it spying and waiting.

* * *

Naruto had wandered around the neighborhoods until he found a grassy river bank, the man-made river a meager stream that ran under a small bridge.

He walked the bike through the grass, then placed it down on its side, before laying down himself.

He slept the whole afternoon away.

* * *

It was night, and the midnight moon hid behind a thick veil of clouds, the city lights coloring the clouds a pinkish-red. Naruto just got out of work with Hiro and Ryoji, and they sat at a meager sushi stand, _Sapporo_ beers abound on the counter.

Hiro wouldn't let up about the night she caught him and Hinata in the bathroom. It'd only been a few days since, and it was still her favorite topic.

"Ne.. What was t'at white stuff I saw in sink?" Hiro jokingly mused, placing a finger on her lips.

Naruto snapped his head up at this, a look of alarm and confusion on his face.

"Wh-what? Wh-white st-stuff??" He couldn't remember much now, so he had no idea what she was talking about. He was afraid what she was saying was what he was thinking. _'The position we were in... n-no way! We had our clothes on!!'_

"Yeah, what white stuff?" Ryoji probed curiously in his low voice, taking short sips of his beer.

"Haha, ya know... _White stuff_." The smirking Hiro winked at Ryoji, passing along the secret knowledge to him, a similar smirk appearing his lips.

"Oh man... haha, that's so gross..." He said coolly, his words instantly bothering Naruto.

"What?! What?!" Naruto asked, desperate and frustrated, whirling his head around so fast he thought it would snap off. He had no idea what they were talking about! He was ready to shake them both, and they were being jerks!

"Fishycakes! How you not know?? You were t'e one t'ere!" Hiro teased, calling out in a worried manner, peering up at him with sad eyes, as if he had betrayed her with his 'denial'.

After a moment, it came to him, and he remembered.

"Wait... that was pudding." Naruto stated dumbly.

Ryoji accidentally sprayed out some of his beer, his throat tickling with laughter. He couldn't swallow his beer without choking on it, he could feel the bubbly liquid enter his nasal cavity. It felt like it'd leak out his nose.

"P-Pudding?!" He coughed out, snickering incredulously, a trickle of beer leaking from his nose. _'Ugh... gross...'_Ryoji grabbed a napkin and dabbed around nose, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Oh, pudding? Really?" Hiro grinned cheekily, poking him in the cheek. Naruto swatted her finger away, glaring at her mildly.

"Yeah. What'd ya think it was?" He ground out suspiciously.

"I s'ought it was _Bukkake Juice_." She said with the straightest face.

Ryoji nearly burst out laughing, clamping down as beer dribbled down his chin. He yelled at Hiro in his mouth for making him laugh while he was drinking. He kept slamming at the table, disturbing several empty glass bottles and the plates of sushi, all the while trying to focus on swallowing. He couldn't stop laughing.

Naruto had such a mortified expression, that Hiro wondered if she broke him.

It didn't look like there was a working thought left in his brain.

"IT WAS PUDDING! IT WAS PUDDING! SHUT UP, IT WAS PUDDING!" Naruto yelled out dumbly, pointing a finger at her, Ryoji laughing even harder now behind him.

She sat there, smiling innocently at him.

"Must've been yummy." Came her quirky quip. Naruto sat back down, glaring unseeingly at the counter, his ire still burning like the blush on his face. This made her smile more. "So... who pudding was it?"

Naruto's temper was his downfall, it was always his downfall.

"It was her pudding!" He blurted out without thinking, his choice of words sending Ryoji and Hiro into fits of laughter. Seconds passed as he ran the words through his head over and over, before realizing what was so funny. "Aah, what the hell?!" He yelled out, before hiding his face in his hands. "Assholes, quit being dirty!"

"Haha, we're not the dirty ones, Naruto-san." Ryoji smirked.

"Heh, kids t'ese days... Right, Ryoji-kun?" Hiro teased, smirking as she picked up her beer.

"Yup." Ryoji nodded coolly in agreement, taking a swig.

Naruto let out a whiny groan, and like an agitated child, pinned his stare on the obnoxiously relaxed Ryoji.

"Shut up, beaner."

* * *

Ryoji had gone home, leaving Naruto and Hiro to wander around Tokyo until one felt like retiring. Hiro wondered what would happen if she tried to ditch him. All he did was puppy-dog her around; he never went home until after she did. It was kind of cute, but also dumb, and rather annoying.

What was it with kids that they loved to follow other people around? That's she thought of him at least. Just a dumb kid.

He had this really grumpy look on his face now too.

"Wha's wit' you?" She asked, poking him a couple times in the side, deriving little growls from him. His frown seemed to stretch and deepen. "Anyt'ing we said?" She asked again.

"Naw," He said, shaking his head, despite the unrestrained irritation in his voice. "Just pissed."

Hiro laughed.

"You jus' pisst?" She parroted back dubiously in a sly smile that showed her dimples. "Wha' got you pisst ju' now?"

Naruto didn't know, he wasn't sure. _'Wait... She that drunk? Her speech got worse, didn't it? She sounds really funny now...'_ He was just in a foul mood again. There was a lot about today that had really sucked but nothing he could pinpoint. And maybe it wasn't even today that pissed him off, yesterday sucked too.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and heaved a sigh.

"Maybe it was this morning..." He mused.

"What t'is morning?"

"...Saw a mother hit her three-year-old."

Hiro laughed again, briefly, lightly. More at him, than the incident he mentioned. She wasn't sure why that bothered him so much, or how.

"Hn! I'd hit my kids too, if t'ey brats!" She laughed, making Naruto feel foolish.

"No! I mean... she was REALLY hitting him! Like three times in the same spot! Really hard! Fuck, you shouldn't do that! Of course he's crying! You're smackin' the little bastard!"

Hiro's smile waned, surprised by the fervor and compassion of his rant. Then she smiled again, but at him.

_'He's an honest one...'_

"Aww! You upset!" She gushed teasingly, poking in the side again, knowing that she was getting on his nerves and feeling proud of it.

"Not upset! I said I'm pissed! I'm downright angry!!"

Naruto's yell brought several to stare at him, finding his behavior embarrassing and unnecessary.

"'Cept anger is quick. Upset is when it bot'ers you all day." Hiro smirked coyly, knowing she got to him by the face he made.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, scowling and pouting all the while, he chose to ignore her.

"Yeah... well.... you too." He muttered lamely.

* * *

Last night's 'mirth' had waned into cool and muggy morning, muddled memories washed away with drink and yesterday's shower. The roads were steadily drying up in the meager warmth of the spring February sun, and the grass still cold and wet with dew. Sedans and minivans drove through the neighborhood, as school children raced with friends to school.

Hinata kept sneaking glances at Naruto, giggling at the disgruntled look on his face. She couldn't wait til they reached Hanabi's middle school, she couldn't wait to have her time alone with Naruto.

And Hanabi saw this. Not that she really cared, but she found it rather annoying and dumb. She couldn't wait to get away from them, they could do whatever they wanted, she didn't care.

Naruto knew Hinata was watching him, he could feel every glance. He could feel the tenseness between the sisters, the rift between them wasn't necessarily obvious, but noticable. The utter silence made him feel immensely uncomfortable, what with Hinata walking so close to him and Hanabi walking ahead of them as if they didn't exist.

_'What a brat…'_He thought. He still remembered the night he caught her sneaking around in Shibuya, and when she kicked him. He was starting to wonder what would happen if he told Hinata what her little sister was doing. It would certainly clear up the air between them. And whether it made things better or worse was not of his concern. _'Naw, ain't my business.'_He finally decided, resigning from meddling for now. He didn't care what was going on with them, he just wished he didn't have to be around them to witness it. And with the way Hinata was sticking to him like gum on a shoe, he couldn't help but feel like he was steadily getting absorbed in her drama.

And he was growing to dislike her for it.

They arrived at the middle school.

Hanabi ran ahead, never once saying a 'goodbye' or 'see ya later' to Hinata, too excited to see her boyfriend and too uncomfortable to be around Hinata with Naruto.

It seemed like their private romances had overtook their lives.

They were hardly sisters anymore.

Hinata wiped her palms on her skirt before taking Naruto's hand. She had been awaiting the moment Hanabi was gone, so she could be with Naruto for a little bit. She glanced down and smiled, the humid heat of his larger hand wrapped around her cooler, pale hand. She smiled shyly up at him, fondness shining in her eyes as they always did.

Naruto kept looking ahead.

"I'll hold your hand up to the gate." He said, like it was her only choice.

Hinata continued to smile at him and nodded.

"Okay." She replied in her small voice, a wistfulness entering her smile.

She knew they couldn't hold hands in school.

Because she wasn't his girlfriend yet.

* * *

The halls of the high school were filled with a sort of cautious exuberance, a backdrop of gossip lacing every muttered whisper. Seemed like there wasn't a moment someone wasn't talking about somebody else. Naruto became increasingly aware of the eyes that fell on him, the way they changed the topic to make secretive comments about him. Hinata was following too close behind him, making him a little nervous about what they were saying.

He found it strange how before all he wanted was attention, but now he wanted to be invisible. He was getting sick of all this indiscreet chit-chat, especially when he couldn't do anything about it. At least not anymore.

He curled his fingers taut in a fist, fighting the urge to jump and scare somebody, just to get them to shut up for a moment. It wasn't just the fact that he involuntarily promised to never fight or act out again in the school, or that he was apparently under the eye of the government now. He was smarter now, if just a little. Tsunade didn't have the chance to notice it, but he felt he was wiser, more mature. Before he was impulsive, acted on his anger and frustration, without concern or forethought, and he knew now that was childish. Now that he was aware of his surroundings, he would briefly weigh his decisions.

But part of him still wanted to fight, start up some violence, and relieve his aggression through the sensation of breaking bones.

He could feel the slick, sticky blood on his fingertips, just thinking about it.

A rueful smirk passed across his lips, as he caught himself again. _'... Maybe I do have an obsession, like Baa-chan said...'_

Naruto caught a few wary stares, and glared back at them, smiling to himself afterwards when they scurried away. His eyes lingered lazily on the walls and the windows, his mind drifting into a memory.

_Naruto lay in the hospital bed, body sore and limbs covered in casts too heavy to move. Tsunade was to check up on him in a few minutes. He traced the lines of the long, billowy curtains with an idle eye, up and down, a comfortable cycle that seemed to ward off last night's disappointments._

_There was still a grey haze of clouds shadowing the town like a plague, as if to remind him of his regrets. He felt like he had been bed-ridden for years, left to soak up florescent light, the sun gone forever._

_Yet it'd only been 14 hours since he got here._

He had gotten into another fight, he and his teammates. They had been wandering around town, loitering like the hooligans they were, when they came across a group of much older boys. They had met a few of them earlier that day, but at that time there hadn't been as much. They were sprawled across the dirt road, as if staking out their territory. Their cold scowls gave off a dangerous air, making the area inhospitable for even the toughest badass.

Naruto hadn't cared. And neither did his teammates. Such was the hubris of youth.

The leader was dressed in a high school uniform and long jacket, his grandfather's katana held in his belt. He was a poseur, a strong fighter, but weak in conviction. He unsheathed it, embellishing the metal with his grandfather's "legacy", standing there and rambling away like the idiot he was.

Even Naruto knew that sword was a decoration. Even he knew that the older boy was holding it the wrong way.

He grew impatient with his chatter and picked up a rock. He chucked it at the boy and caught him square between the eyes.

The blood trickled down the leader's face.

That was when the fight erupted. Naruto's team got bum-rushed. They ran off, ditching Naruto in the middle of battle.

It wasn't the first time they did that.

They weren't cowards ---far from it--- they were selfish. Naruto always overlooked this. Even then, he stood up for them, perhaps out of desperation for friends, perhaps for the deep yearning to belong somewhere.

Naruto couldn't fend off the older boys with just his fan knife. They beat him and broke him, spitting out curses from their snarled mouths.

Sasuke was the only one that didn't leave. Naruto remembered that. At the time he still considered him a rival. At that time he perceived Sasuke's hidden loyalty as arrogance, as if saying he couldn't take those boys on by himself.

Truth of it was, he couldn't.

_Naruto, trapped in the safety of the hospital, turned at the faint click of the door opening, Tsunade making her entrance. She trudged towards his bed, eyes raptly focused on the words of the forms on her clipboard with her nose held high, as if she despised seeing him._

_He smirked at her for it, somehow not believing her. There was a big part of him always ready to admire her, even though all he ever seemed to do was get on her nerves and all she seemed to ever do was nag and put him down._

_He had found it a tad amusing and endearing the way she put up with him, despite knowing that it was her job, despite knowing that she didn't really care for him._

_Or maybe she did._

_Tsunade shook her head at him. There was an incredulous smirk on her lips. Humor was in her eyes, and irritation in the edges of her strong face._

_She was so tired of meeting him like this._

_"...Is this your passion?"_

Those words echoed inside his head, like a ghost searching the corridors of his mind, haunted by the teasing comment.

He never had the chance to answer her truthfully.

* * *

Hinata sat in her lonely spot against the wall, gym class proceeding as usual. She gave up on sports, she gave up on trying all over again. Once was enough she felt. She wasn't good at anything, except maybe for swimming, but a five-year-old can swim. So to her, that didn't mean much at all.

The students straightened out their lines, chatting amongst each other under their breaths, partly paying attention to Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei as they announced the new course.

"Soccer!" Kurenai proudly smiled, holding a ball above her head. She was excited about the warmer weather, knowing that they could teach outside once again. She best enjoyed the sports that took place outside, because she felt there was more skill and endurance to be taught, and that was her favorite. Kurenai pretended to look around, before choosing two students. "Uzumaki-san and Hyuuga-san, please go to the equipment room and retrieve the soccer balls." She ordered with a light smile.

The anxiety that seemed to pass over the two teens was not overlooked.

The rest of the class broke out into their usual chat and gossip as the teachers dispersed them into teams, Naruto and Hinata wandering over to the far wall, Hinata trailing nervously behind.

Part of her was giddy as always, part of her was a little scared.

She was afraid of herself being all alone with him again. (Even though obviously, she wasn't going to be alone with him for longer than half a second), she was still concerned. She could feel it; her ulterior motives were close to surface. She was fearful of her behavior.

_'And what if he puts the moves on me again??! I won't be able to control myself...!'_

Hinata's face lit up red, eyes growing wide as she let out a mix of a cry and a whine.

She had no confidence in herself.

Asuma turned to Kurenai as they led the students to the field, a slight hesitancy in his voice, a mix of amusement and worry on his face.

"I know we talked about this earlier..." He started off chuckling, Kurenai following up with an interjection.

"You weren't speaking seriously?" She jokingly complained.

"Those were musings, Yuhi-chan." He sighed with a slight indignance. He knew he was a laid-back guy, but he also had hoped by now she'd know when he was actually being serious about something. Which wasn't so often.

Kurenai crossed her arms.

"And what of Nara-san?"

"I've tried."

Kurenai rolled her eyes at him, knowing that meant he completely gave up on the lazy boy. Not that it seemed to matter of course, since they were practically buddies. They played shogi every other day like a pair of old men. The only thing Asuma managed to do was convince Shikamaru to join a club. Maybe for the two of them that was a big feat, but Kurenai didn't count it.

"Hmph. I had hoped you were being serious. I had the understanding that we were going to tag team those kids." She complained lightly, disappointed in him for getting her hopes up. She had been looking forward to getting involved with the two, Naruto and Hinata. They seemed like such a 'hard-headed' pair; Hinata was deeply introverted, her mind closed-off to strangers. And Naruto was too wild and fiery to handle, she doubted anyone could get through to him. Not to mention, Kurenai couldn't stand the impersonal position she held as a teacher. Teachers are supposed to have these sacred bonds with their students, and that's what she really wanted. Right now she felt like a contradiction to her own beliefs.

"Uzumaki-san lacks basic discipline and Hyuuga-chan lacks participation and confidence. I think they're in need of real help, not just what we can offer as their teachers." Asuma mused, speaking from the heart. Kurenai felt the reality and sincerity of his words, the disappointment of it hurting her deeply.

"…I really want to help her out..." She admitted wistfully, as if saying 'it's not fair'.

Asuma smirked to himself. She sounded like a child whining.

"You want to be a mother?" He poked with a grin, pulling a cigarette from his pocket. He was also grateful for outdoors sports, because he couldn't have cigarette ashes inside the building, and he didn't like carrying around portable ashtrays. He didn't like the idea of keeping ashes in his pockets.

Kurenai remained silent. She had her face turned away from him, but he could see the tinge of red on her pale, pale cheeks.

"..."

He smiled at her silence.

* * *

Naruto made it his objective not to look at Hinata or give her too much attention while they were alone together in the equipment room. Hinata stood shyly aside, twiddling her fingers, watching him as he searched for the soccer balls. She was unsure of what to do. She was afraid to speak, he seemed focused, deeply intent on finding the balls, and she didn't want to bother him too much.

"Go look around." He called out, moving around the gymnastics equipment.

Hinata nodded and walked further into the crowded room. She went looking for him first, curious and wanting to know where he was for security reasons. She weaved and pushed her way through the stacks of gym mats and carts of basketballs and volleyballs, following the sound of his moving things around. She peeked her head in the corner, finding him there crouched down, trying to push aside a metal cart.

He had no idea she was there.

Naruto looked up, sudden fright and shock shooting through his chest like a fiery arrow, his body going momentarily cold.

_'God, what the hell!'_Naruto yelled, grabbing his chest, as he heaved for breath. And then he really yelled. "What're you doing here?!"

"I'm... I'm looking for the soccer balls." Hinata answered truthfully. Naruto grimaced, still struggling to get a control of himself, he found her answer to be really annoying. Yes, true, she was. That's what they were both here to do. Except she wasn't looking for the soccer balls if she was staring at him this whole time!

"G-go! G-go t-to the oth-ther side!" He stammered irritably, sending her away with the point of his finger. _'Can't be alone with her! Can't be alone with her!'_

Dismay washed over her face, her small lips pursed out in a pouty frown.

Naruto went back to moving the metal cart, hoping to find the soccer balls here. His patience was wearing thin when he noticed that Hinata was still here, tiny feminine grunts popping from her mouth as she tried in vain effort to get past the tower of blue gym mats. He continued to ignore her, despite weak efforts, until he was certain the soccer balls weren't behind the metal cart. They weren't. Then he stood up and lifted aside a long mat, peering into the darkness of the cart. He delved his hand inside.

No soccer balls.

Hinata was still trying to worm her way back out. She let out another grunt and a squeak of dismay. When Naruto looked up, he saw that she was stuck, wedged between the metal cart and the tall stack of gym mats, which she managed to move towards her rather than away. They had her pinned.

She tried to wriggle out, but that only made the mats move, and she let out a fearful squeal, scared that they would topple on top of her.

"Nnn..! Mnn-n-n-n!" Hinata whimpered miserably. "N-Naruto-kun…?? H-help…?"

_'Can't believe this...' _Naruto thought miserably.

He trudged towards her. She was still trying to wriggle out, and the mats continued to move with her.

"Stop. Hold on." Naruto reached up for the top of the stack and carefully shoved it back in place. He worked his way down, trying not to look at her, wanting to get this over with, though he wasn't particularly fond of soccer, he wanted to get outside.

When Hinata saw that most of the mats were off of her, she tried wriggling out again, much to Naruto's annoyance.

"I said stop, wait." He pushed another mat into place. She went back to wriggling out. "Stop…!" Naruto bit out, getting annoyed, trying to push aside another mat without touching her. "Okay, now you can.." He began to say, hastily trying to escape pass her, but she wasn't moving this time. "C'mon, you can... you can move..!" The confusion of commands was all messed up in Hinata's head. All she wanted to do was be alone with him, while she tried to follow what he was saying, her mind working slowly. His hand landed on her shoulder, his body now squished awkwardly against hers, a result from his hurry.

A quiet moan escaped her.

He heard it all too well.

_'Dammit! Can't be alone with her! It's gonna be like the bathroom all over again..!!'_

To his chagrin and dismay, he was blushing.

He could feel her breasts, smooshed against his chest... so warm and soft... His hands itched to steal a feel.

And there... there was that passionate look in her eyes again, her cheeks burning so hotly he could feel it.

His loins jumped in excitement, a wet, hot heat swimming in his lower body.

He just had to taste her again.

He smothered his open mouth against her tempting lips, jittery, clammy, overeager hands running over her glowing cheeks, through her thick hair, to the back of her head. His heart beat like a hummingbird, as he searched the caverns of her wet, wet mouth. He was getting lightheaded, his conscience fighting to overcome his primal urges. He wanted as much or more than she wanted out of this, but he knew better.

They were in school, alone together in the equipment room.

_'This could turn into a hentai cliche very quickly.'_

Naruto tore his sodden lips from her dewy ones, reality instantly killing the mood like a bucket of cold water to the head. A trail of drool accidentally slid down his chin, a result of their departure.

"Damn... gross..." Naruto cursed, wiping roughly at his mouth. He was growing angry with himself. Naruto squeezed his way out, abandoning her there, for the sake of saving face.

He had kept telling himself he couldn't be alone with her.

Naruto glared at nothing in particular, annoyed just to be here.

"Stupid soccer balls..."

* * *

Naruto hated soccer. Lee was phenomenal at it, (Taijutsu too). Maybe that was why he hated it. Also Sakura seemed to praise and admire Lee for his skills. Also... he challenged Lee once, and Lee kicked his ass.

Little over five years, he still hadn't let it go. It was only one of two grudges he held against the older boy. The other was having Sakura's respect, when he himself could not.

Naruto could remember it all now, replay it in his brain. All the stupid moments of his youth, every bit of he missed but hated. He could recall it all.

Everyone on the field stood wary of Naruto, afraid of the contemptuous look in his eyes, face scowling. Everyone could sense the anger spike in his mood every so often. It was disconcerting, off-putting. So many students weren't sure what was wrong with him, if he was going to be fierce in this game too or not. Was he actually pissed off by something or was this him being super serious in soccer? And if he was pissed off, he shouldn't be playing!

A boy kicked the ball over to a teammate, but Naruto was closer and he intercepted the ball. He threw his leg back and kicked it roughly. His aim sucked, and there was no skill to be seen. He just kicked it, like he was really angry, like he hated it.

One boy that was chasing alongside him stopped, far too exasperated now to follow him any further. There was no point since he wasn't even playing right.

The boy yelled out, getting aggravated with him. Others on the sideline were jeering at Naruto, chanting him to get off the field.

He was ruining the game. It didn't matter now how good he had been at volleyball, he couldn't play like this.

But Naruto kept chasing other players around the field, trying to get the ball to the goal, rather than try to participate in their strategy. He was harassing the field.

But this game reminded him all too much of that challenge with Lee, and all he could think of was how much liking Sakura sucked.

_'We shared the same exact feelings for her!'_

Naruto kicked the ball, only to smack the goalie in the face. Some boys stopped to laugh, the girls looked on with concern, glaring at him. On the sidelines, a simultaneous grimace and groan came from Asuma and Kurenai.

"I told you." Kurenai huffed under her breath, receiving a nervous chuckle from Asuma beside her.

"Yeah, yeah..." He sighed wearily.

Naruto stopped a player that had the ball, snarling at him before kicking it away from his possession. No one understood where his conviction came from, they could tell he was getting into it though.

All he could think of was trying to impress Sakura. He knew she wasn't here. But somehow he still wanted to prove he could play well.

He couldn't understand why she loved Sasuke and liked Lee.

_'She knew Sasuke never liked her! I actually liked her!! And I'm waaay better looking than Lee!!'_

A boy swooped around and took the ball before Naruto could kick it, causing the unbalanced blonde to stumble and fall forward.

He landed hard on his chin.

_'Why didn't she like me?!!!'_

Naruto curled his fingers in the grass and let out a scream.

"GAAAH! Shit!! Hate this game!"

* * *

Everybody was making fun of him now. Naruto felt helpless and humiliated against them. Asuma-sensei, at Kurenai-sensei's urgings, had pulled him aside to give him 'a talking to.' Asuma himself seemed embarrassed to have to scold him.

The boy was seventeen!

This was high school!

What was wrong with him to act so ridiculously?!

Asuma cut his vague and weak speech short and ended it with an under the breath comment and a drag of his cigarette. He knew Naruto hadn't been listening and to save face, he walked away from the fiery blonde first. He knew that when someone wasn't listening, there was no further purpose in trying to talk with him. Both didn't want the conversation, so Asuma was fine with leaving him alone. Something that he knew annoyed Yuhi, but it was one of those things that wasn't going to change with him, and she knew that.

Naruto walked to the empty boys locker and changed. Everyone had left the gym minutes ago, gone off to lunch. When he walked out into the hallway, he saw Hinata there, leaning back against a window and staring patiently at nothing.

There was a strange twist in his chest, a heat surfacing to his cheeks at the sight of her. He pushed it down, reluctance and irritability taking its rightful place.

He knew she had been waiting. And for some reason he preferred to be annoyed rather than pleased.

* * *

Naruto had avoided Hinata at all costs. They didn't eat lunch together, he didn't even take the time to say goodbye at the end of the day as he leapt on his bike and sped away. He didn't care if he hurt her feelings; he had to stay away from her for now. He didn't trust himself around her, and last thing he wanted was giving their classmates the wrong idea.

He rolled through the streets of Shibuya, the current of pedestrians on the sidewalks like a curvy rope, surrounding and encasing him. The cars slowed, the traffic blocked. He slowed to a halt, trapped between a row of tiny white taxis. Naruto looked around, deciding to take a detour out of here. He delved into his pocket and fished out his orange cell phone, and as he immediately pulled up his address book, he selected a number. The dialing tone rang in his ear for five seconds, then a click.

_"Yaboseyo?"_

Naruto blinked quizzically, confusion growing thick in his brain.

"Wha..? H-Hiro-chan??" He uttered, hoping to make sure it was her. It sounded like her voice.. though... different. _'Yabose… yo? Yaba... sayo?'_

_"Oh, fishcakes? Moshi moshi?"_

"Ahaha, what...? You say 'moshi moshi' first!"

_"I like ta mix'sh t'ings up."_

"...Um..."

_"Why you bot'ers me?"_

"I'm out of school!"

_"Kay?"_

"Where are you right now?"

_"My apar'men'."_

"Oh! Can I come over?"

_"I dunno... do I wan' see you righ' now?"_

"Why, don't you?"

He could practically see her roll her eyes as she answered with a sigh.

"_.... Fine."_

* * *

Naruto laid back, arms on his stomach and slouched on Hiro's worn futon couch. They sat basking in the brainwashing light-waves of the television, several empty cups of ramen strewn about the coffee table. The blinds were closed, shunning the outside world and robbing the room of sunlight. Hiro's apartment was nice, a three-room with kitchen, living room, and bedroom.

Naruto was pretty excited to be here, though he didn't show it. It was the weirdest thing, he never thought he'd be in any girl's home, let alone an older girl's. Of course he did beg, but even then he was surprised she conceded. Sakura never gave in! No matter how many times he begged her, she always punched and/or kicked him! Naruto couldn't suppress his grin as he turned to stare at the petite Hiro, so slender and cool, so untouchable.

Naruto felt like he was breaking new ground. There was something about Hiro that made him think about Sakura, but maybe it was the fact that he kept comparing the two, and how he had come to decide that Hiro was much cooler. Because she didn't abuse him, try to hurt him, she didn't deny him, nor ignore him. She was totally laid-back, plus she was older! And he didn't mind that she wasn't very feminine, didn't even wear make-up, or try to look pretty like other girls.

_'Actually she doesn't need to though...'_ Now that he thought about it. She had really good skin, so she had no use for make-up. He actually found her boyishness cool too, like how she didn't care how she looked, she had this invincible confidence about her and he liked it. The kind of confidence he constantly fronted.

Compared to her, she made him feel like crap. Compared to her, she made him feel like he was all talk.

She had what he didn't have.

When Hiro looked, there was this disgruntled look on his face and a reluctant blush.

"Now what wrong?" She queried coolly without a smile, making Naruto feel like she was making fun of him. He visibly shrunk into himself and crossed his arms tighter, embarrassment washing over his face. He looked so stubborn.

"No… n-nothing..." Naruto mumbled, shaking his head. He had no idea why he'd become so moody all of a sudden. He seemed to be moody all day actually.

Hiro surfed through the stations, finally landing on the _MTV JAPAN_ channel as she got up to use the bathroom. Pink hair caught his attention in one of the music videos, the singer _Anna Tsuchiya _dressed in a cute pink dress and a curly pink wig. Sakura came to mind once again.

_'..Why've I been thinking about her so much today anyways?'_

Naruto sank down further in the couch.

_'..Oh yeah… soccer...' _

Naruto blew an upward sigh, rustling a few blonde strands. There was something he found terribly wrong, to think that soccer or perhaps just the memory of Sakura was his issue.

_'Wow! I am hopeless!' _

Naruto chuckled outwardly, feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden. The song was starting to grate on his nerves. He didn't the like music at all, the sound was very obnoxious. And he was starting to miss Hiro.

_'Where'd she go??'_

He realized the living room felt really quiet and lonely. Worse that it wasn't he wasn't in his own home, worse that it was dark in here.

".... HIRO-CHAN?!" Naruto yelled out desperately.

"What?!" She screeched from the kitchen, frightened by his booming. What was wrong? He sounded like he was dying! "Why ya yell?!"

Naruto hesitated to answer, now pleased to know she was still here and at the same time, embarrassed.

".... Never mind..."

* * *

"How come he gets away with blonde hair and blue eyes?" Naruto grumbled at the screen, his head propped up against Hiro's arm.

She had decided they watch a talk-show interview, a four-man group of tethered, tattered J-Rockers lined up on the L-shaped sectional, as two middle-aged jokesters spoke with them.

Hiro merely shrugged and made a sound through her nose.

"Dunno... maybe 'cause he really good-lookin'."

Something in that half-baked answer made Naruto grumble and growl a little more, like a pouting child trying to be tough.

"...Great.. I'm discriminated against." He commented vaguely. His cryptic whine made her want to laugh. She had no idea what he was talking about.

"Wha's your problem?" She smirked, nudging him lightly.

Naruto grumbled again in his throat.

"Just... sick of some people… Always idealizing looks and shit..."

"Is t'is about t'e hair? Or you sad you don' look like him??"

"No. Both maybe... I dunno…" Naruto sank into her side further, a reluctant blush on his cheeks. He had no idea why he blurted these things sometimes, they seemed to come out around her. Maybe he really was comfortable around her, maybe he got so used to her that he could go ahead and say anything.

"Okaaay, tell me your childhood traumas." Hiro giggled, as she grabbed his head and laid it on her lap, for the second time.

Naruto caught her teasing gesture, and like a caught fox, wriggled and pulled himself out of her grasp. Sitting upright, he looked ahead at the wall, unable to hold eye contact with her. It was like he was debating with himself to be the strong loner, or to go along with her 'offer' to listen. Suddenly, just like that, he sank back down and placed his head in her lap. A tingle and warm sensation traveled up his spine, an overall pleasant feelings draping over his body like a silken sheet.

She unconsciously began to play with his spiky blonde hair, running her fingers across his scalp and twisting up strands around her short, child-like fingers.

"Is this your..." as Hiro trailed off, she plucked a strand from his scalp, eliciting a 'yelp' from him. She looked at it closely. There were no dark roots at all. "…Natural hair?" She turned to him, with a voice full of awe and wonderment, that Naruto couldn't help but shrink in himself.

There was a visible twitch in his eye. He really hated it when people asked that.

"Are you Japanese?!" Hiro shrieked out excitedly, her reaction alarming him instantly, filling him with repressed frustration.

"UHH, I'M SURE!!"

"You sure?! Who were your paren's?!"

"I-I... I dunno!" Naruto bit out with eyes screwed shut, covering his pain behind his hands. "I didn't have parents.." He muttered out weakly, sounding half-asleep. His face burned with that familiar sinking feeling that left him tired and insecure.

This was one of those things that he was most sensitive about, something that he thought he would keep to himself. But he found himself here, in the lap of an older girl, his co-worker, and he completely blurted it out.

He hadn't expected her to sound so dubious.

"Bullshit!" She laughed, seemingly mocking him as she continued to pet his unusual blonde hair.

Contempt boiled in his stomach, making him feel flushed and sick. He wanted to hit her at that moment.

Naruto shot up and yelled at her, "What's bullshit about it?!", only to get pushed back down. She continued to smile and mock him.

"So you really don' know who t'ey were?"

Naruto looked away.

"...I... really don't know."

"So who raise you?"

Naruto shrugged apathetically, a bit of impudence and contempt still in his voice.

"Who cares? They're dead now."

"You killed them?!" Hiro shrieked, alarming Naruto who immediately bolted up straight up, glaring at her.

"WHAT?! NO!! DO I LOOK LIKE A KILLER?!"

Hiro smiled and giggled at his exacerbated expression.

"Well, what do you think you are?"

In a huff, Naruto sank back down. He let Hiro continue her ministrations across his scalp, her fingers gradually sapping away his dying anger.

Naruto didn't say anything, looking grumpily around before finding the motivation to speak.

Then wryly he smirked, "Hm, Japanese with my looks... I must be a god." Hiro let out one of her cheeky little laughs and grabbed handfuls of his hair, pulling hard. "Owowowow!!"

"You so full o' shit!!" Hiro laughed adorably.

* * *

Like a submissive lapdog, Naruto remained as Hiro petted him and stroked his scalp, his half-lidded stare directed at the television's dull allure.

There was something about this he found charmingly strange, that she was so calm and comfortable around him, rather than the usual aversion he often received.

He wondered if those days were over, or maybe that it'd just been his idiocy for loving Sakura for all that time. Other girls treated him the same as she did, but she was the only one he ever wanted. He never tried to see if there was a different type of girl that he was capable of being with, never tried to change.

Now that he thought about it, Hiro wasn't all that different. She wasn't anything like Sakura, but he knew she was someone he'd usually pursue, someone he'd settle for.

Perhaps biggest difference was that he never pursued his sempai's.

"What you gonna do after high school?" Hiro wondered aloud, disturbing the cozy silence that had fallen over them for so long.

Time dragged waiting for his apathetic shrug.

"Work, I'm sure."

"Heh, you be full-time part-timer?" She giggled rhetorically, bringing out a chuckle from him that died quickly. As amusing as she found it, Naruto realized it was pathetic. Still, he knew there was nothing else he could do with his life. Not with the way things turned out.

"What about you?" Naruto called out, closing his eyes while the weatherman's voice drawled past his ears. Last he heard, tomorrow was to be cool and sunny.

Hiro answered him quite easily.

"I'm going to take over my father's business." Simple words, matter-of-fact words. No inflection of pride, no emphasis to state an exuberance of such a goal. Her voice was breezy and clear.

Naruto found her answer interesting. He knew Ino, Chouji, Sasuke, and even Lee to be children of legacy, their family and fathers expecting them to continue and pass on some sort of ritual or business. Not knowing a thing about Hiro made him all the more curious, whether she meant a restaurant business like Chouji or a floral shop chain like Ino.

"What's your father's business?" was his instinctive question.

She quickly cut in with a smirking voice.

"None of yours."

* * *

Naruto had no idea when he fell asleep.

The sun had fallen behind the horizon long ago, and the stars shined over the hectic, boxy streets of Setagaya, Tokyo.

The living room of Hiro's apartment was pitch black, save for the city lights that pushed through the long blinds like intruding arms. All the lights were turned off, the whole apartment was in shadow, and the occasional 'whoosh' of cars and motorcycles the only ambiance in the quiet, quiet room.

Hiro's cell phone began to buzz and hop around on the coffee table, a tinny ringing singing from its sleek, black body.

Naruto peered out into the darkness with half-lidded eyes, lazily trying to figure out where he was. He felt cozy and lackadaisical in his half-awake state, a sweet warm emanating beneath him. Naruto had fallen asleep on Hiro's legs. He realized this as she began to stir and pull herself out from underneath him. She got up quickly, unconcerned with whether she woke Naruto up or not, or if his head landed softly on the couch cushions. She grabbed her blinking phone in the darkness and flipped it open.

"Yaboseyo?" She answered, a voice greeting her. "...Aomori-san?"

Naruto heard her speak, listened to her, but could not hear her. Her voice was like a cloud above his head, her words indistinguishable in his brain.

Her voice began to fade farther and farther away.

He never realized that she had gotten up and moved to the kitchen to talk.

Naruto fell back asleep.

He didn't leave until eight 'o' clock in the morning.

* * *

The sun shone in his eyes, his shadow was long across the concrete.

Naruto wandered through Setagaya with his tired head hung, all the while wondering where the station was and how to get back home.

He had chained his bike at Shinagawa station when he took the train over here. Now he didn't have a means to return to it.

He knew at this point he wouldn't make it in time for school, already the bell had rung forty minutes ago.

He kept looking over his shoulder, as if he would still see Hiro's apartment. He wanted to go back now.

_'Maybe she can help me find the Setagaya station...'_ He sighed, kicking that thought out quickly. Even though he really wanted to go back, he wasn't motivated enough to turn around and make a new trek. Somehow it didn't seem worth it. _'Besides, she'll just laugh at my face and tell me to go find it myself..'_Naruto frowned, the words slowly running through his head a second time. Something about it made him smile a little. In some cases, Hiro's bossiness, her ridiculing smirk and self-confident stare, was _'... Just like Sakura-chan.'_

Naruto slowed down to a pause, his mind distracted and half-asleep.

A few cars drove down the road ahead of him.

A young man on a scooter zipped past him, onto the road and turned the curb.

A middle-aged housewife three floors up, stepped out of her apartment onto her deck, and began her daily ritual of chores.

Other than them, Naruto was completely alone.

And a horrible smirk split across his tired face, a sort of confusion and shame filling him, his mind dumbed.

_Sakura-chan._

_'Can't believe I'm still thinking about her... Even now..! God, I've never stopped, have I?'_

Naruto rubbed vigorously at his eyes, scratched his head as if an answer might fall out.

He stared at his shadow for the longest time like it was his only companion at the hour.

The horrible smirk grew, then deepened into a frown as the realization became more and more apparent to him.

"...I'm really not gonna like another girl, huh...?"

When he was met with silence, Naruto let out a curt chuckle...

... And scoffed at himself.

He sort of hated himself for this, but now that he was certain about it, he didn't care anymore.

There wasn't any girl quite like Sakura, not even Hiro, though she was easily someone he could settle for.

And since there was no other girl he'd feel the same way about, it didn't matter.

In anycase, he knew he love didn't exist for him.

Now that he knew that, it was easier on his conscience to fool around with girls however he wanted.

Because he knew ---that in the end--- it wouldn't mean shit.

* * *

Naruto arrived to school around lunchtime. He had taken his time getting there.

He sat against the fencing of the rooftop, Hinata timidly beside him. He picked at the cold noodles that had settled at the bottom of the Styrofoam cup, reflecting his mood. They looked too depressing to eat. Yet because he forgot to bring lunch and didn't have any money, he made Hinata buy it for him anyways.

She was more than happy to do it for him.

He didn't feel guilty about it anymore.

Far as he knew, she was a daddy's girl with more money than he could stand or ever have. Just like all the girls at this stupid High School. How else did she manage all the shit she bought him over the past few weeks?

And money has to be spent for something useful, right? They always say 'help feed the poor' or something like that, so he found himself to be no exception. Both of his paychecks put together weren't enough to feed himself day to day if he had to get the bare necessities. He was relieved he found a way to around paying bills and taxes, or he would be starving. Homeless too really.

Hinata was content with watching him. She ignored the subtle frown on his face, the lack of cheer and joy in his persona. Whatever idea of him she fell in love with was still intact in her mind and that was all she saw. Her conscience felt alone in all this, sadly pitying her and wondering how she could have fallen so easily, why she chose to be ignorant and blind, and so naive.

She was certain she was in love with him.

So how could she be ignore his moods?

How could she act like he was still happy and smiling and laughing when he wasn't?

She thought it might've been her. She thought it might've been her that he refused to smile for.

Maybe deep down she knew how he felt.

And so ---for her heart's sake--- she had to love the illusion.

That he was perfectly fine and happy with her around.

The illusion that they were perfect for each other.

Even though he hadn't asked her out, even though he wouldn't.

She knew he wouldn't.

Deep down she knew.

She still smiled anyways.

She had no idea what else she could do to make him truly want her. She had no idea what other options were left for a girl like her, after all the things she did, her efforts spent.

After all this time...

... All she could do was ask.

"Ne... N-Naruto-kun…" She uttered shyly, a nervous edge to her voice. She tried to hold back her increasing blush, but it was like a wildfire; too hot to contain.

"Hm? What?" He answered back, nonchalant, apathetic. Her blush grew, her head swam a little. She wanted to laugh so much at that moment. To laugh at herself for her thoughts, for her wants. She couldn't believe she was going to do this, to be open with her wants and ask him.

She already got to taste him twice.

Why couldn't she taste him again?

She bit her lip, and swallowed the saliva that had built up in her mouth.

Her voice came out in a whispery gasp.

She was nearly inaudible.

"M-may I-I… m-may I-I-I... k-kiss you… ag-again-n…?"

There was silence. Her heart pounded in her ears. The anticipation was too great. Her hands were trembling against her quivering line of a mouth.

It took Naruto awhile to realize what she said. It took him awhile to process the immense need in her question.

It teased his testosterone, and alight his desirous curiosity.

Part of him couldn't help but muse how easy she made it for him to 'get some'. Then he began to think her easy. Upon that he wondered how to came to this, and if she had been like this the whole time. Or maybe she was just really horny. Then he thought that at least she was good for practice.

Another part of him was somewhat disgusted by her, disgusted with himself. Maybe he did feel a little bit of guilt, or maybe that was shame. But when it got down to that, he didn't want to care anymore and went straight into a decision without further thinking about it.

"Yeah, sure." He smirked at her, gently enough grabbing her wrist and pulled her towards him. He inwardly smirked at the relieved and joyous smile on her face before ignoring it altogether.

There was no need to read into her expressions.

Feelings had no purpose on this playing field.

He sidled up next to her and leaned his head to the side. She did the same.

It was their first tentative kiss, the passion one-sided.

Hinata was anxious and over-eager. Naruto wasn't even trying. It did feel like a game to him, like he was playing her, teasing her, egging her on. He let her do what she wanted this time, part of him secretly laughing, amused at her energy.

She was exerting herself, he could tell. It was so unnecessary that it was funny. And on her own, she was terrible.

He really wanted to laugh. He hadn't known she was really like this, because the other times he didn't give her any room. Sure, the first time was intense; she had been trying so hard to consume him as much as he had been consuming her. But now, she was trying to be cute. Now, she was trying to please him, rather than just go with her gut. If the flow of her passion was like a gushing river, she was controlling it down to a trickle.

It nearly motivated him to break her dam, but he was far too amused with her lame lips to change the tides.

They stayed like that ---kissing--- Hinata trying her best to be an effective kisser, Naruto beneath her smirking and snickering all the while against her lips.

It really was funny.

Hinata quickly snuck her phone away with clumsy hands, as Naruto rounded the corner. She wasn't sure why she was still doing this, taking pictures of him when he wasn't looking. She quickly ran back into the classroom, several pairs of eyes watching her rush to her desk.

Throughout the year she had been invisible; a calm and introverted girl. She never made an effort to talk with anybody, and nobody chose to talk with her. She wasn't part of any clique, and didn't have a group of friends. But ever since Naruto came around, she started showing emotions, becoming more expressive. At first the classmates thought 'Oh, that's interesting'. Then they started to see that she was actually quite different from normal girls. She became weird in their eyes.

Now she was a source for amusement.

Her antics were silly, peculiar, and sometimes creepy-cute.

They just couldn't believe she was obsessed over the lewd moron of all people.

There was a group of four girls and three guys situated a foot behind Hinata, watching her, where she fidgeted silently in her seat. They watched her put her phone back in her school bag.

"Go, go..!" One of the girls ushered in a hushed voice, the three remaining girls getting up to approach Hinata.

"Hyuuga-san!" The girls called out in sing-song. They surrounded Hinata, all with big, fake smiles on their faces. Hinata looked nervously between the girls, unsure what they were doing here.

"Oh, Hyuuga-san! We were wondering if you could help us with something?" Girl B asked, her voice practically dripping with honey.

"Yeah, Kurenai-sensei has been hard on us this semester! But you seem to have a good relationship with her!" was Girl C.

"Yeah, can you talk to her for us, pretty please? I'm so afraid of failing!" Girl D begged, hands clasped in front of her face for added emphasis. "Pleeeeease Hyuuga-san?"

Hinata found this so confusing and so overwhelming. She didn't know what else to do. They were asking so nicely, and they were all kind of ganging up on her at the same time. She couldn't say no.

With a timid nod, Hinata got up and headed for the door, the three girls fervently thanking her over and over again. When she left, the remaining members of their group ran over. One of the boys picked up her school bag and dumped the contents on her desk; textbook pamphlets, homework papers, compact mirror, mascara, foundation, blush, cheek brush, and issue of_Gothic & Lolita Bible_, hair brush, her cell phone. The boy put everything back in, Girl A taking the cell phone in hand.

They started going through her address book.

"She actually has a lot of numbers." Boy C commented, seemingly surprised.

"Ha, they're prolly all disgusting cosplayers." Girl A smirked.

"You bet she actually wears this stuff?" Boy A laughed incredulously, showing the _G&L Bible_ to the group.

"You wanna make a bet out of it?" Boy B grinned mischievously, challenging his friend.

"What do you mean?" Boy A asked him curiously, their conversation growing separate from what the girls were doing.

"You asked if we bet. I bet'cha I can catch her in goth-loli mode." Boy B smirked cocksure.

"I know! Let's make a derby!" Boy A announced enthusiastically, patting a fist in his hand.

"...like in _Perfect Girl Rev_?" Boy C muttered incredulously aside.

Boy B nodded, smirking.

"Yeah. Just like it. 100,000 yen to whoever can take a picture."

"..don't we need a copyright for that or something?" Boy C wondered aloud, looking all around as if he was being watched.

"Hey! You boys, quit your nonsense and look at this!" Girl A exclaimed. She had pulled up the photo album. They all scurried over, crowding around her, immensely interested. "Wow... It's worse than I thought..!" Girl A laughed meanly, as they looked at the photos one by one.

"Look, she caught him scratching his ass..! Aha-ha, what the hell?!" Boy A laughed with disbelief, pointing at the screen. "Was she trying to catch him doing that??"

"Whatever! It's the fact that he scratched his ass that's disgusting!" Girl D criticized snootily.

"She should've caught him when he was scratching his nads." Boy B smirked. "Prolly has the crabs.."

"Ew, that was so gross!" Girl D complained with a sour face.

"That was hilarious!" Boy B laughed.

"I was right there!" Girl D whined.

"I know, you were the one that screamed..!" Boy B replied, clearly amused. "...Little baby."

"This is really creepy. You ever done anything like this?" Girl A asked, getting muttered 'noes' from the girls and awkward silence from the boys. "C'mon, someone's gotta tell him." Girl A said in a fake self-righteous manner, pushing her way through the group.

She found Naruto with Masabo's friends, crowding over his laptop. They were watching viral videos. A thirty-something year old man was dressed as a samurai in a dojo. He pulled out his sword and performed some basic kata. Then he started swinging with the utmost precision. When he finished the kata, his free hand fell off and blood spurted everywhere.

_"GYAAAA!!!"_

Naruto and the boys were cracking up.

Two young men came and placed a log on two stilts before the samurai, his back facing the camera. He shouted out the names of the kata poses as he performed them and swung the katana downward. It looked like he cut the log, but the man on the right screamed in pain, as the man on the left was getting sprayed in the face with a stream of blood.

"Shit! He just cut off his--!" Naruto exclaimed wildly, somewhat freaked out and entertained at the same time, an incredulous grin on his lips.

"Yeah! Hahahaha!" Masabo laughed.

Girl A wandered up beside Naruto, tapping on his shoulder for his attention.

"What, what, what?" Naruto muttered, eyes glued to the screen. She shoved the cell phone in his face. He blinked realizing that he wasn't looking at well-choreographed dismemberment anymore, but a picture of himself asleep.

"What the hell??" Naruto snatched the phone from her hands. Couple of the boys turned away from the video, their attention now on the phone as well.

"It's Hyuuga-san's." She said.

"What?" Naruto turned the phone around, as if he would find her name on it.

"She's been taking pictures of you when you're not looking." Girl A stated seriously. She was such a busybody.

Now all the boys and Masabo were looking over Naruto's shoulder, curious as he flipped through the pictures. Some of them snickered.

"Oh yeah dude, she has a monster crush on you."

* * *

Home.

Hinata hovered over the stacks of algebra papers before her, her large, pale eyes fixated in frustration at the numbers.

Too many variables. That's what she would always say when she couldn't understand it. Too many variables. You have to go through it all first to get the right answer. But you have to make sure you do it in the right order, or the whole thing turns out wrong. And you may say to yourself, 'Oh, I thought you do this and this first', but no. Or 'Why can't you do this first and then work through the rest'? Why? Because then you still get the wrong answer. There is only one way. And through one way, do you succeed.

_'But what is the right way?'_Hinata thought with an inward groan, growing desperately annoyed with having to stare at the same problem for the past thirty minutes. She wanted to skip over it, but she didn't want to feel like she was giving up on it either. She could be stubborn like that. Plus she hated that lazy 'I'll do it later' feeling. No reason why she couldn't do it now. Next problem was most likely gonna be the same and she'd have to stare at it for another thirty minutes trying to figure it out. She knew if she got this one done first, and figured out 'the right way', she'd get the rest.

Only one way, only one way was the right way.

She began to wonder what the right way was to get Naruto's love.

She tried everything she knew, everything she could think of, but the equation remained the same. And all she could say was, "There's too many variables..." Hinata slumped forward with a tired sigh. Her forehead hit the books as she screwed her eyes shut.

All she wanted was him. All she wanted to do was spend time with him, waste her time with him. Not this, not waste her time on homework. _'I should be with him...'_ She whined, squeezing her eyes shut ever more. His face came to mind, as it always had for the past few weeks. She thought fondly of his laugh, his smirking lips. _'...his lips...'_Hinata pursed her lips outward as if to kiss his imaginary lips. She giggled madly at herself for her absurdity.

"Hinata!"

She bolted upright. She turned and faced her father that had entered the room. She hadn't been paying attention at all.

"What is this??!" He accused, holding out several sheets of folded paper, an envelope in his hand. She got up quickly, not wanting to dawdle, afraid to keep him waiting. She didn't really care how he felt or if he was angry, but she preferred to get this over with.

Hinata grabbed the papers from his hand, and the envelope too.

The heading was from _DoCoMo_Telephone Communications. It was a cell phone bill.

It was Naruto's cell phone bill.

The bill that she had addressed to herself, to her family's home, for her to pay.

She felt an uncomfortable warmth flash through her face as she observed the charges.

"If this is yours, I am not going to pay it." Hiashi lastly warned, looking at her in that belittling manner she grew to hate. And the way he spoke to her like that--! She wanted to throw the papers right at his face! But that wasn't the case here.

Hiashi turned around and left her alone.

Hinata continued to stare at the bill, wonderment and embarrassment swelling up in her head like an immense headache.

She felt really dumb.

* * *

Hiashi had gone off to work. The company has a big project coming up, or so he said, and he had to be there for every step.

Neji had gone to sleep right after dinner. He was growing lazier these days, she noted. He blamed it on the warming weather. He said he was afraid of catching the hay fever. Hinata laughed at him then for the way he said it, for also knowing he was making an excuse. He didn't get hay fever, or any allergies really. But he did seem exhausted, and with little to do. It was kind of sad. To graduate so early, never the chance to make any lasting friends.

That's what his problem was. He didn't have any friends.

Hanabi, on the other hand, was the polar opposite of them both. She was outgoing, bold, and friendly. Even if she couldn't make friends with the right people, she at least had the ability to make friends. But she was secretively a picky girl, and never whored her smile around. Whatever she was doing now, nobody knew anymore. Not Neji, Not Hinata, and definitely not Hiashi.

Who tells parents anything anymore anyways? Not so many kids, not adolescents. Not Hanabi. Of course she talked with Hiashi when it was necessary, of course she was friendly with her father. Her way of getting allowances early, her way of creating ties. He was her 'friend in high places', her 'ultimate connection' for now.

Hinata couldn't do what Hanabi did, she didn't dare anyways. Always easiest for the littlest child anyways. Somehow parents trust them more.

_'Genetics are strange...'_Hinata sighed as she looked out into the darkened road. _'... Or maybe it's a matter of probability... Neji always says it's fate.'_

"Maybe I could be fated to be with Naruto-kun." She pondered as she looked out into the street.

She sat out on Naruto's porch waiting for him to arrive.

Since Hiashi was gone, Neji was asleep, and Hanabi was goofing off in Shibuya (with God knows who, doing God knows what), Hinata decided she would wait for Naruto and idle herself with thoughts of romance.

The sun had gone down two hours ago. The streets were lit up in a soft yellow. The wind was silent, as if afraid to disturb her. A boy on a scooter sped steadily down the road, off into the night, the buzz of the engine and little 'put-put' of the exhaust fading from her ears.

The neighborhood was silent again.

Hinata bent her head down and closed her eyes.

The wind blew tentatively now, as if tip-toe-ing around her resting form.

She woke up forty minutes later.

And waited for another hour.

She slumped against his door for twenty minutes.

Then she laid out on his porch for thirty minutes.

The temperature began to drop, and her skin broke out in goosebumps. She pulled her legs up to her chin and held her arms against her chest. A light tinkling began to drum on the roof, and on the road, and the grass, and on the steps.

"Rain now?"She mumbled. She was too tired now to move, to get inside. It was actually nice though, the rain. She didn't mind it all, it was like the light drizzle came to sing her a song.

She closed her eyes again, or at least she thought she did, because she had awoken, Naruto stood out in the rain, staring at her.

The world was wet, cold and black. The street lights were smothered under the haze of shadowy rain. But she saw his outline. She saw him.

He stumbled his way up the steps, to her fetal form by the door.

She remembered then that she had the cell phone bill crumpled against her chest. That was part of her reason for waiting for him.

She moved to speak only to release an unexpected yawn.

He bent down to her, like a child that found something new and mysterious. He craned his head to side to observe her. She had the strangest feeling he wasn't really seeing her. Maybe it was too dark out.

There was something oddly familiar about this moment. And yet fairly different. She thought about the time he arrived at the school to retrieve his bike, when he had found her there sleeping by it, watching guard. Maybe this time wasn't so different.

He rested his hand on her side, then to her hip. The rain from his body dripped over continuously like the rain outside, his sodden hand leaving a wet stain on her thin dress. She kept her sleepy eyes on him. For some undefined reason she decided to look cute and coy for him then. Perhaps her feminine instincts had kicked in upon seeing him.

He moved in closer to her in a strange and weary way, as if he didn't recognize her there.

"Are you a phantom?" He mumbled out in his confusion. He sounded exhausted, but she didn't think it was entirely that, he spoke like he were in a stupor.

"Why?" She asked.

"You look like her. She's been haunting me." He said, his lazily tongue smearing the words against his teeth.

"Who's she?"

"My fuckin' neighbor." He said. There was a bit of contempt there, aggravation. Naruto stood up and grabbed the door knob. His movements were heavy and unfocused. She wondered if he still didn't recognize her. "Goodnight phantom girl." He said, then as he proceeded to enter his home, he stepped on her.

"Ah-Owow! G-get o-o-ff!" Hinata shrieked, as she struggled, his foot too heavy to move. "O-Off!" She grabbed his ankle and twisted her way out form under him. Naruto stumbled, having lost his footing, and pitched forward. He fell through the doorway, never realizing what happened to him.

He was unconscious after that.

* * *

Naruto awoke to the warmth and comfort of his futon. Naruto awoke to the disconcerting stare of Hinata, her face centimeters away from his. He fought back a grimace, partly because of how close she was, partly because he didn't want to breathe on her.

"Naruto-kun... you smell like beer." She stated.

Too late.

Naruto rolled over on his side, so his back was facing her.

"Um.. well..." Naruto shrugged around under the blanket, looking for something to say. "...That's what big shots like me do. I run with an older crowd." His voice beamed with caked-on pride.

Hinata didn't like his answer.

"What's that mean?" She asked, leaning over him. Naruto didn't like the way she was peering into him. He wanted to tell her off, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. It was really awkward for him.

"Means that I get older people to buy me beer." He smirked with a curt scoff, like it was so obvious.

Hinata thought about what he said for awhile. Then she bent down and hugged him.

"But I don't like a drunken Naruto-kun." She said in a cute sort of way, like a tired child's whine.

Panic struck through Naruto at her touch, his eyes bursting open wide. For the briefest moment he thought he couldn't breathe, for the briefest moment he thought she was smothering him. He knocked her away slightly and rolled away with the blanket until the wall stopped him.

"Ow."

Hinata didn't understand his behavior. She sat up.

"Naruto-kun?" She called, clearly concerned. She paused for a moment, then asked, "...Are you still drunk?", in the most obnoxiously innocent tone he ever heard.

"NO!!" The human-shaped blanket yelled, clearly annoyed. Naruto growled, thinking _'This is so stupid!!'_. "Why don't you go home? Disappear like that phantom girl!"

"But I was the phantom girl!" She cried out. "And you stepped on me!" She lifted up her dress. "See? Already a bruise!"

Naruto didn't 'see' at all. He refused to, though he had caught a glimpse, and that was enough.

"DON'T FLASH YOURSELF! Are you stupid?!" He yelled out, trying to dispel all dirty thoughts. For a moment he thought he could use her for practice. For a moment he thought they could be 'buddies' or whatever that kinky shit was that he kept hearing adults blab about, that stupid shit Jiraiya often or not attempted. He thought, he thought, he thought.

He thought wrong.

He hated being wrong.

_"She has a monster crush on you."_

_"...a monster crush..."_

_"...on you."_

_"...__**You**__."_

Naruto didn't want to look at her. He couldn't take the way she looked at him. He couldn't believe how things had changed. He didn't even know when she started crushing on him. He figured it must've been a couple weeks back, but maybe not. Maybe not even. He didn't know. It bugged the crap out of him. He thought she had been clingy, but he hadn't thought much of it.

_'Maybe it all started when we made out in the bathroom...' _

"SHI-I-IT!" Naruto blurted out, the memory and realization hitting him full force. He was so mad at himself now! Naruto gripped his hair and clenched his teeth hard. He was seething with frustration. The whole situation was incredulous. He hated this so much! So Friggin' much! _'Never should've kissed her... never should've kissed her... now she's stalking me!! Never should've freakin' kissed her!'_

Hinata had no idea what was going on with him. He looked like he was in pain, shaking under that old blanket. She wasn't sure what to do for him.

"What're you doing here, anyways?" He groaned wearily. His conscience was mocking him now, laughing at him for being so thick-headed. He was bashing himself for being so oblivious.

Hinata perked up at his question. She suddenly remembered and went scurrying around for the bill. She had placed it by the sink.

"Y-you kn-know the c-cell phone, I g-got you f-few w-weeks ago?" She stumbled, nervously tiptoe-ing around him. If something was bothering him, she didn't want to make it worse. _'Maybe he had a bad day at work. I guess that is a driving factor to drink.'_ She thought, thinking of all the young and old business men that stuck around sushi bars too long. Somehow now, she felt like a wife.

"Yeah?" He groaned again. "What about it?"

"Umm..." Hinata stopped herself. She looked down at the pack of paper, debating herself its importance. The way he sounded ---so tired--- it was like he couldn't be bothered. And it made her feel a little guilty. She couldn't bother him with this now. She changed her mind. She decided she would just pay it off. "Do you like it?"

"...Uh, yeah?" He said quizzically, unsure why she asked that in the first place.

Naruto thought she was going to say something else. But she didn't. Naruto looked over at her direction through the blanket, too lazy now and afraid to move. He wanted to disappear, but more preferred, he wanted her to disappear. Just anything to put some distance between them.

"That's good..." She said like a sigh, like there was something else she was supposed to say.

Naruto really wanted to go back to sleep right then.

"Naruto-kun?" She piped up in a hopeful voice.

"Whaaat?" He asked. He sounded so annoyed.

When she didn't say anything, he began to worry. Then she started to cross the room, over to where he lay against the wall. All he could see was her feet from beneath the blanket, before she knelt down in front of him, and he saw her soft, round knees.

She stared at him awhile, like she would find some sort of answer. She couldn't understand why he was running away from her now when early today he was alright with kissing her. And even the day before he kissed her. Even if it was a really messy, slobbery sort of kiss, he stilled kissed her. She considered that a win. So why was he so adamant in avoiding her? The tiny smile on her lips turned sad and wistful, her brows upturned and knotted as she tried to understand it.

_'Maybe I am disgusting after all... I'm not good enough for him... He knows it... or maybe I'm only good for one thing... which is it?'_

Hinata placed a loving hand on his head and bent down towards him. She was going to see if he really detested her or not.

"May I get a kiss goodnight?"

* * *

"Terrible. Miserable. Awful."

Teuchi hadn't stopped grumbling nor shaking his head since Naruto arrived for work. Neither Naruto nor Ayame were entirely sure what the old man's troubles were, Naruto being the more oblivious one. Teuchi always tried his best not to dump his troubles on his only daughter.

"What's your old man crying about?" Naruto whispered, leaning in close to Ayame.

"Mou! Naruto-kun!" She scolded, nudging him away admonishingly. She couldn't believe he spoke like that.

"What?" Naruto asked, only to get another shake of the head.

"You speak so insensitively sometimes. You don't even use the polite form of speech." She explained as she stopped her chopping the vegetables. She looked at Naruto from the side, beneath her lashes, the look she gave him doing its job to make him feel bad. Naruto turned away so he couldn't see that look.

"Sometimes it's too much work to watch what I say... (And _Keigo_ is too exhausting)." He defended, working on cracking open a freshly steamed crab and harvesting its meat. _'Wonder what this would look like if crabs had blood.'_The weirdest image passed over his eyes as his imagination briefly took hold of him. Imaginary blood pooled out of the crevices of the shell, his hands smeared with it, and the meat engorged with it. Ayame saw how his eyes glazed over. She stared at him warily for a while, before she returned to her chopping and spoke again.

"Yeah... let's see where that gets you." She muttered aloud, thinking back to some of days that Naruto made a verbal flub, his rough language pissing Teuchi off. He always forgave him, but always had to warn Naruto too. Not that it ever helped, since Naruto managed to do it time and again.

"Hn, I'm fine where I am." Naruto scoffed, as he chopped up the crab meat in diagonal slices. When he was done, he handed the near-perfect pieces over to Teuchi to add to the broth.

"Contend to that then." Ayame challenged in a passive-aggressive tone. She didn't look at him, but she could feel the way he looking at her now, confused, trying to tell apart her and her words.

"What.. you want me to 'contend' to the quality of my life?" Naruto chuckled with a bit of disbelief. He couldn't imagine they had any reason to doubt him, since he didn't talk about himself personally.

Ayame set the knife down and stared out at wall, like she was putting her words together. She itched to push her bangs aside, but refrained from doing so. She wasn't quite sure what to say to Naruto at that moment.

"I guess." She finally said, nodding gently.

Normally Naruto was one to talk about himself, if only to praise himself, but he didn't feel like it today.

Instead of complying, Naruto smiled and said, "Nice try."

Ayame glared at him for a good, long while, irritated and confused by his arrogantly spoken comment. It didn't make any sense to her what he said or what he meant, just helped to prove that he sounded like a jerk half the time when he talked.

"I believe we've been friends for a good while, haven't we?" Ayame coolly inquired, a touch of insult in her tone.

"Just a few months..." Naruto corrected as he carved out the meat from the shell.

Ayame fought back at his stubbornness.

"But were we not the first you met when you moved here?"

Naruto wanted to scoff, but he didn't.

"Not really." He threw in lamely.

Ayame repressed a frustrated sigh. Her fingers curled and uncurled themselves.

"But were we not the first kindness you encountered when moving here?"

"I guess..." Naruto answered, the words slipping lazily off his smirking lips.

Ayame was getting just truly annoyed with his attitude.

"Naruto-kun! My father gave you this job the very day you got here!" She asserted fiercely under her breath, as she pinned her eyes on him.

Naruto couldn't take the look she was giving him for long.

"Alright, alright!! You guys are awesome, I appreciate you!" He submitted exasperatedly, huffily sighing at the end.

"That's not what I'm talking about dummy!" Ayame shot back. She was just about ready to take that cutting board and bang it against her forehead, or his.

"…Then what?"

"… Never mind now... I give up."

There was a long, wary pause between them, as Naruto regarded her, making sure she really had given up or was just saying that. Usually when girls say they give up or say 'never mind, it's nothing', they're really still steaming inside and want to let it all out. 'Never mind' is just a girl's way of saying 'I can't think, gimme a moment so I can kick your ass'. They may not want to continue arguing, but they're so mad at you that they can't help themselves, and they have to yell, scream and bitch. Like steam in a tea kettle, its going to come out sooner or later, and its never all that pleasant to hear.

But when Naruto was sure that she wasn't going to say anything, he chose to get the last word in, feeling that he was getting to end the subject formerly.

"... Took you long enough." Was what he said.

Ayame dropped the knife irritably on the cutting board again. Even though she could understand that maybe Naruto didn't want to talk about himself, she couldn't understand why he was being a jerk when he didn't have to be, when he could just say 'No, my life is my business' or something like that. She would have dropped it then. But she was concerned for him, she and Teuchi always were. They would talk about him sometimes, expressing how... how it must be hard to be all on his own at his age. They often wondered why he was on his own like this, wondered how he was doing day to day. He never said much. He talked a lot, but somehow never said anything.

Didn't he realize that she was asking because she cared?

Ayame glanced off to the side, peeking at him through a half-lidded glare. She appeared apathetic as she watched Naruto, growing ever more annoyed with him, and his obliviousness, his blatant ignorance.

_'I'll give him something he deserves.'_ She thought as she lifted up her knee a little, and brought her heel down on his foot. It felt like a dumbbell had been dropped on his toes, a brief spike of pain coinciding with the slight numbness of his foot.

Naruto yelped.

"Gyaa!! Ow!? What the hell?!" Naruto screeched through clenched teeth, like a growling fox.

"Get back to work!" Ayame yelled back in as big a voice she could muster, half-heartedly asserting herself as his sempai and boss.

For a brief moment, Naruto wanted to quit and make a big show about it, as if that meant they should miss him if he did.

_'Stupid… Nobody appreciates me... always get picked on... Tch, I make the ramen, I got the bike back.... don't even get a enough money for this job...'_

It appeared as if a dark gloom hung over the Ichiraku, all three wore disgruntled expressions as they worked diligently, each with a different drama occupying their brain.

In the midst of Naruto's griping and mental angst, two customers sat at the counter, one of their voices one that Naruto really didn't want to hear.

"Oi, blondie!"

"SHIT!" Naruto blurted out in his exacerbation, recognizing the high-pitch, moronic tone all too well. It was that crazy redheaded bitch, that friend of Hinata's. "DAMMIT!!" Naruto continued to curse without hesitation nor delay. He didn't damn care if he offended her, he partly hoped that his cursing would push them way. Last thing he needed was to deal with a hyperactive retard and her wimpy, gay bitch. Naruto really felt like Robin was a tool with no backbone whatsoever.

His cursings did give a negative affect like he intended, but not in the way he wanted.

Teuchi was already pissed off about something else. Hearing Naruto curse again, after so many times he told him he was sick of it, the dam broke and a flood of frustration and stress was poured over Naruto's head like scalding water.

"Enough!! Come on, what have I told you?!"

Naruto stood like a gaping catfish, futilely mouthing 'gomen' over and over, but it was entirely too late.

When it comes to adults, you gotta let them vent or they'll never let you speak again.

"You kids!! All you kids think you can do whatever you want!! You take no responsibility!! You see where this country is heading?! We've got idiots in Parliament!! Our Prime Minister is a CHILD!! You've heard him, that lame duck! Complain he can't keep up with his _tankobons _anymore!! And that moron who can't keep his liquor down, slurred his speech at the Summit!! Those idiots lost half a billion pensions!! Who's going to take care of us after him?! I don't think I'd trust _you_with my life, until I see some growing up!! But you just come here day in and day out, swearing like a fool!! You think that's fine in a normal job?! You'd get fired faster than light with your attitude, boy!! Who's going to save us from this shit-hole they've created?! Now the Americans are looking at us like we're a suicidal culture!! Ridiculous, political bullshit!!! You better straighten up, or you'll find yourself collecting cans!!"

The rant left the stand dead with silence.

Only when a single quiet clap came that caught time's attention, did it resume it's infinite duty of passing, bringing all back down to earth.

Moe roughly elbowed Robin in the arm to stop his clapping, glaring embarrassingly at him for his unduly response. He mouthed back to her _"What?"_ in disagreement, but she turned back and ignored him.

Naruto stood there, rooted to the ground like a stake hammered into the concrete, his mouth hung open slightly.

It had been awhile since he got such a lecture from an adult, especially from one that hardly knew a thing about him. It took all his rationale not to storm off. It took all his power to speak.

The words moved their way through his shock, in a calm and irritated voice, he muttered, "Whatever.", then --in a passive-aggressive manner-- began to remove the apron tied around his waist.

He was so used to leaving whenever he felt like it.

That's what he was doing now.

Ayame watched him walk out behind the counter, not sure she knew what he was doing.

He couldn't leave just like that, just because he got yelled at!

He was still on shift!

_'What the hell?!'_Ayame helplessly stamped her foot on the ground at him.

The two Moe and Robin got up to follow him, at Moe's behest.

They _had_ come to check up on him after all.

* * *

Naruto wasn't sure what he was doing right now. He didn't even take the bike with him, he just ditched work right before their eyes. That's all he knew.

He knew Ayame would be pissed at him, knew she would nag at him about getting fired, as if that was his intent.

It wasn't.

Last thing he wanted was to further irritate Teuchi.

Last thing he wanted was to blow up right back at him.

"Ayame-san would hate me though... if I got fired..." He sighed somewhat apathetically. Naruto accepted it before it even happened, his idle feet taking him through the open-air park of Yoyogi. "Maybe the old man is finally sick of me. I could just get another job, so he wouldn't have to deal with me anymore…" Naruto slowed down, and looked at the ground. "…probably should…" He dragged out, knowing he was being followed.

It proved pointless to ignore them.

"WHAT?!" He called out, bringing Moe and Robin out into view. Robin was hesitant at first, he nearly stayed behind the tree, as if to say he wasn't with Moe. She bit out "C'mon!" as she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him along with her.

Naruto was ready to get rid of them as soon as he could. All he needed was to know why the hell they were following him.

Moe sidled up to him with a sheepish grin. Her hostage Robin was doing his best impression of being invisible, and failing miserably. His wimpy exterior annoyed the hell out of Naruto, he couldn't stand to look at the guy.

"Hey, guy!" Moe said nonchalant, trying to be innocent and friendly. Naruto didn't buy into it. "You got any time?" She asked hopefully in a sugary tone.

Naruto answered quickly.

"No."

Moe's smile faltered for a moment. She wasn't sure why he was being a jerk, she would have instantly gone ape on him. She never let people get away with stepping on her like that. But she held back. She remembered that her Hinata-chan loved this guy.

Robin nearly ran away, catching Naruto's hint right away, but Moe was too strong. He damned his luck.

"We just have a few questions, man." Moe continued to grin, pinning on him a determined glare.

"Like what and how many?" Naruto glared back.

"Depends if this goes well!" She said cheerfully. "We just came to check up on you! Wanted to know how you and our Emi-chan were doing!"

It took Naruto awhile to translate 'Emi-chan' into 'Hinata-chan'. The moment he realized, he became uncomfortable and immensely irritated. His face soured.

"Why?" He asked, sounding suspicious, defensive.

Moe paused with a sarcastic look of innocence before answering him just as sarcastically.

"Oh gosh, why? You are her boyfriend, aren'tcha?" She fully glared at him now, meeting him with a reflected annoyance. Maybe he was justified to be annoyed with her, but she wasn't going to put up with his bullshit if he was ready to give her any.

She waited and watched. The silence was excruciating, the look on his face was worse. Or rather the lack of a look, for it seemed like a haze had fallen over him.

"Is that what she tells you guys?" He smirked.

The two stiffened up, the confusion passing into disbelief.

"Are you kidding me…?" Moe uttered, her grip on Robin slackening. The indecisive boy peeked over his shoulder, catching the vague smirk Naruto wore. He could practically feel Moe's heart sink in that moment, before Naruto spoke again, possibly saving himself from danger or putting himself there.

"Me an' Hina-chan are doing fine." Naruto shrugged, playing along. He wasn't sure why he was saying this. Maybe for a moment he felt sorry for Hinata, maybe that was why.

The incredulity melted away off of Moe's face, replaced with a new sort of distress as she bit down on her lip hard. As if she were debating with herself, debating what to believe and who to be mad at.

She chose to tread through this murk carefully.

"Fine?" She repeated warily, feeling a little fearful for Hinata.

Naruto nodded with a roll of his eyes, the former annoyance he had for the two back in place.

Moe chose to believe him, feeling uneasy about it.

What other choice did she have? Other than confront Hinata about this, but like he said before, she would just keep telling them 'he's my boyfriend'.

Even if she couldn't and wouldn't believe Naruto, she had to believe in Hinata.

Why should she lie to them about this? Unless he was lying to her.

Moe pretended to believe him, pretended to trust him for now.

She had no idea how she was going to get any one of them to explain. She had no idea who she'd ask about this now. He just screwed it all up with a single mocking question.

"So you're treating her fine?" Moe asked again so skeptically. Naruto glared impatiently at her.

"I just said that." Naruto answered and paused. "You ask her if she's happy." He ended in a smirking, tired voice as he walked pass them. He stopped for a moment and looked at the wimpy boy, Robin. He smirked meanly and jokingly lunged at him, making the slightly older boy flinch. His frightened expression made Naruto laugh.

It'd been so long since he got to do that.

Moe hung her head in shame.

"Keisuke.... You're so lame."

* * *

When Naruto had made it back to The Ichiraku, Teuchi and Ayame were cleaning up the shop.

They were closing early again.

Naruto slowed his pace as he watched them. There was this hopeless and beleaguered air about the stand. The wistful disappointment on Ayame's face, the heavily wearied look on Teuchi's… Naruto felt a guilt well up in his stomach.

"Hey!!" Naruto shouted out, running towards them. "What's wrong?! Why're you guys closing so soon?!"

Teuchi didn't answer him. Naruto wasn't sure if he was being silent because he was so weary, or if because he couldn't stand him anymore.

He looked to Ayame, who tried to cover up the disappointment set in her eyes.

She didn't smile though.

"We have to. We're low on food stock." She answered calmly.

"That's it? Lemme go to the market, I'll pick out what we need." Naruto offered pleadingly. He looked to Teuchi in hopes of a positive response. The man never turned around.

"It won't be enough. Anyways, that's not how it works." Ayame pulled the shutter down on the stand, officially closing it for the day. The hopelessness was catching on, an intense desperation grabbing a hold of Naruto in its needy grasp. He didn't understand what was going on, and he couldn't stand see them like this. They weren't cluing him in, he hated that, and he felt guilty for it now, because Ayame was being too nice, always too nice.

They'd never let him worry.

Ayame smiled a little at him, the warmth of her voice like a blanket that was slowly being taken away from him.

"Have a nice weekend off, Naruto-kun." She said.

"Weekend…? Y-You guys will be open soon, right?" He pleaded.

She just said the same thing before they walked off altogether.

"Have a nice weekend."

* * *

"This sucks…"

Naruto sat out on his porch, the evening sun hanging overhead.

He had no idea what to do.

Part of him had been prepared to quit right then and there.

But not to be a jackass and make a big show about it, like he had thought before.

He thought it would be the best thing for them.

They wouldn't have to pay him anymore, they'd get to keep their profits to themselves.

That's how he saw it at least, and he thought it was the smartest, most selfless thing he could do.

Now he wasn't so sure.

It didn't feel right anymore to quit.

They ruined it for him, and now he had to think of another time to do it.

He wanted to help them out.

If all he was gonna do was be trouble and piss Teuchi off, then he didn't want that anymore.

If all he was gonna do was make them worry all the time, he didn't want that.

He planned to help them anyway he could.

He felt obligated.

* * *

Naruto walked around Shibuya with Hiro. It was another lazy, nonsense day for them. They had no plans, and no clue.

Hiro had been up to nothing when he called her up. He'd said that he was bored with a lot of free time.

Then she had replied, _"Let's be up to no good."_, with a little giggle at the end.

That got him going easily.

She had a hard time speaking it seemed, but somehow she managed to always say the right thing.

Naruto was looking around the crowded atmosphere, wondering what kind of terrible nonsense they could idle themselves with. Sadly, all he could think of was tricking tourists and writing graffiti. He didn't dare mention these as suggestions to Hiro though. Even he knew that she'd laugh at his face and call him 'juvenile'. He knew, because that was all he ever did as a kid. That, and start fights. But the life of a yanki was one he could not relive, nor lead.

Times change. And even if times hadn't changed, he knew he was too old to be a yanki. He would have to graduate into a chinpira if he wanted to. That was the only way. That's how it always went.

No way he was going to do that though. Not after that month-long hell he went though to get out. He had no respect for those 'tracky-lackeys' anyways. Maybe at one point he wanted to be, when he was much younger... only because he wanted to be part of a Yakuza family... because of those damn movies he grew up watching ... only because he knew a boy, a boy that was dead now. He didn't want to think about it at all though. The memory was a large scar, old but unfaded. Anyways, he couldn't imagine becoming a chinpira or working for Yakuza ever again.

Kakashi had been right.

That shit was too much for him to handle.

"You wanna talk about it?" Hiro piped up.

"Talk about what?" Naruto asked confused. They hadn't spoken since they met up, so he couldn't recall anything relevent.

"You got quiet for moment." She said.

"Eh, it's not important. Swear."

"Swear." She repeated like she didn't recognize the word. "Swear to God?"

"Yup, I swear to myself." Naruto grinned broadly, receiving a joking punch to the arm by his smaller, older companion.

"You not God, knock it off." She grinned back cheekily, her dimples showing through.

"Well how else was I born?" He joked back.

"Mot'er and Fat'er of course. Sperm go in, incubate, baby come out."

Naruto scoffed a little. "Yeah, but remember: I didn't have parents."

"Okay. Let's be hypot'etical." Hiro replied, sounding somewhat serious.

Naruto arched an eyebrow at her curiously. "'Kay?" He said. God knows where this was leading. Too bad he didn't know.

"You naturally blonde and has blue eyes. You claim you Japanese. Too bad we don' have 'nough money to go to t'e doctors, do a blood test of sorts." She ended jokingly. Naruto grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into what was a mix of a hug and a grapple.

"Where's the significant part?" He chuckled, pretending to be aggravated with her.

"Say you not Japanese."

"Shit. What am I?" Naruto laughed sarcastically, secretly feeling uneasy. He didn't show it though.

"Say... you're paren's were touris's."

"Oh damn, not tourists." He laughed again, forcing it a little bit this time. This hypothetical stuff was never fun.

"Yeah, an' t'ink about t'is, right? Your paren's fly over from God fuck knows where, right? You mom is pregnan', not due for maybe... anot'er mont'."

"Wait, am I fucking preemie??!" Naruto blurted out jokingly, albeit too excitedly.

"Maybe! See, she have you accidently! She have you too early! So they dump you here, and go back home!"

They stopped walking.

Naruto stared off at nothing for awhile, before he settled his empty stare on her. She saw the hidden pain beneath, like some black, murky secret. Set in deep like a motor oil stain on the cleanest cotton. She knew she struck a nerve. She knew she did.

"Okay, I'm done." Naruto stated firmly at first, before he grew adamant and upset. His voice shook a little, whether it was emotion or anger, she wasn't sure. "Not playing this anymore. No more scenarios."

"What?" She prodded innocently.

"No. Hell no. Fuck no." Naruto said, shaking his head, trying to look strong and tough. He wanted to swear her and everybody off, but he held back.

"What??" Hiro poked again, her shamelessness going unseen. She was looking for something, she wanted to hear something.

"I'm a god, that's it." Naruto said. Then he shouted, "Not some dog turd nobody wanted to pick up!!"

That outburst earned him a few looks. As if he wasn't used to that response already.

"You were abandoned, t'en?"

Naruto turned on Hiro's innocent expression, her big, black eyes staring at him like this was all so impersonal to her. Naruto understood that it was, but it pissed him off even more.

"I will hurt you." He stated coldly. Hiro didn't take his warning. She was like him actually; rather than heed a warning, she took it as a challenge and faced it head on. She grinned cheekily at him and emitted this adorable laugh.

"Like hell!" She mocked, shoving his arm. "You a tough guy, huh? You tough guy, killer?? Ha-ha! Like hell! Ha-ha!" She continued to giggle and shove him repeatedly, the cheery smile on her lips affecting him badly.

He was so mad at her, but at the same time he couldn't help but like her smile.

After all her taunts and pushing, Naruto finally decided to stop her. An idea came to him as he looked at her, all dressed down in a jean skirt, flip-flops and red hoodie. He didn't care how immature it was, he went for it.

Naruto grabbed her by the shoulders, spun her around and pulled her skirt down to her ankles.

Naruto pants-ed a girl.

To his wild and incredulous delight, she was wearing black, lacy, semi-see-through boyshorts.

"I knew you were sexy." Naruto grinned moronically. Hiro knocked his arm aside and pulled her skirt back up. She spun around on him and swung her leg for his face. He just began to laugh. The look on her face was adorable, but he found it interesting and slightly disappointing that her face wasn't at all flushed red with embarrassment and anger. Like with Sakura. But Hiro did look irked.

"You disrespectful kink! You retard!" She yelled out, throwing more half-hearted roundhouses for his head and groin. He continued to laugh, grin, dodge and block her at every step.

"Ha-ha! What're you talking about?? I have _a lot_of respect for you now, Sempai!" Naruto beamed, catching her leg in his grasp. She wrenched herself away, but that only got him to grab her from behind as he proceeded to pick her up. She tried to wriggle out, but stopped when she saw how amused he was.

One moment he was pissed as all hell and brooding.

Now he was as cheerful as the stupidest child you ever saw (and secretly wish you could slap just for the hell of it).

Hiro crossed her arms and glared at him lightly.

"You hella fickle." She said with a huff.

* * *

"Your phone look so sad an' naked." Hiro commented as she turned the orange touch-screen phone around in her tiny hands. Naruto had put her down some time ago. They continued their aimless trek through Shibuya.

"Kay?" Naruto said disinterestedly, walking crookedly with a slouch. Hiro elbowed him to knock it off, embarrassed with his antics.

"You should do somet'ing about it." She said.

"Like what?"

"Put stickers on it. Where t'e boot'?" She looked up at him as if he'd know.

"Ta boot?" He repeated jokingly. She kicked him a bit hard in the shin. Naruto just laughed.

"Ta... T'e... boot... Ta... Ta booos... T'e booot's..." Hiro struggled with her tongue but it refused to obey her.

"WHOA! Can you really not say it??" He laughed incredulously, highly amused. "You have an impediment, huh? I thought you just had some shit-heavy accent or something, but it's really an impediment, huh?" Naruto continued to laugh at her. If he wasn't so amused, he would've just been saying this to torment her. After the horrible game of hypotheses she chose to play, he wasn't going to let it slide. Whether she had been close or far off, it didn't matter. It was the very suggestion of it all that got to him. Especially since it could be true, because he didn't know shit about who his parents were and what they did with him, and he hated thinking about them.

So he took this as a moment to ridicule her, even if for just a little bit, it was worth it.

"At leas' I'm not blonde." She said in a snooty way.

"Well then fuck you and your pale skin and black hair." Naruto shot back coolly, already irritate with her. Why'd she have to bring that up? Guess she already knew that sort of bothered him. Damn homogeneous society. Damn uniformity.

"Fuck you and your mom." She threw back playfully, glaring at him.

"That doesn't bother me."

"But t'en you be dead wit'out your mot'er."

"I wouldn't be dead. I wouldn't _be alive_. But I am, so now what?"

"What do you prefer?"

"I dunno, I dun' really care either. After all the shit I've been through, I should be dead." Naruto sighed wearily, looking up at the sky instinctively.

"Tell me?" Hiro piped up somewhat hopefully.

"Hell no." Naruto laughed albeit to her, he couldn't shake off the very thoughts that brought him down. There was a lot of things he was angry about, but he didn't want to be angry right now.

"Well theeeen.. How would you like to die?" Hiro suggested curiously, weirding Naruto out for a moment.

"How would I _what_?" Naruto repeated, quirking a brow at her. _'Is she threatening me?'_

"How would you like to die? I always wanted to die of assassination!" She admitted a bit too gleefully. Clearly she was interested in this. Naruto found it odd, especially from a girl. But then she was in her own way, an unusual girl.

"I have no clue." Naruto chuckled a bit uncomfortably. "I suppose... maybe... I want to die a winner."

"In a fight?"

"Yeah."

"What kind of fight? One on one?"

"Suppose so. Doesn't really matter."

"Or assassination?"

"Nooo... that's clearly your thing, (psychopathic midget)." Naruto laughed again, inwardly shaking his head at her. _'Wow...'_ She sounded like a fascinated child talking about this stuff!

"You're no fun today, Fishcakes." Hiro pouted as she went back to messing around with his cell phone. She was aimlessly surfing the web, using the Internet service extensively.

"Can say the same for you. You've been talking about death and shit the whole day." Naruto complained wearily, slouching forward as they walked. It felt like they had been walking through the same scenery for the past hour and he couldn't stand it. How could living in Tokyo be so boring? Maybe part of it was having money. Didn't seem like Hiro would let him mooch today though. Didn't seem like they were going to be up to any shenanigans either, like he wanted.

Somehow sitting at home, watch _Yukorin_all day was definitely a more appealing prospect than wandering around doing nothing with Hiro if all she was going to do was depress him and get him riled. Sure there were times that Sakura pissed him off, but that was completely different than this. He couldn't say Hiro was being a bitch, just being really obnoxious.

He wanted the sexy and cute Hiro back, not this one.

"Alright. You wanna do somet'ing fun?" She asked sincerely enough, waiting on him patiently. Naruto had no idea what she could possibly suggest. Pan-handling the other day hadn't exactly been all that fun. But then again, it wasn't like he could think of anything. Somehow drinking sounded more fun. He really liked how it made him feel warm and how it made him stupid and not care about things. It was probably the same feeling other kids got, the ones on drugs. Then again, alcohol is a drug. But no one cares that much, long as you're not driving and accidentally ram someone against a railing or something. That always sucks. Then after that, you're obligated to place a jar with a fresh flower there for everyday of your life. Or they haunt you and you die an even more unfortunate death. _'Great, damn Hiro. She got me thinking all this weird, depressing shit now.'_

"Like what?" He griped, thinking how today was really a sucky and stupid day so far.

"C'mon! We decorate your phone!" She said, grabbing him by the arm. She began to drag him over to a _Purikura_ Photo-Sticker Booth, like she had been trying to say before.

"Why?! That's not fun!"

"What your problem?! Lighten up already! What'll make you feel better now, huh?"

"I dunno! But I don't wanna hang out with you anymore!"

"Why?! What happened? I thought you were into me."

"I am! But not today! I don't like you today!"

"You really fickle as all fuck, you know that?! C'mon, we go!"

"You talk like a moron by the way!"

"WE GO!"

* * *

"C'mon! Just make funny face!"

"This is stupid."

The camera went off several times a second, catching pictures of a cutely smiling Hiro and an annoyed, disgruntled Naruto.

"C'mon Napoleon." Hiro teased, glaring at him. She gave him a mild shove. Naruto turned and gave her this really strange look.

"Huh?"

"You act like you have compensation problems." Hiro smirked meanly, as she pulled at his cheek like he were her younger brother.

"What?!" Naruto shouted irritably. "Compensa---?! Fuck, you sound like Sai!!"

"Well why do you act like you're such a big guy?"

"Because I am. Can't you tell, I'm the greatest man on earth, I'm the shit." Naruto pouted, as he crossed his arms and looked the other way. When he looked back, she was taking off her red hoodie. Then she began to step out of her flip-flops and out of her skirt. His face burned watching her. "...what are you doing?" He asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Wouldn't t'is be fun?" She asked, looking him straight in the eyes. "Let's take the pictures in our underwear." Hiro slid her long white shirt up and over her head. Now she stood in the booth with nothing but her black, lacy boyshorts and black, lacy bra. She looked him in the eyes again. She wasn't nervous or embarrassed at all. "At leas' t'en.. you don't have to hide behind your compensation."

Hiro sat back down beside him, ready for the camera to start snapping away. The moment she brushed against his arm, he bolted to his feet and began to take his clothes off too. This was probably one of the craziest, kinkiest things he ever did. And as far as kinky went, he wasn't. He took off his shoes, socks, his jeans. He took off his sweater, his shirt. But the moment he stood there in that cramped little booth, with nothing on but his black boxers, he began to regret it.

Hiro was eyeing him, giving him a once-over several times.

This was really weird for him ---this blatant exposure, this vulnerability--- he began to regret it.

"You're a rail." She said. She said it so plainly that it embarrassed him terribly.

He turned away, trying to hide the shame-filled blush in his cheeks.

"I just haven't... I haven't benched in awhile..." He mumbled. He knew she would laugh. She did. Hiro couldn't picture him benching all that, not with the way he looked. Boy like him trying to body build, that's hilarious.

"It's not muscle you need t'ough." She said. "It's meat."

Naruto turned back around and saw her smirk. But it wasn't a mean smirk like earlier. She sounded like somebody's mother though when she said that. That really annoyed him. Even though he may have thought part of it was kind of cute, in an endearing way.

Her face was always cute in an endearing way.

It was because of her big black eyes, dimples and cheeky smile.

Always the eyes and the smile.

"You really did get in fights t'ough, huh?" She said, commenting on the various marks on his exposed body, pale blemishes of different shapes and size all over his back, chest, torso and arms. If he was able to tan, he probably looked really bad with one, what with all those scars.

Naruto grimaced with an embarrassed groan. He didn't like this anymore.

Hiro stuck her arm out of the booth and payed for another round. She got a kick out of that, knowing that no one could see them, knowing that if it weren't for the curtains, they'd be half-naked in public. She enjoyed that.

She grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and pulled him back down with her. A jolt of pleasure ran down his back as goosebumps crawled down his arms at her touch.

This was more intimate that anything he could recall.

Even that crazy time in the bathroom with Hinata didn't compare to right now.

"I think we should have sex right now." Naruto said in the plainest voice ever. He wasn't sure if he was serious or just joking. But seeing how Hiro got him to take his clothes off, seeing her do all these poses in her underwear, he couldn't imagine why not.

"I'm not gonna do it wit' a virgin." She said plainly back, making a silly face at the screen.

Naruto wasn't surprised by her answer. He sat there not doing anything for the camera.

"Because I'm such a goddamn loser, right?" He scoffed bitterly, figuring that was the main reason. It always was Sakura's. For the longest time that was all she would call him.

"I don't do it wit' virgins." Hiro said once more in an impersonal tone. She wondered to herself how bad was his self-esteem. He whined a lot it seemed. He whined a lot about how people saw him. It was easy for her to figure out that he was kind of a sensitive guy, that he really wanted to be liked by everyone. But he puffed his chest too much, he would try to compensate his insecurities with a lot of talk that she knew was bullshit. He was a lonely child, she knew. She just didn't know how low his esteem was. She figured it must be pretty damn low, what with his moods of course.

"But I'm a god. Wouldn't you wanna do it with a god?" Naruto added, not giving up. He had no idea what she really thought of him, he did not realize how transparent he was to her. Sometimes he thought she liked him. Other times he thought he was fooling himself. He had no idea. Deep down though, he liked her. Deep down he hoped that she liked him too. If just a little bit.

"Not a green god." Hiro scoffed. She moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, and made another face at the camera. That made Naruto nervous. "What about your bat'room playt'ing? What about her?" She asked breezily.

Naruto groaned and rolled his eyes.

"She's a little too willing." He said, as if he regretted her. He did regret her sometimes. But since the other night when he got home, and she'd been asking for that kiss... _'She has a crush on me though...'_ He reminded himself. He didn't know what to do with her.

"She hella slut? You don't like t'at?" Hiro grinned at the camera, pulling at his cheeks so he would smile.

"No, I don't." He replied after she let go. He kept looking over his shoulder now, trying to get a better look at her half-naked body. He was more interested in her right now than anything else.

"She hella slut?" Hiro asked again, ignoring his eyes. She knew he was ogling her, she didn't care.

"Oi, stop moving." Naruto joked, avoiding her question.

The booth camera stopped. The stickers were waiting outside. Hiro got up from around him and went to retrieve their clothes on the floor. He could see a better view of her now. He wished they weren't cramped in a booth. She had great skin all over. Her legs, and arms were tight, her hips had just a teeny bit of pudge, but only so much that her backside had these really cute dimples. Her hips looked so squeezable, he just wanted to pinch her. But the craziest thing he saw was the large tattoo on her back. It was spread allover her back, down her arm to just above her elbows, and it started from her beneath the waistband of her panties.

It was a tiger. This large, beautiful, green-eyed tiger spread across her back like she were Shiva herself. A solitary figure, it stood proudly amongst a burst of full-bloom peonies that showered down her shoulders and back like sensual fireworks. The design beneath was repetitious and somewhat complicated, resembling the scales of a koi fish before transforming into the feathers of a hawk. From the feathers, appeared two heads of a hawk, one on each shoulder with one golden eye staring right at you, just like the tiger.

Their three-eyed stare held him, mesmerizing him with an ominous sort of fury. He couldn't pull his eyes away for the longest time. It wasn't until she turned around that their gaze had finally broken, meeting hers.

"You like it?" She asked coolly as if it were the plainest birth mark. There were so many questions he had and yet so little did he have to say.

"Yeah." He uttered in awe, trying to figure her out. His brain quickly gave up. "It's totally beauitful! How many needles?!"

"Forty-seven."

"Who did it?"

"Family friend."

"It fits you perfectly, I think! I think I know you more now!" Naruto was so excited, he was like a child.

"You know t'e symbolism?" Hiro grinned in her cheeky way, interested in what he had to say now.

Naruto nodded in an eagerly childish manner, despite the slight unsure look on his face. There was a lot of things the tiger represented, and there were only so much the hawk and the peonies represented, so he wasn't entirely sure what the real meaning was, but he got a feeling about her, that it all represented her.

And the beauty and complication of it made her even more impressive to him. Forty-seven needles to him meant she was the toughest, bad-ass of girl he ever met, if ever.

She was the coolest girl on earth to him now!

"I has a rabbit on my butt too." She said.

"A rabbit?!"

"Yeah, on my left cheek. A tiny one." She grinned, looking at the red that spread across Naruto's face. Part of him was struggling to ask if he could see it, part of him didn't care to, because just the idea of it was unbelievably sexy. For a moment Hiro became worried. _'Hope I didn't turn him into a fanboy all of a sudden...'_

Naruto couldn't contain his excitement anymore. "HIRO, YOU ARE FUCKING SEXY!" He exclaimed out, making the older girl jump out of fright. Suddenly Naruto let out this perverted chuckle that embarrassed her. He was acting like such an idiot now. He couldn't stop thinking about the rabbit. And that she had a rabbit and a tiger at the same time was really something, it was a great combination. "Your _horimono_ is kick-ass." He uttered once more in awe, like he'd just become infatuated with her. "You got any _kakushibori_?" He teased perversely.

A smirk blossomed on her lips. Hiro turned back around and picked up her clothes, all the while hiding her smirk from him. She wanted to laugh so much right then, but she held back.

"I guess it is a _horimono._I mean, it's not like I've done anything bad yet." She said aloud, though more to herself. Naruto didn't catch what she said. She sounded like she was mumbling, the words incoherent and meshed together, yet she had been loud enough for him to hear. He didn't seem to care about what she said anyways, he was too busy staring at her _horimono_. "We should go now." She said with her and Naruto's clothes in her arms.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked dumbly at her.

"C'mon!" She shouted energetically, bursting out of the booth, still in nothing but her underwear. "Gotta hurry! Race you to the bat'rooms!" She laughed outside of the curtain. Naruto freaked out when she ran away laughing, realizing she had his clothes. Realizing that she was making him chase her down.

A hot chill of anxiety and fear rushed through him. Suddenly he felt like a stranded cast away, or some idiot stuck atop The Tokyo Tower with no way back down.

"HIRO-CHAN!!!" He shouted out desperately, hoping and praying she'd come back with his clothes. She wasn't coming back. He stuck his head out the window and looked around. The stickers weren't there either. She took them too. She took his clothes, which had his cell phone, and the stickers that she said he should put on the cell phone. And also his ill-shaped wallet was in his pants too. She had his wallet too!! She took everything! Was this another joke of hers?! Did she really want him to chase or race her to the bathroom half-naked?!

_'...She really is too much fun...'_Naruto groaned as he shrank back inside the booth.

Suddenly a voice out of nowhere spoke beside him.

"What you doing?"

"WHAT THE FU---?!?" Naruto screamed, falling backwards out of the booth. Hiro stepped out with him. She was still half-naked, but she had her hoodie on, which hardly covered her legs. He had a great angle from here to ogle her crotch as she stood over him. He struggled to decide what part of her to look at, her unsusually calm eyes or the triangle shape of her panties. She still had his clothes in her arms.

"D'ya want your clot'es or what?" She teased, dangling his pants over his reddened face. Naruto made a grab for the leg, but she pulled them back quickly.

Hiro ran away again.

Something about her overly playful behavior he enjoyed. Something about her antics he liked.

He knew he used to do some pretty stupid stuff, but the idea of streaking in public?

"...I knew she was sexy..."

Naruto rolled off his back and stumbled to feet. He saw her, he spotted her red hoodie recede into the crowd.

He broke out into a run after her.

He was so amused with her that he forgot himself.

He was so turned on by her that he forgot where he was.

He was so annoyed with her that he didn't see the public stares.

He was so excited that he didn't feel the cold spring wind or the goosebumps that ran allover his body.

He was so enamored that he didn't hear the shrilly whistles and shouts.

He was so oblivious that he didn't realize that he was being chased.

It wasn't until he got knocked to the ground that he realized he was caught.

Naruto shouted and yelled in a confused panic, his face pressed hard against the cold pavement. There was a heavy weight holding him down and several oppressive voices hovered over his head, but he couldn't understand a thing they were saying. He fought against the police officers that were struggling to put his wrists together. It wasn't until the cuffs were finally tightened around his wrists that he realized his situation. It wasn't until the men picked him up that he remembered himself and where he was.

He wanted to crawl away and die. He wanted to disappear. He saw all the faces, all the strange stares. He felt like a freak on display as the police took him in. He thought for a moment that Americans were lucky, they always get escorted in a car. But he knew they were going to make him walk all the way to the box, in the cold spring air, in nothing but his black boxers.

This was not how he wanted to be seen.

Something like this shouldn't have happened.

One of the police spoke to his partner, as Naruto hung his head and hid his shame-filled face from the world.

"Why do we always get the crazy gaijins?"

* * *

Naruto couldn't move.

The police had put him in a separate room, a "substitute jail cell", the hotbed of all interrogations.

The Daiyo Kangoku.

This wasn't his first time here actually.

This wasn't his first time stuck to a chair either. Except when Kakashi tied him up, he was much more hospitable.

Instead, these bastard: Cuffed him to a chair, in the middle of the room, with the air-conditioner turned on full blast. He couldn't let his feet touch the floor because it was cold as ice, thanks to them. They had refused to give him a blanket and they refused to give him any clothes. He sat there, his arms behind his back, with his legs stuck to his chest. He didn't want anyone to see the twisted scar on his navel, but it was getting tough to hold his legs up without use of his arms to hug them. He could feel his knees getting tired. He could feel his fingers and toes grow cold and stiff from lack of movement and heat circulation. He wanted to beg for clothes, feeling that all his scars were exposed; He felt that his scars were much worse than _irezumi_.

A history of violent behavior, written out all over his body for other to see.

He didn't need anyone to see.

And yet he didn't want to beg, having too much contempt and pride.

The constant rush of cold air made his skin burn numb. It was really irritating.

"THIS IS STUPID!!" Naruto yelled out until he was red in the face. _'How long are they gonna keep me?!'_Naruto growled, then hung his head, exhaling loudly out of frustration. He knew they were locating his information, they knew they would try to locate his parents or guardians. But once they found out he had none.... then what? Naruto wanted to bang his head against the wall, but it was too far away, so he proceeded to bang his head against his knees, cursing Hiro all the while. He didn't really blame her, he figured she didn't think this through at all. But it was still her fault. Maybe it was his too, he didn't know. But it was easier to blame her. It wasn't like he gave her his clothes. That's not what happened, obviously. Naruto sighed again. "...I'm never gonna get out of here..."He thought. No one was going to know he was here. No one was going to bust him out. They could keep him here as long as possible. They probably were. Nobody would know. Not even Tsunade.

Naruto began to talk to aloud. The room was too damn quiet.

"They can't keep me here forever though... they'd have to let me out sometime... Shit. What if they make me go to that Reformatory place? Shit! Shit! I don't have a--- I don't have anybody! N-nobody's gonna come get me! Nobody's knows I'm here! Shit! Hiro's not gonna find me here! Shit! I-Is she even looking?! How'm I gonna get out?! ...Shit! Shit shit shit!! I can't go there!! They can't--! I'll be stuck there for fucking four years!! Shit! Hey you bastards!!! Lemme out! Lemme out! Lemme the fuck out! I'll do anything, okay?! I'll pay a fucking fine!!"

"OI! Quiet down!" Complained an aggravated officer from the doorway. He gave Naruto a hard, annoyed stare through the window before he went back to his desk, leaving Naruto all alone again.

He wanted so much to take the chair and throw it at his face. If... he weren't already attached to it.

"You assholes!! You turds!! You dickheads!!" Naruto began to scream out, hoping to get someone's attention. The same man came back and burst through the door. He wasn't quite red in the face, but he was irritated as hell.

"I see that you know only filthy language." The officer spat coldly. He was ready to leave him here all night, if the presiding officer of the box wasn't so soft on kids.

"I'm a fuckin' citizen, idiot." Naruto spat back, remembering what one of them said before, calling him a 'gaijin', a 'crazy-ass gaijin'.

"We'll see." The man said before he walked out and closed the door.

Somehow the lonely room got colder.

* * *

Naruto didn't know how long he'd sat there waiting. There were no windows here, so he couldn't tell if a day had passed or if three days had passed. His skin was numb cold from the air-conditioner. He was partly relieved that his boxers were a cotton-blend and not some satin shit. However, he wished he could go to the bathroom.

He had asked an hour ago.

The same man said 'hold on', and never came back.

"... I think he was laughing at me..." He mumbled sleepily. He still couldn't believe this happened to him. "...Bad idea to streak in Shibuya... Shoulda been in Osaka instead..." Naruto thought a little bit about Osaka. He had took a train there once, decided to take a week off from school. Naruto laughed when he remembered how mad Iruka got at him. He was almost always mad at him, always telling him this and that, trying to help him. Always a nag. Naruto thought about the parks he went to, where the homeless village was. He went to their tents when they weren't there and stole their bags of cans. He made a buck off of their hard-earned work. He felt really bad after he did that. But he had been hungry. He remembered when he lost his money at a dice game. The old people there had given him funny looks, but they let him play. And they let him lose. Naruto decided from there that he'd take money from Jiraiya from now on, instead of the homeless people. Jiraiya never needed his damn royalties. Always spent it on hentai dvd's and figurines and prostitutes whom he made cosplay for him. He was a sad man. Naruto remembered when he snuck into a peep show in Osaka. The owners nearly chased him out, but Naruto left in a hurry. He didn't like what he saw. Then he saw something really hilarious. There was an elderly man running rampant, naked, across the street in a market. He was singing old folk songs while he did cartwheels all up and down the road. He remembered thinking that old people became crazier each year. He remembered imagining Jiraiya turning into that sad old man, running up and down the street in naked, flashing every pretty girl and woman he saw. He remembered telling Jiraiya that. He got so pissed.

Naruto felt so small thinking about all this.

He felt so small, because here he was; in a tiny detention cell, in a tiny police box that stuck out against the side of a tiny plaza like a tiny fucking pimple, in Shibuya, one of the most populated districts in the biggest cities ever, on the easternmost edge of the country, on the easternmost edge of the world. When back in his youth he used to roam all over his hometown on the westernmost edge of the country. Back then he used to practically own the Chugoku Region. Some of his best memories he swore he was larger than life, but here, like this... life hardly existed. Here, he barely did a thing for himself anymore. Here, he didn't have a clue what to do with himself.

Not a clue.

* * *

A man came in, another officer, probably the presiding officer. He was a bit younger than the previous, and had a slightly more decorated uniform. He smiled somewhat apologetically to Naruto, before grabbing a chair and sitting himself down before the boy.

"Sorry, we didn't realize you were citizen."

"No, really?" Naruto scoffed under his breath. He kept mostly quiet.

"Well considering..." The officer chuckled slightly, stopping himself from finishing that sentence. Naruto knew what he meant by 'considering'. The man cleared his throat and continued in that polite, friendly tone, as if he was certain to win him over. He wasn't. "Anyways, we've been having problems with many tourists and foreigners lately. Wouldn't you believe some old British bastard decided to use the Emperor's moat to go skinny dipping?" He laughed again, somewhat caustically, quite haughtily. Clearly he was mocking the man in mention. "Terrible, it was terrible. Had to chase him up and down the outer palace walls. Can you imagine that? A homely, pasty man, bald as a eagle, running around naked--- can you imagine??"

"It's awesome..." Naruto replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He was ready to ask for a blanket or something, but the man quickly pulled out a folder and went into the questions.

"Says here, you're sixteen?"

"Seventeen. Turned just a few months ago."

"I see." The man nodded, clearly pretending to be interested. He was just going into the motions, he wasn't interested. He just wanted to get the formalities and paperwork done. "And you have no legal guardian?" Naruto shook his head. "No contacts?"

"No sir. I declared myself independent a couple years ago." Naruto replied tiredly. This really was stupid. The man was gonna keep asking him questions, while he sat cuffed to a chair, half-naked. "Can I get something to cover myself?" Naruto pleaded lamely, but the officer ignored him. Of course he would though, this was a place of discomfort and misery.

"What happened to your parents? Deceased? Or did you leave them?"

"I have no idea sir. I left."

"How long have you lived here, in Tokyo?"

"Not sure, I guess... Four, five months."

"Is there no one we can contact to pick you up? You know as---"

"---As a minor, I can not leave the premises without the signature of an adult."

"You know that already?" The man asked, as if surprised. Naruto glared at him for patronizing him. Naruto knew that the men must've talked about him by now, about his scars. They weren't so faded that you couldn't tell they were there. You could tell. But Naruto didn't say anything more. The man observed him a little longer, as if he just noticed something. "How you get all those scars?"

Naruto wanted to lunge at him, just to scare him. He was so annoyed, he knew he would ask, he knew it. He called it and it came.

"You decide how." Naruto spat impudently under his breath, before 'formally' addressing the officer. "Maybe it was you guys. Maybe I'm always getting arrested and beat up."

"Really now?"

"You decide how, I don't care." They sat around in silence, the presiding officer flipping aimlessly through the stack of paper. He kept at it for nearly five minutes, the repetitious monotony of it irritating Naruto. The wait for a new conversation was torture. How fitting, considering where he was. "Can I get a blanket or something??" Naruto asked again. The man ignored him and continued to flip through the pages.

Who the hell knows what he was looking for.

Suddenly he got up and walked for the door.

That pissed Naruto off.

"HEY! I asked you something!!"

The man turned halfway around, and gave him this look like he was nothing.

"Shouldn't have lost your clothes then, hm?"

* * *

The door opened.

Naruto didn't perk up this time, he barely picked his head up to look. He'd been waiting in there for so long that his mind couldn't think. He was cold and tired, and he couldn't feel his arms.

He didn't care right now who was coming in.

He didn't care right now if he got the chance to go back to that so-called home of his, that tiny-ass house.

He didn't care.

The man that had entered sighed wearily. Then he spoke, addressing one of the officers.

"Don't you have anything for him?" Mizuno asked.

"Just a wool fire blanket." The officer said dumbly, obviously not wanting to give it up.

"Do you plan on having a fire today?" Mizuno threw back snidely. The man groaned tiredly, as if helping Naruto out was such a strenuous task. He came back a couple minutes later with the blanket and handed it politely to Mizuno. Then the officer went over to Naruto and began to unlock the cuffs that he'd been wearing for the past six hours. There were pinkish-red marks around his wrists where the cuffs had been digging in.

Mizuno wrapped the blanket around him. He was sort of glaring at him the whole time. He didn't know what to think of this situation. It was downright ridiculous.

Clearly he was annoyed with him right now. What with the call from the police and then all the paperwork he had to go through and all the time he had to spend retrieving him. It was ridiculous. He never had to do this before. Not once. There were quite a few things he wanted to say, for example: 'Glad you're not my kid.', 'What were you thinking?', 'Boy, wouldn't your parents be embarrassed if they saw you now?'. But he was too worked up to say anything else other than, "C'mon retard.", as he escorted him out of the unfriendly police box.

* * *

Mizuno had taken Naruto back to his house. He waited outside for Naruto to get dressed. When Naruto got out, nothing changed. He still had that tired, unsmiling look on his face, like he was indifferent to everything around him. Mizuno didn't care how he was feeling right now, but was secretly hoping he wasn't going to be like this for too long.

He hated to have to deal with a defeated kid for the next month of so. Monotonous children are always the least enjoyable to be around.

Naruto looked up at Mizuno. He still had that look that told him he was an idiot. Naruto was sure he didn't care, but that look was going to bother him all day long, and he knew it.

Naruto turned away and stepped out onto the road.

He began his long walk to work.

He didn't want Mizuno to drive him, he didn't need it.

* * *

Naruto pushed and shoved his way into the restaurant like some crazed boyfriend, his hungry glare darting all around for sight of his prey. The restaurant traffic of busboys and waitresses was a havoc, a terrible mess. So many people were rushing in and out with foods, with dirty dishes. Naruto was just as bad as them, his impatient prowl sending him left and right into several moving bodies.

Naruto spotted one of his co-workers, a slightly older young man, around Ryoji's age.

"Where is she?!" Naruto demanded impatiently, catching the poor man off guard.

"W-what? Who?" He fumbled guilelessly. Naruto ran right past him into the kitchen, not even bothering once to sign on or change for work. The unprepared and unsuspecting cooks and busboys watched him warily as he stalked around the stuffy workplace. He looked like an angry child playing hide-and-go-seek. They wondered nervously who he was looking for. Naruto would stop to look at one of them and open his mouth as if he were going to ask them something, but he would then shut himself back up and go to looking for her himself. He was going to find her, but not necessarily at the expense of others, who were completely innocent and oblivious to his mind state.

Naruto gave up when he found that she wasn't in the kitchen. As soon as he turned around to exit out through the double-swinging doors, Ryoji ran on through with a tall, three-tray stack of dirty dishes in his hands. They nearly collided. Ryoji side stepped around Naruto, swinging the trays up over his head, as Naruto fell backwards having lost his footing through all the commotion.

Ryoji cursed under his breath at the boy that had landed on the floor. He put down the pile of dishes in the sink and went to help Naruto back up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He said incredulously, as he grabbed Naruto by the wrist and pulled him back up. Damn, his skin was cold. Ryoji wondered if he got trapped in a refridgerator or something. There couldn't have been a spontaneous snow shower this late in the month.

"Where.. where is she? Have you seen her?!" Naruto immediately asked in a rushed tone. He stood on his toes like he was ready to run again at any moment, his angry blue eyes imploring the older companion. Ryoji barely got more than a word out.

"Hiro?"

Naruto darted out of the kitchen as if Ryoji had answered his question. He didn't know that Ryoji followed after him.

Ryoji didn't trust where this was going.

"Oi! Dammit, get back here!" Ryoji shouted after him, startling several workers and customers alike, bringing on several stares. He worried that this was going to be bad for business. Mr. Masahiro was going to be so pissed if he found out Naruto was running amok in the restaurant like some reckless child. Several co-workers were already annoyed with the boy, he was too loud and irresponsible. Sure he did his share well enough, but he really exuded the persona of a delinquent. Just a mischievous child. And another excused for Mr. Masahiro to lower everyone's wages. If Mr. Masahiro wasn't such likeable guy, lot of the workers here would either quit or protest against him for over-hiring and overcompensating. His hiring of Naruto without conducting a really good interview proved he could be a real jackass when he wanted to be.

It really wasn't fair.

Ryoji kept his eyes on Naruto, who looked like some wild dog that broke its leash. He was afraid for Hiro now. He had no idea what was going through Naruto's head right now, or what it was the two Naruto and Hiro had been doing together these past few weeks. He only knew Hiro half a year, and he barely knew or understood Naruto at all. They talked plenty, but not about anything actually significant. Whenever they had talked about girls, he wasn't sure if the boy was a crass individual or just that badly a virgin. Even if he had been joking, the things he said about girls were immature and unattractive. If Hiro was doing something that got Naruto's attention, if she was leading him on, Ryoji wasn't sure what Naruto would do. He wasn't sure what he was capable of.

Ryoji chased Naruto down the hall to the one bathroom.

The door swung open, nearly hitting Naruto. The boy skid to a stop, and there was Hiro walking out of the bathroom.

Naruto pushed her back inside.

"Where've you been?" Hiro asked ever so plainly.

Naruto felt like his mind was shot. His hands were already on her. He wasn't sure when he did it, but he had her in his needy grasp.

"Like you care." He smirked meanly, ogling her from here. After all that happened in the past seven to eight hours, all he could think about now was her _horimono_. He wanted to see it again. "Show me your rabbit." He said.

"What?"

"Take it off, I wanna see it." Naruto said, his fingers helping themselves to the buttons down the middle of her Thai-styled cheongsam.

"You shoulda taken picture before." She commented breezily, seemingly unaffected by his foolish behavior. "Las' longer."

"Shut up." Naruto shot under his breath, fumbling with the silk buttons.

"What your problem? What happen to you?" Hiro looked him over in half-hearted curiosity, wondering what got him so riled now. His face was red ---either with anger or excitement, she wasn't sure--- and his skin had this sort of pinkish-tone too. Hiro knew him though, she could see the muddled mess of emotions that had Naruto in such a moody state. He was thoroughly upset, and seemingly bogged down by something that he wanted to forget, but that was liable to put him in a rage. She could see his temper flash every so often in his eyes, and in the way he gritted his teeth or clenched his jaw. And there was a pain and vulnerability in his eyes as well, a defeated look whenever a sad thought passed his shot brain that nearly made him look weepy. His emotions were all over the place, scattered and thrown together like the most terrific mess. He tried to cover all this up under a mischievously perverted smile. He tried to act like nothing had happened since he got arrested.

"Like you fuckin' care. You weren't waiting for me!" He accused with a sort of confused laugh, his voice unable to decide whether to be furious or playful. Part of him thought all this was a joke. Maybe why he didn't understand what he was really doing to her.

Hiro grabbed his fingers and looked up at him. "What happen?" She asked again. Impatiently, irritably, Naruto withdrew his hands from her tiny grasp.

"I got arrested! Whaddya think?!" He shouted, getting frustrated.

"Y-You... You got arrested?!" Hiro snorted incredulously, a smile tickling her lips upward.

"Yeah..." Naruto hung his head. He felt so tired. _'Why'm I here anyways? Shoulda just... called in sick or something...'_

"Ha! You suck at life!" She beamed all too cheerfully, her sudden loud laughter striking another nerve in him.

He grabbed her and shoved her into the wall. She knocked her head and elbow into the wallpaper before catching her fall.

"Don't piss me off! This was your fault!"

Hiro looked at him like he were nothing. He tried to loom over her, but it didn't work. He didn't scare her at all.

"Not my fault." She coolly stated.

"You were the one that wanted to go friggin' streaking!"

"You didn't have to take your clot'es off."

"But it was your idea!"

"So?! You didn't have to! What you t'ink I would've done if you didn't take it off? T'ink I would've ripped t'em right off you? You t'ink you t'at hott?"

"But fuck it---" Naruto hissed, looking away from her words. He felt like the biggest dumbass on earth because of her. He knew all he could do was blame her, try to blame blame blame her and make himself look a little less dumb. "You took my clothes!! You ran the fuck away with my clothes!!" He shouted back, trying to prove he was justified.

"Your fault." She threw back with a disaffected stare. She rendered him hopelessly frustrated. Naruto gritted his teeth. He walked over to the trash can and kicked it. He knocked it over and proceeded to kick it all over the place, creating a mess of dirty paper towels to litter the somewhat clean tile floor. Hiro was getting sick of watching him act out. "Retard! Knock off your temper tantrum!"

"SHADDUP!" Naruto screamed, ready to leave, his hand already on the knob.

"Grow the fuck up!" She screamed back. Naruto changed his mind. He locked the bathroom door.

Naruto pinned her with his livid stare. He stalked towards her, causing her to walk back into the wall. His eyes darted all over her face and body as if struggling to come to a decision.

There was a knock on the door.

"So you gonna show me your rabbit or what?!" He spat excitedly. Hiro looked at him crookedly like he had something something utterly stupid, and she responded like he were stupid.

"No." She said firmly. Naruto's frustration and excitement responded swiftly. He took her by the waist and grabbed the fabric of her dress from behind.

The knocking continued.

"I've got visiting rights now!" Naruto snarled, as he struggled to get a hold of her panties. Hiro kicked and screamed at him. "Your fault! You shouldn't have taken your clothes off and expose yourself to me!" He mocked.

"Loser! Fucker loser!" She screamed out.

The knocks turned into poundings against the door. Whoever was out there couldn't get in.

"Rabbit means women are lewd by nature!!" Naruto yelled right in her ear, his face burning hotly as he fondled his way around her.

"Fucker! You got it wrong! Stop it! Not gonna show you!"

Naruto found his way up her dress, her panties now in his grasp.

"Show me or I rip them off!"

The poundings were getting more fervored as the heated air between them. Sounds of kicking at the door mixed with their screaming voices, filling up the bathroom with an intensity that could've leveled the entire building.

Hiro felt a rush of air as he tugged on her silky garment. She was getting so mad now.

"You're such an undersexed loser!!"

"Fuckin' show me!!"

The moment Naruto screamed, he stopped. There was an immense pain like needles digging in the skin of his throat, a crushing pain like a vice tightened around his trachea. Suddenly he found himself on his knees, looking up at Hiro, her black eyes boring into him. She squeezed her grip tighter around his windpipe, making sure they both heard the clicking, popping sounds of the cartilage getting compressed. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't swallow. He felt like he couldn't do anything as she held him, as she forced him further down.

"If you really knew the symbolism, you'd know that rabbits can be used to illustrate the lewd nature of women. That does not mean we are lewd _by nature_." Naruto winced under the pain. Black spots danced across his vision. She pushed him further down, he couldn't breathe at all. He thought might've been gasping, but he couldn't breathe. His head was swimming, he couldn't really hear what she was saying. Her voice was so cold. Her eyes were maddening. He swore he was staring right into the tiger's eyes, the hawk's claws digging into his throat. "And if you weren't such a goddamn poseur, you'd know that rabbits are unexpectedly vicious."

Hiro clutched his throat tighter a final time, then tossed him aside onto the floor.

He lay there with his eyes wide, gasping like a fish, his throat terribly hoarse. Hiro was halfway to the door when she suddenly turned back around. She sat atop his chest and put her hands around his throat again. He thought she was going to kill him, he couldn't get away. He couldn't make the effort to. She pressed her thumbs into the soft part under his jaw, where the hyoid bone was and pressed hard. She was going to suffocate him, he was sure of it. It felt like his tongue had recede into his throat. She was going to kill him, he was sure of it.

A devilish little giggle bubbled out her lips. Then she let him go.

He sat there not even trying to breathe, he kept staring straight up as if he were in a stupor. Hiro bent over him, observing his face. She slapped him a couple times and got him to blink. She just wanted to make sure he wasn't dead.

"If you do try t'at again, I promise, I will tear your t'roat wide open."

Naruto remained there motionless and staring unseeingly. She took his silence as an agreement and slapped his cheek really hard. Then she got up and slowly buttoned her dress back up. Still Naruto hadn't moved from the floor. Hiro took one glanced at him and walked over to the door. She unlocked it and walked out, ignoring Ryoji altogether, who had been there trying to bust down the door. He had heard the ruckus and screaming. He was surprised to find Hiro completely unharmed. When she left, he was even more surprised at the mess inside.

The garbage bin was tossed aside, used paper towels strewn across the tile. In the midst of it all, Naruto lay in a stupor on the floor.

First Hinata.

Then Hiro.

Naruto sure made crazy things happen in this bathroom.

* * *

He could still feel her hands around his throat. He could still cold, crazed look in her eyes. He didn't blame her. He felt like shit coming home. He never signed in for work, he had gotten the hell out of there. It would've been too weird to hang around after that. He couldn't face her, he wouldn't be able to work with her around after that. The whole day had been weird. He couldn't understand what happened, he couldn't put things in order. Childhood memories occasionally resurfaced in the middle of his thoughts, confusing him, he couldn't keep a coherent thought for longer than a second. Everything seemed muddled and twisted, his feet dragged against the road like he were treading through half-frozen mud.

He kept his eyes on the ground. He wasn't sure what he was looking at. The sun was gone, the world was dark again. For a moment he didn't recognize the neighborhood.

For a moment he thought he had been walking through a grassy field, not cluttered city of asphalt and steel.

For a moment he thought he had been walking pass the rice paddies of the countryside. Instead there was just puddles in the sidewalk.

For a moment he had expected to see a dirt road leading up to a little house tucked behind large green trees. Instead there was just long row of nearly identical houses.

For a moment he thought he was too tall. For a moment he thought Iruka-sensei was going to scold him tomorrow. For a moment he planned to visit Kakashi at the police box after school. For a moment he expected to see Jiraiya dumpster diving again in the _Shiroi Posto_bins for whatever erotic memorabilia other teens left behind. For a moment he thought Konohamaru would pop out and try to surprise him. For a moment he planned to pick a fight with Sasuke. For a moment he planned to challenge Lee for Sakura's heart.

For a moment he thought he would see Sakura.

Just for a moment.

When that moment passed, it was like a wind had swept straight through him. It came and took everything. It reminded him where he was, or where he wasn't. It snatched up his memories and held them over his head where he couldn't reach. Even if he had gotten taller, his memories were beyond his grasp. Everything seemed so futile.

Naruto watched his feet as the sidewalk rolled under him like a treadmill. He touched his throat absentmindedly, feeling where her nails had dug in. It hurt like hell to swallow. He almost wanted to ask Tsunade if she could fix it. He almost kicked himself for thinking that. He had no idea where this childlike helplessness was coming from, this sudden dependency.

He missed them. He refused to believe it, but he missed them all. Even if maybe they didn't miss him half as much.

Naruto thought this was so strange. Back when he was in his hometown, all he wanted to was come out here. But now that he was here, all he wanted was to go back to his hometown. He might've been lonely over there as much as here, because he had no parents, because his only friends might've been his team, because his only love interest had no interest in him, because the adults ostracized him so. But at least there, there were people he knew, people he had a life-long history with. Not like here. Nobody gave a shit here.

It seemed like deja-vu when he walked up to his house. Hinata had been waiting again. She perked up at his arrival, with that same glow in her face and that happy shine in her eyes. Somehow he was numb to her feelings. He forgot her so easily.

"Go home." He told her hoarsely. He sounded so exhausted. Naruto turned the knob and entered his home. He never saw the bright look of dismay on her face, but he felt it in the way she called out his name. He swung the door behind him, shutting her out, but it didn't close all the way. He still hadn't fixed the jamb, he never had the time.

Hinata opened the door, letting the faded streetlights in. Naruto stood heavily in the _genkan_, working his shoes off slowly one foot at a time. He craned his head back and let out this big, heavy sigh.

"Go home." He repeated, kicking his shoes off. He lumbered over to where his futon crookedly lay in the middle of the one-room house. He barely bothered with the blanket. He plopped down on his side like a decrepit dog and pulled the blanket up over his head. He heard Hinata step into the room and scurry her way over to him. He turned over on his stomach, hiding his face in mattress. He told her twice already, yet she was still there. She hovered over him like last time, peering into the walls he had put up.

She placed her hand on his back, nervously, carefully. She felt him pull away underneath her, she felt him shake a little. He let out a grumpy groan like some tired child. He wanted her to leave, he wished she'd take the hint. She was too damn nice and too affectionate. He didn't want to treat her badly just because she had a crush on him. He didn't want to flip out on her just because he had a shitty day. He needed her to go away, she was too nice, he didn't need her sweetness and compassion.

Hinata began to rub his arm, slowly, softly. She bent down and got closer to him. She rested her head against his shoulder and continued to rub her caring love into him. He thought she was giving him pity.

"Stop." Came his muffled reply. Hinata ignored his voice and sidled up to where his head lay. She tugged the blanket aside best she could, showing the back of his head to her. She began to run her fingers through his hair. "Hinata... I said stop it." But she didn't. She bent down and kissed his shoulder. She kissed his shoulder a second time, then kissed his hair. She ran her nails down his scalp, massaged the base of his neck lightly. Naruto jerked away. He threw the blanket aside and set his eyes on her. He looked so mad. "Goddammit, stop touching me!" He snapped ferally, his voice coming out in rasp. "What is wro--!" A violent cough came and cut him off short. He tried to speak through the coughs but it just made his throat hurt worse.

Hinata quickly went to him. She wasn't sure if she was taking advantage of this moment for herself, or if she had him in mind with the purest intent. Her sudden actions seemed veiled. Hinata gently grasped his head and placed a firm, saccharine kiss between his eyes. Amidst his controlled coughs, came a moan of protest. She kissed his cheek with the same way, with the same amount of sweetness and need. Naruto screwed his eyes shut. He tried to numb himself, tried to ignore her affections.

_"She has a monster crush on you."_

_'Why couldn't've been Sakura that had a crush on me?? Why'd it have to be Hinata??' _He tried to tear himself away from her, but his body refused to respond. He tried to tell her off, but his throat hurt too much. _'I gave her a kiss goodnight... Shit, I thought she'd go away after that... What's her deal?'_

The more she kissed him, the more he couldn't refuse her. He didn't want to encourage this, he didn't want to lead her on. But he knew that was too late already. He already told her off best he could and she ignored him. He was surprised by her selfishness. He began to think he had no choice against her. She wanted him, there was nothing else he could do but give her what she wanted.

As Hinata's hand rested on his shoulder, Naruto released a reluctant sigh. Her lips planted scattered kisses all over his neck. He strained himself to open his eyes, partly out of fear that once he saw her he couldn't block her out. He grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to him. She glimpsed at his stern face and got up. She sat herself down on his waist and bent over to kiss his cheek again. He watched her the whole time, kept his eyes on her as she dipped around. Her pale hand was constantly tucking her hair back behind her ear then would go to briefly touch his face. She dragged her lips across his cheek, tracing one of the lines down to his ear. Naruto reached out and touched her hair. It was different than Hiro's. He ran his fingers down her spine, then back up to grasp her shoulder. As if by instinct she arched her back, pressing her entire self up against him.

He wanted to tear her clothes off.

Naruto gave in and grabbed her by the shoulders. He rolled right on top of her, the blanket now tangled up around their thighs and waists. For a moment Sakura flashed before his eyes, an adolescent fantasy surfacing to haunt him. For a moment that peep-show girl in Osaka danced through his mind, images of how she touched herself for the voyeurists teased him. For a moment Hiro came to mind, the image her standing half-naked in the photo booth, as she grinned at him over her shoulder. He thought about the rabbit.

He came down on her like a tidal wave, engulfing her in his heat, in his mouth. She dug her nails in the back of his head, his lips mimicking her former shower of kisses up and down her face. Their bodies wriggled against each other as if clothing wasn't a problem. Neither were in a hurry. Both were lost in their thoughts, their hearts busying themselves with a more appealing version, as if this moment wasn't good enough for them.

Naruto couldn't keep his mind down on one girl, as he bit and suckled on Hinata's shoulder.

Hinata couldn't seem to fully process her position. She didn't quite understand what was going on, and somehow she couldn't fully enjoy this. She felt good all over and yet she didn't feel it at all. Her heart kept begging for something more. Yet her body was just fine with this attention.

She heart and body didn't agree with each other. Her heart refused her mind the full pleasure her body was feeling. She was certain she would forget this ever happened come tomorrow. She was certain she'd forget his touch.

Amidst the mess of mouths, amidst the mixture of quiet moans, came this spontaneous, low ring. Hinata's cell phone rang and buzzed impatiently in the back of her jeans pocket. It was practically screaming for attention as the second and third calls came. They both heard it, and both chose to ignore it.

In the back of Hinata's mind, she knew who it was, but she didn't care.

Naruto didn't care period.

* * *

Naruto turned over in the middle of his bed. Hinata lay asleep on the floor beside him. The blanket had fallen off her when he turned. The faded moonlight hit her hair and her pale shoulder, giving him the basic outline of her body. She had her delicate hands draped over one another by her face, her hair hiding her face from him.

They never took their clothes off, they didn't get that far.

Her bra remained, only her blue chemise half removed, slipped down to her hips.

Naruto had only taken his sweater off. He kept the rest of his clothes on this time.

He turned back over, having no desire to stare at her the rest of the night.

He watched the wall for a little while before finally closing his eyes.

Later that night he had a bad dream of a seemingly insignificant conversation of his past. It wasn't the conversation that was bad, nor the moment, but when he awoke, his heart beat terribly and his body burdened by a heavy feeling of shame.

_"Why didn't you say anything?! Why do you keep rejecting her?!"_

_Sasuke stopped and turned halfway around. He watched the fourteen-year-old Naruto rush down the hill of the grassy bank, with this irritated look on his face. Sasuke just gave Naruto this look as if he were a fly that had been hovering around his food for the past five minutes. Goddamn, he was a loud bastard._

_"You think I have no respect for her?" Sasuke threw out coolly. The wind seemed to pick up as soon as Naruto opened his mouth, as if it was competing with his volume._

_"That's what she thinks!!" Naruto shouted, his cheeks tinging an angry red. He was so fed up with seeing Sakura's heart break. Every time she tried, Sasuke never gave her a chance. He couldn't understand it, and it wasn't fair to him either. He'd rather Sakura finally get taken and be happy, than keep chasing after her when she was lonely. It was so goddamn pointless._

_"Sorry that it upsets you so much." Sasuke replied nonchalant over his shoulder as he turned away._

_Naruto was so ready to punch him in the back of the head, just to knock some sense in him._

_"You're such a prick! You're such a prick to her! I don't understand why you do this!"_

_"Even if I liked her, I still wouldn't have taken advantage of her."_

_"She only did that because she doesn't know what else to do! Even if I DIDN'T like her, I would've done it!"_

_"Just to make her feel better?"_

_"YES! I would right now! I would if I could, but I can't because she loves you! She WANTS YOU! She's aching for you! I would've done it, I would've! But you didn't! You crush her confidence every time! I would've saved her the pain at least once!"_

_"You really would've done it to her?"_

_"Yeah. Sakura's the best looking girl in all of Japan."_

_"Is that your main reason?"_

_"That should be your reason. I guess maybe you don't like her for who she is, but you can't deny she's pretty."_

_"So I should've taken her right then and there, because of her looks?"_

_"I would've."_

_"But I'm not you."_

* * *

Momo - Hope this was good. ^.^;; Sorry, I'm such a drama fiend. :[ (tear) lol. Oh, and who here thinks I should change this story to an 'M' rating?? ^_^;; I guess in my old age, my writing has grown up too ._.;; or at least in language ~.~ and sexuality.. wow.. there wasn't any of that in the first ten chapters. O_O;;;; or was it six ~.~;;; chapter seven had attempted rape I think.... ^_^;; lolness

* * *

Liner Notes:

Horimono - Japanese Body Art.

Irezumi - Japanese Body Art with a negative connotation. Usually associated with Yakuza and Criminals, because Irezumi is known as a Penal tattoor or like a sign of Punishment.

Gobu - Tattoo 5/10ths of the sleeve to above the elbow.

The Tiger - In some areas of Asia, the tiger is seen to punish sinners by attacking them. Tiger is also associated with destruction and death in some cases, like Shiva, who is depicted of riding a tiger and wearing a tiger pelt on her back. I guess the Koreans call the tiger 'King of all the Animals', but I'm saying I guess, because I'm getting my info from several different sites at once, lol. Some tiger charms are used to ward of evil. And sometimes the tiger symbolizes the evilness of destruction. There's more, but these are my main descriptions for the tiger tattoo.

The Hawk - It has long been said that 'Hawks never picks on graini crops', 'Hawks, even when they are desperately hungry, never lower themselves down to teh level of eating grains.' This is an archtype suggesting a noble person that never accepts money and articles without justifiable reasons.

The Peony - The peony represent several things all over the world. In Japanese Culture it is the same as the West, that it symbolizes wealth, good fortune and prosperity. Also the peony is part of an old Japanese card game, and some gamblers have been reported to sporting the tattoo. (so says this one particular site). So it also suggests a sort of gambling, daring and even masculine, devil-may-care attitude. (Totally perfect for Hiro, who looks superly awesome in red peonies, booyah) (lol)

The Rabbit - The arranging of a rabbit and a tiger is not ONLY a good contrasting feature in a tattoo, but also describes 'great nature'. Also rabbits are highly productive and unexpectedly vicious (like Hiro, omg, lol). They may also be used to illustrate the lewd nature of females. (oh snap)

Bukkake Juice - I might have gotten the name wrong here, but there's this legit Japanese drink called 'Bukkake'. BTW perverts, Bukkake is Japanese for 'splash'. So really, please, don't go thinking the wrong thing here with the drink. You were supposed to go thinking the wrong way when Hiro said it, or else you wouldn't have gotten it right. Lol, that's so paradoxical... erm, yeah, prolly used the wrong word there. XP

Shiroi Posto - Literally 'White Mailbox'. You don't see these very much anymore, or so I've heard. They are however still in some small towns in Japan. These are 'garbage bins' for storing away porn and the like if you have trouble hiding it at home. Jiraiya thinks this is the most ingenious thing ever, because he easily destroys it's purpose. XDDD

Daiyo Kangoku - "Substitute Jail" or "Detention Cell". It's this, like, separate room at police boxes and the like. They'll put someone in there and interrogate them for a long time til they get what they want. Lawyers and Attorneys have no access to their clients inside. Which means the poor person inside is superly screwed. There's been a lot of hubbub and scandal about these places. People have either been treated horribly, like Naruto IMO, or were coerced into a confession. Worst thing I think one of these police officers may have done was make this one man step on the names of his family members to shame him into a confession. You dirty dirty bastards. lol

* * *

Ka-chik!


	28. Mind Games, Love Games ptII

Momo - LOL... um.. great.. Well now that I changed the story's writing to "M", I feel like I'm more liable to make mistakes. ToT I dunno, it's funny. It's like, when it was "T"-rated, I always had to ask myself what I should use, could use, had to cut out, etc. But now that it's "M", I gotta try extra hard to spot what's lame, badly written, what's distasteful whatever, what fits, etc. Also now that it's "M", I don't have to put my lemons in separate collection. T.T Anyways, more on this later! CHECK MY PROFILE, TAKE MY POLL!! SHOULD I KEEP THE LEMONS OR SHOULD I PUT THEM IN A SEPARATE COLLECTION?? YOU CHOOSE!! thank you!

REMINDER!!: LaBelle has a twin older sister. I have made no use for her, because I knew she would make things confusing. But to be consistent, I am still keeping her around. Only when she is needed. Ya know? ^_^ ALSO REMEMBER!!! SHIKAMARU AND TEMARI AND SHINO ATTEND THE SAME SCHOOL AS NARUTO, HINATA AND KIBA!!! YAY! XD

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch.28 - Mind Games are Fun, Love Games are Dumb (ptII)

_Iruka-sensei used to tell me "If you do something bad, you're bound to get caught." Like Karma or something, or Sin. He used to always warn me about that shit, since apparently I was such a bad kid. _

_I always thought bad things happened to me. _

_They always said I made the bad things happen. _

_I dunno, I never really took it to heart. I just thought he was a nagging man._

Naruto walked out of his bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth, his fingers idly working on the buttons of his school uniform. He looked up from his fingers to where Hinata laid out on the floor. She had woken when he got up. He told her to get ready for school because it was monday, but she hadn't moved. She seemed half-asleep, with her eyes half-lidded as she watched him, her hands laid spread above her head. He wasn't sure if she was trying to be cute by looking at him like that. She hadn't even bothered to pull her chemise back on, her bra bound breasts exposed for him to see. He was thankful she wasn't wearing a freaking half-cup again, those were too sexy on her.

Naruto gave up on his buttons, and resumed brushing his teeth.

"C'mon, get up." He said through the foam of paste in his mouth. She didn't move at all. She continued to watch him.

"I need help." She replied in that small voice of hers. Naruto sighed, he knew now that she was trying to be cute with him.

"The hell you do. Get up, you'll be late." He went back to brushing. Naruto leaned against the small the fridge, brushing with one hand as he observed the slowly rising girl. She brushed the hair from her face and stretched her arms over her head. Her lips twisted in a funny way, she looked so childish. He found it rather annoying though. She was delaying, it was obvious. Funny thing though, she used to be the responsible one.

Hinata dropped her arms down tiredly and her shoulders slouched. She looked up at Naruto, observing him with the same amount of interest or moreso.

"Let's skip today." She said.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm already screwed. I can't miss any more days." He bit out irritably, scowling at her. She pulled her eyes away from him and sighed this quiet little sound of playful disappointment.

"What was it like? For you?" She asked softly.

"Whaddya mean?" He sighed, still scrubbing his teeth.

"Last night." She said with a little hopeful smile.

He didn't answer her for awhile. He didn't blush or blanch or anything. He just stood there, brushing his teeth at a much slower pace.

"It was nice." He finally said, nonchalant, though a tad awkwardly. It wasn't a lie. After having been choked halfway to death, how is a little petting not nice? She didn't exactly cheer him up with all her affection though, but it did help to take his mind off some things. Maybe that was why adults had affairs and prostitutes; to get their mind off of things. _'Guess if you're not a slut or a whore-monger, you're just a stressed out individual with nothing left to lose but all your sperm... Damn, I hope that's not me one day...'_

Hinata giggled lightly, her small smile turning bashful.

She let out this pleasant sigh and slouched her shoulders again. She felt so content and lazy that she couldn't bring herself to get up and get dressed like he wanted. She didn't care to go to school today. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do today.

Naruto went back into the bathroom to spit and rinse. When he got back out, he found Hinata doing something unexpected.

"What're you doing?" Naruto asked, now thoroughly confused.

"Trying to remember last night." She replied like it was nothing big, as she ran her fingers over her neck and belly in a carressing manner. She looked like she was searching for a tumor for actually.

"Geez, was I so bad that you forgot?" Naruto complained, feeling somewhat insulted. _'What's the point of guys, when girls can just touch themselves all the time.'_ He thought disgustedly, thinking back to the peep-show slut in Osaka.

Hinata's right hand then grasped her left breast. His eyes immediately zoned in the action, half-second replays going off in his head. His right hand nearly twitched in an empathic response, as if his body remembered. But last night was had been such a blur, he couldn't remember how long they had been going at it, or what parts of her he actually touched.

Hinata didn't stop retracing his steps on her body, she seemed lost in her own world at that moment. She really was weird. Naruto decided to make this worth his while as he took out his touch-screen cell phone and pointed it at her. It took her two minutes to realize what he was doing.

"N-Naruto-kun?!" She squeaked, as she hid her face from him and covered her chest with her once roaming hands, her hair draping all about her shoulder and face. He walked up to her, still pointing the cell phone at her, never catching her out of frame.

"What?" He asked, sitting down beside her.

"Y-you.. y-you're t-taking pictures...!"

"No, I'm recording." He stated plain as day, aiming the tiny camera at the curtain of hair that hid her blushing face and half-naked chest from him.

Hinata squeaked again and hid further into herself.

"Hey! Don't act all shy now!" Naruto complained, finding her change of mind bullshit. Didn't matter how old, how young, how good, or how bad; girls always wanted to think they were pure and innocent. Hinata hadn't been innocent last night. She hadn't been innocent couple minutes ago. So she couldn't be innocent now. Naruto was damn sure she was pretending. "C'mon, do that thing you were doing. C'mon, it's just me, right?" He teased, going as far as to pet her head and grin at her. But Hinata didn't move and she didn't give him any sort of response, her embarrassment having done away with her voice. Naruto sighed and gave up. He knew he could keep trying and eventually get his way with her, but he didn't care enough to do so. He didn't want to be late for school.

Naruto grabbed his school bag and walked into the genkan.

"Look, you can skip today if you want to, but you have to go home." He said, fitting on his shoes. "I'm not leaving you inside my house."

"Then don't leave me." She said back in a soft, needy voice, as if pleading, as if challenging him to stay.

Naruto quickly disregarded her reply with a silent scoff.

"Hn, you are so cute." Naruto grumbled under his breath as he walked out the door. Hinata whirled around at his words, this look of sheer happiness on her face, so innocent-like. She didn't catch his tired sarcasm.

* * *

He couldn't stop thinking about what she said, something in those four little words got to him. It wasn't a big deal, she didn't sound desperate or sad, he wasn't worried about her being lonely. But he kept replaying the words in his head anyways.

Naruto sat in the middle of his Japanese Classics class, the homeroom teacher Harada-sensei was peering over her red reading glasses, reading aloud passages from _Michitsuna no Haha_. Everytime he looked up from his notebook, he forgot that Hinata wasn't in her see in front of him and it took him awhile to remember. He'd just been so use to watching the back of her head that he forgot.

The literature she was reading originated from the Heian times, about a woman who was not the head wife nor even the second wife of this esteemed man, but she demanded equality amongst all his wives and wrote a diary of the duolocal marriage in three parts. Hinata mentioned to him awhile ago about how they'd be married by now or something, like in the story.

_'Definitely be married if we repeated last night two more times.'_ He thought, looking back down at the lines that ran straight across the paper. He put his mechanical pencil to the paper and began to draw.

First he drew a chibi-Sakura, just her head, at the top of the page. He drew a vertical line, then a longer horizontal one, then two vertical lines from each end. On the left side he drew a chibi-Hiro, just her head, and the right side was a chibi-Hinata head. He stared at his girls for awhile, trying to think if there had been any others. He remembered that one super cute girl he saw in the street a few weeks back in Shibuya when he had been hunting for a job, the one that had been walking with her friend and wearing a mini-skirt when it was much too cold then for it. He loved that. He sorta remembered what she looked like, and he drew a chibi version of her.

He decided to call her _Yukorin_. Then he changed his mind and erased the name, replacing it with 'Mini-skirt girl', and drew a chibi version of Yuko Ogura next to her. He couldn't think of any other girls after that.

Then he began to write titles atop each chibi.

Sakura : Head Wife

Hiro : Second Wife

Hinata : Third Wife

Yuko Ogura (Yukorin) : Fourth Wife

Mini-skirt Girl : Concubine

He sniggered goofily to himself after he wrote that.

_'Man! If I were a Souban--! I'd surround myself with girls! Ha-ha-ha! Yes, as I sit at my desk, my associates at my feet; Sakura would---'_ He stopped then, recognizing his words. He had said all this before, a thousand times before. What did all this mean now?

He looked over his tree diagram wistfully, briefly thinking how it'd be cool if it were Heian times. Marriage and Divorce back then had no legalities nor a distinct definitions. If a guy sleeps with you for three nights in a row, you're considered married. And the man was able to have many wives and concubines at a time. And being duolocal, non of the wives had to actually live with him or vice-versa. He'd visit them any time he felt like it. And divorce was just as easy. All you had to do was not visit the wife anymore and you were already divorced. Naruto thought this was kind of awesome, because with that system, there wasn't any responsibility or heartbreak. Also with a system like that, it made getting love so much easier. But then he thought about Sasuke.

_'If that stupid prick actually had the guts to sleep with the girls that want him, he'd own the goddamn country.'_

Naruto picked up his pencil again and scribbled out Sakura's face. _'She'd be the first to go.'_ He thought despondantly. Then he looked at the chibi Hiro, with her little u-shaped smile and little dots for dimples, and big dots for eyes. He then crossed her out, knowing that she didn't give a shit about him.

_"Grow the fuck up!!"_

_'She'd actually kill me before I ever started courting her.'_ He sighed. Then he looked at Hinata. Then he overlooked Hinata and went straight to his Yukorin chibi. Naruto grabbed his pencil and scribbled out the entire page. He didn't care anymore. After knowing that he would never have Sakura and he couldn't have Hiro and he couldn't have Yukorin, because she was a thirtysomething-year-old model, he got pissed off and gave up.

_'Stupid anyways... who would want multiple wives... just a friggin' headache.'_

Naruto pulled out his cell phone and stuck it halfway inside his desk so the teacher wouldn't see.

He began to play the recording from that morning.

* * *

Hinata rolled her sleeves up and tied a bandana over her head in a determined manner. She looked all around Naruto's house, with dust rag and broom in hand. She was about to get started when her cell phone went off for the first time that day. She plucked the fidgety, jittery thing from her pants and hit the call button.

"Moshi moshi?"

_"Where are you right now? Did you get my other calls??"_ Came LaBelle's voice very testily.

Hinata hesitated to answer, her lips fumbling for words.

"I uh.. I d-dunno..." She replied lamely, albeit nervously. She sat down on the floor, leaning against the sink cabinets, and looked out the window in hopes of seeing Naruto arrive. But she knew that it was barely lunch time at school. There were still a few more hours left. Hinata sighed.

_"...What's that sigh for?!"_ LaBelle demanded. Hinata then realized that she hadn't been listening to LaBelle since she looked out the window.

"S-sorry.. I got distracted."

_"Where are you?!"_

Hinata sighed again, finally giving in.

"I'm at his house."

_"His? ...What the hell does that mean??"_

"I mean... u-um..."

_"His house?! Your boyfriend's house?!"_

"U-uhh..." Hinata trailed off weakly, biting down on the nail of her thumb in her distress. LaBelle sounded genuinely pissed with her and she was afraid to say anything wrong. Letting her know that Naruto was not yet her boyfriend would be saying something wrong.

_"Oh my god... WERE YOU THERE LAST NIGHT?!!"_ She boomed through the receiver, causing Hinata to bring the phone away from her ear.

"Well if he's my boyfriend, what's the problem?" Hinata threw back passive-aggressively, her voice soft and nervous. She felt her stomach drop a little at the way she spoke to her friend, knowing that she had just lied to her as well.

Silence fell over the line. It last for a couple of seconds.

_"You haven't called us since. You haven't told us if he asked you out yet or not. I would've figured that if he asked you out, you would've been elated enough to wanna tell us. But you haven't."_ Hinata's stomach dropped even more at LaBelle's voicee. She sounded so disappointed. _"Why is that, Emi-chan?"_

"I uh... I didn't think it was important..."

_"BULLSHIT! Do you even know what it was LIKE listening to you rave and GUSH over this guy for the past month?! Omigod, I wanted to rip my ears off!"_ Hinata sniffled quietly to herself, as she chewed more vigorously on her nail. Suddenly LaBelle changed her tone with a tired sigh. _"Did you get my other calls? I left you three voicemails last night. I talked with Kiba the other day, I thought I should get in contact with you."_

Hinata blinked at the mention of Kiba's name. His smile flashed in her mind, an image of Harajuku reminding her of good times. It seemed like it'd been ages since she was there. She nearly forgot what it was like on that bridge.

_'Kiba-kun...'_ A hiccup bubbled out her throat, shame-filled tears filmed over her eyes, blurring her vision of the outside world. "Is he..." Hinata sniffled. "I-Is he m-mad at me??" She asked, her sudden saddness confusing LaBelle.

_"No... he's not..." _There was a pause. _"Why are you crying sweetie?" _She pleaded with an unexpected affection.

"B-Bec-cause... You're m-mad at me too--!" Hinata answered back, rubbing at her eyes. She didn't believe what she said was the truth. She knew she wasn't crying just because her friend had been yelling at her. She knew she was right to be mad. Deep down, Hinata was disappointed in herself but somehow she couldn't bring herself out of her new bad habits. Her bad habits of loving Naruto. "B-because...! I-I..." She sniffled again, seemingly struggling with her voice. LaBelle tried to change the subject, tried to keep her from crying, but Hinata kept on trying to speak and LaBelle wanted to listen more this time. "B-because... I-I ha-haven't spoken to K-Kiba in so lo-ong... I know he's there... I still see him in class... b-but... I stopped. ...I s-stopped talking to him... so he must hate me now...!" Hinata felt a pain in her head as she shut her eyes tight, her cheeks hot and puffy from tears. Part of her wanted to stop talking about this and end the conversation, but she couldn't do that to LaBelle like that. Part of her just kept of thinking of Naruto, all she wanted was to see him. But she didn't feel like going to school. She just wanted to see him here soon. A part of her hated herself for thinking such things.

_"Why would you do that?" _LaBelle asked in a mix of incredulous compassion. If she felt so guilty about it now, why didn't she just talk to him? It didn't make any sense. _"Sweetie, he's not mad. But he misses you. You should go talk to him okay? He must think __you__ hate him."_

"I don't hate him." Hinata whispered back, her tears subsiding.

_"Then just talk to him! Gawd, don't ignore him, he's your friend right?" _LaBelle teased in an exasperated manner.

"Yeah..." Hinata sniffled back. They stayed in silence for awhile, LaBelle taking Hinata's subsiding sniffles as a good sign.

_"Okay then..."_ There came a prepared sigh over the line, but LaBelle changed her mind again, a new question coming up. _"Emi-chan?" _She asked. _"Aren't you supposed to be at school?"_

* * *

Asuma blew the whistle, ending . for the day. Kurenai had been worried when Hinata didn't show up today. She kept nagging Asuma to talk to somebody for her, because she had no idea whose Hinata's friends were, but Asuma refused because he didn't know either. Kurenai tried to ask some of the girls, they just shrugged politely and said they didn't know. When Kurenai had turned her back, he heard the girls giggled snidely amongst themselves, their gossip starting up. Kurenai knew then that they were the wrong people to ask.

To her dismay, she decided to either talk with Harada-sensei or call up her father.

"What if she's skipping?" Asuma asked in a teasing manner, his smirk making Kurenai blush. "The worst you could do is call her father."

"She wouldn't skip. She's a good girl." Kurenai said so adamently.

Asuma laughed and gave Kurenai's side an affectionate pinch that he knew would annoy her. When she swatted his hand away, he laughed again.

Asuma then realized that the field equipment needed to get picked up and put away. Over his shoulder, he called out, "Somebody pick up the cones and the balls."

"Who sensei??" One of the boys called, many of the students left stranded on the field, all wondering and waiting for his next order.

Asuma stopped to think, not even bothering to choose from the field. "Uhh... how about Inuzuka-kun." He said, coming up with names off the top of his head.

Kiba stepped forward with his back straight and proud, accepting the responsibility with a polite and ready, "Hai, sensei.", as Asuma threw him the keys to the track house shed and equipment room.

"And Uzumaki-kun." Asuma lastly threw out.

"What?" Naruto looked up dumbly from the field, a strange feeling of forbode filling him. The field seemed to grow more and more silent, even as the chatter of the students filled his ears, there was the realization that he was going to be left alone.

Naruto stood there, staring after everyone had gone inside, somehow not quite believing.

He stood there dumbly, his brain struggling to remember what he's supposed to be doing.

He just stood there.

Kiba glared at him and dropped a soccer ball by his foot. He brought his leg back and kicked the ball hard at Naruto. He got the back of his head.

Naruto let out this surprised yelp.

He nearly fell forward. He heard this loud pop or thunk-like sound echo in his skull when the ball got him. His eyes were so wide, he thought they would stay that way.

"Where's Hinata-chan?!" Kiba yelled out angrily, kicking another ball at Naruto. He got his shoulder that time as Naruto turned around, one hand grabbing the spot where the first ball hit. Naruto stared at him like he was speaking a different language. Kiba kicked another ball without warning, hitting him in the chest. He knocked out a bit of wind from him, his angry, hateful glare the first thing to register in Naruto's mind.

"What the hell?!" Naruto roared out, getting pissed off.

"Where's Hinata-chan?!" Kiba kicked another ball for his face, but Naruto caught it.

"How the hell'm I suppose to know?!" Naruto threw back defensively.

"I know you two walk together in the morning!"

"So what!?"

"I wanna know why she's not here!"

"Maybe she didn't wanna see your ugly face." Naruto joked off-handedly. Naruto got smacked in the face with another soccer ball. He stumbled backwards, the impact stinging his mouth momentarily numb. He grabbed his mouth and growled at Kiba, glaring hatefully back. "Alright, what?! Ya wanna fight me, huh?! Ya wanna fight me?!"

"I don't think you're tough, loser." Kiba spat.

Naruto charged after him, fists cocked ready for his face. Kiba knocked aside one of his swings, and threw a punch of his own, catching him square in the jaw. Before Naruto could get back up, Kiba kicked him in the stomach. He kicked him again, then he held him down. He pushed his face in the ground. Naruto growled and yelled kicking, trying to swing his fists at him backwards, but couldn't knock him away, couldn't even touch him.

"What the fuck is this?!" He yelled out, calling him pansy and shit-head because he wasn't fighting back anymore. "Get offa me! Just fight me, don't fuckin'---!"

"Shut up!! You're so fuckin' obnoxious! Just shut up and stay quiet for once, loud-mouth loser!!"

"You're the loser if you think cosplaying is cool. Cosplaying isn't cool." Naruto mumbled into the grass. Kiba punched him in the back of the head. But that didn't get Naruto to shut up. "GET OFF ME ALREADY!! C'MON, LEMME KICK YOUR ASS!!"

"You think you're cool?! With what you're doing to Hinata-chan?! Huh?!"

"Don't be jealous, cosplayer! She's nothing special when you get to know her!"

Kiba punched the back of his head harder that time.

Naruto's sight turned white for a second.

"You don't know shit about her!" Kiba yelled out. He thought about the time he met her in the park during Christmas Eve. She had been crying then, because of the wake.

"_I promised to help him pass the exams... I don't understand why he had to kill himself... I promised him!! " Her tiny sobs rang in his ears, and broke his heart._

"I can paint you a picture." Naruto said, smirking into the grass.

"_N-Naruto-kuuun..." She moaned out in a whine, her brows furrowing together in an expression of need. _

"_I told you. I'm not taking my clothes off." Naruto laughed a little, amidst his own growing desire._

"_Th-then... I'll just take mine off." She teased. Naruto took her seriously._

"_No." He said firmly, like he were scolding a child. She smiled at him and began to take her chemise off anyways._

Naruto was getting so sick of being held down face first like this, but he knew he didn't have an opening. He decided to keep talking. "At a glance, she's this meek introvert. When she speaks, her voice is so soft and low that you think it's the sweetest sound you ever heard."

"_I'm sorry... who are you again?"_

Kiba pushed his face in more, applying more weight over him like a warning. Naruto grunted in his discomfort. "At that moment she's someone you'd want to spend more time with."

"_I'm you're new classmate! Uzumaki Naruto!"_

"Until you find out how low her self-esteem is." Naruto ended in a dead and disappointed voice.

_"H-Hinata-chan...!" Naruto gasped out, alarmed at her desperate behavior. He kept pushing her away, and she kept holding on. _

_She now had her arms tightly grasped around his waist like a vice, her face pressed against his belly, as she kept blindly crying out._

_"No! Nonononono!"_

_"What's wrong with you?!?! What do you want?!?!" He shouted, overwhelmed and aggravated with her._

_He could feel his shirt turn moist from her leaking eyes, confusion arresting his mind._

_She wasn't going to let go._

"And how much of your attention she needs."

"_Then don't leave me."_

"She's just insecure." Kiba fought back.

_She looked so cute in her white and lavender dress. He couldn't help but smile and stare. Hinata caught his stare and looked away, blushing. She began to smile too._

"She's ALOT insecure!"

"_M-my father... he hates me..."_

"You just don't know how to appreciate her!"

_It was cold that day on the bridge. Robin and Moe came back with roasted sweet potatoes from the vendor. Hinata walked up to him in her shy, graceful little way._

_She arrived at his feet, her shyness causing her to look down. She extended her hand out to him, offering him a roasted sweet potato._

"_Thanks, Hina-chan." He smiled, taking __the potato from her._

_She looked up. Her cheeks were rosy from the winter air. She smiled back at him._

_Maybe that was when he fell for her._

"What's to appreciate?! Okay, I think the reason why she's like this is because of the stupid drama she has with her dad, ne?"

_'I'm so tired...' was the last tangible thought she had before she closed her eyes, her mind going blank. _

_She hadn't gotten decent sleep in the past 3 weeks, Hiashi's will to have her study, study, study was stronger than her want to sleep. _

_A breakdown of some sort of inevitable._

_She hadn't realized she fell asleep head first in the water, minutes passing around her. _

_She hadn't noticed the warmth and grip of another stronger hand take hold of her arm and fish her out of the tub. _

_She didn't know how long she had been in there, didn't realize she nearly drowned._

"Her father continually cheated on her mother! Then her mother died giving her a little sister! The whole time her father never loved her or her mother!!"

"Tch, big deal. I can beat that." Naruto muttered back.

"Her father's cheating caused the death of her uncle and aunt! That made her cousin hate her and alienate her for most of her life!"

_"How could you have fallen asleep in the water? You could've died. Or was that you're intent?" Neji responded back in the same harsh tone, indifferent and unchanging. _

_Hinata perked up a curious gaze at him, with soft eyes._

_"Would you have cared, had I died?"_

_"Not in the least." _

"Wow, that's so messed up." Naruto sighed sarcastically.

"Forget it!! I'm not gonna try to prove to you how great she is!"

"You only think she's great because _you're_ in love with her." Naruto stated offhandedly. Kiba didn't say anything for awhile. "Sucks, doesn't it? You love a girl, but she doesn't notice you or doesn't give a crap about you..."

"_What the hell do I have to do to get rid of you?! I love Sasuke-kun!! Get it?!"_

"...It really sucks."

* * *

LaBelle stared at the phone on her bed. The sun shone through her sheer cotton floral curtains, giving the Queen-Anne styled bedroom a soft light. She wanted so much to smack her head into the wall.

She hadn't wanted to end the phone call that way. She had been genuinely irritated and worried over Hinata since last night. She had planned to tear her a new one, but when she began to cry over the phone, LaBelle found herself at a loss.

Now she was mad at herself for having been so easily distracted.

Now she knew she'd have to try this again another time.

She couldn't believe Hinata had been ignoring Kiba. Kiba never said that Hinata hadn't been talking with him. She thought he'd been missing her at the bridge. LaBelle hadn't the chance to hang at the bridge the past few weeks either, because of her new work, and she knew that Hinata had stopped visiting the bridge too because of her infatuation. She still thought that Hinata and Kiba hung out at school. She never thought that Hinata had been ignoring him outright. Her infatuation shared the same space as her. Was Hinata so easily distracted by him that she would forget Kiba? Or had she deliberatly chosen Naruto's companionship over Kiba's?

LaBelle growled in frustration at herself.

All these questions she had now were bugging her. She wanted to call Hinata back right now but she was afraid to make her cry again.

Hinata made her weak.

She hated it.

The moment her bedroom door opened, her twin sister walking in on her, LaBelle let out this angry, upset squeal.

"Kyaaaah!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIIIIIS!! STUPID STUPID STUPID!!!"

Her twin sister then walked back out, muttering to herself, "Never mind."

* * *

Kiba grabbed Naruto and yanked him by the collar of his gym shirt, glaring his meanest at the blonde boy.

"Screw how I feel!! What really sucks is how Hinata-chan feels for you!!" Kiba barked, getting fed up with Naruto, and his sudden depressing mood. He didn't give a damn if Naruto could empathize with him, it was Hinata that was the issue here. She was the one that was going to end up in a lot of pain.

"_WHAT_ does she feel for me?! Huh?! She has freakin' CRUSH!!" Naruto yelled out as if Kiba was the one ignorant to the obvious. "Do you think I wanna deal with something so stupid?!"

Kiba's hands --that were so tightly fisted around Naruto's shirt collar-- began to shake with an unrestrained frustration. He could hardly keep cool at this point. He was like a dog at the end of its leash, yet at the same time, he was the man holding the leash. He was trying so hard not to get to Naruto's level, yet his uncomparable stupidity was provocative. He was practically begging to get mauled.

Sometimes, really stupid people don't deserve sympathy nor mercy.

Kiba couldn't stand such an idiot.

"THEN LEAVE HER ALONE!!" He cried out, swinging his fist back. The leash broke. The dog was loose. His fist struck Naruto's cheekbone once, twice, before he then dropped him on the ground. Naruto kicked Kiba out from under his feet, quickly getting to his feet. His cheek was bleeding now, a slight, slow trickle that ran down the side of his face. He didn't bother to wipe the blood away. He sneered at Kiba. Then he ran for him. Naruto jumped over Kiba, his feet aimed for his face. Kiba cried and recoiled in pain, his hands grabbing at his face as if that would help it.

Naruto wasn't sure what happened, he hadn't heard anything, but he did feel something bend a weird way beneath his soles when he landed.

Kiba rolled onto his hands in knees, ready now to beat Naruto into submission. It wasn't the hate the exuded from his feral eyes, nor the murderous intent that kept Naruto still. It was Kiba's busted up nose; all bloody, cracked, and crooked.

Naruto had really landed on him hard.

"Shit." Naruto cursed, nearly laughing at the same time. He took a step backwards, his flight instincts kicking in faster than his fight instincts. Kiba pushed himself to his feet and charged at Naruto. The blonde cursed louder and turned to run. His feet tripped over themselves however as he slipped on a soccer ball, landing hard on his chin. Much like the other day. Naruto felt the way his teeth jammed against eachother, a painful numbness in his teeth and lips. Kiba nearly jumped him, much like he had done, but Naruto had rolled to his feet before Kiba could land.

Kiba had the keys in his hands, he just remembered them now. He fitted each key between his fisted fingers.

Naruto saw what he was doing, but before he could react, Kiba was already in his face, his fist cranked way the hell back. He swung forward. The keys dug into Naruto's skin, the impact of the punch sending him to the ground once more. Three thick, jagged cuts were made; One across his cheek, one just below his eye, and one across his nostril. They stung like hell.

* * *

Hinata wandered all around Naruto's one-room house, picking up this and that, trying to tidy the place up a bit. She had swept the floor and cleaned the bathroom a little, but she didn't know what else to do. She still felt like she had woken up, like no real time had passed, like she was floating through the day.

She sort of had forgotten about her conversation with LaBelle, her mind straying from thoughts of Naruto to random, general musings. She picked up one of his old shirts and looked it over. It wasn't entirely filthy, only a couple of oil and soy sauce stains near the collar, but you couldn't see them too well against the faded black. The shirt was practically dark blue thanks to all its fading. The things smelled though. It might have been more than a week since it last seen detergent.

Even though it smelled, she couldn't help but bring it to her nose. She closed her eyes and slowly, deeply inhaled his scent. It took her awhile to find it, his smell, beneath all the other odors, the odors of work and the city. It smelled of stir-fry and cigarettes foremost. Beneath that was that dirty laundry smell, that faint, heady stench that often exuded out of the boys' locker room. Beneath that was finally him, his scent, his vitality. Hinata made this little whimper of yearning and pleasure as she inhaled him.

She could recall last night a little more vividly now. The way he kissed her cheek, her ear, the way he had been so close that he nearly drowned her in his smell, in his heat. She wondered if it was his pheromones she was inhaling, the way it was making her head all light and fuzzy...

_BZZ, BZZ, BZZT!_

"Eek!!' Hinata shrieked, dropping the shirt on the ground as her cell phone began to vibrate like crazy in her back pants pocket. Her face flushed deep red, her heart pounded against her rib cage. She was afraid someone had caught her or something, she felt so embarrassed for the intimate attention she had given the shirt. She felt so absurd now for doing it.

Sighing to herself, she took the nervous phone out and pressed the call button.

"Moshi moshi?"

_"Are you **still** there??"_

* * *

Kiba had his hand around Naruto's throat.

Naruto had his hands around Kiba's throat.

The fought for dominance, for pride and honor, desperate to not look foolish.

Kiba had Naruto against the track house shed door. When Naruto tightened his grip on Kiba, Kiba tightened his grip twice as hard. When Naruto pushed, Kiba forced him back. He took a firmer hold of Naruto and banged his head against the door once, twice, a third time. The blonde winced, never letting up his glare on the brun.

"Ya know..." Naruto coughed, "I never did shit to her that she didn't want."

Kiba's grip slipped. Naruto kicked him away in the stomach, then struck him in the chin with his elbow. He threw his signature left hook at Kiba's face, forcing him stumbling back. He moved to threw another, but Kiba caught his wrist, twisted it away to the side and thrust his knuckles into Naruto's mouth. He sent four more swift, consecutives strikes, causing blood to pool in the blonde's mouth, his lips now bruised and red-tinged. Kiba then swept his foot under the back of Naruto's knees, knocking him backwards to the ground.

He lay there for awhile, lamely moaning in pain, his lips and chin covered in a light layer of blood.

Naruto what just happened to him. His gums were sore like hell, his mouth tasted coppery with blood. He turned his head to the side, and tried to spit it all out, leaving a small puddle of saliva and blood under his cheek. He spat again several times, trying to get the flavor off his tongue, as he slowly got to his feet, trying to figure out how he got on the ground.

"Does that bother you?? That she's so... so friendly with me?" Naruto smirked dumbly, wiping the mess off his chin with the back of his hand.

"Shut up." Kiba threw back, loathing his stupidity. "Don't act so proud."

"You're jealous." Naruto interrupted with a laugh, looking off to the side.

"You don't even want her." Kiba said, continuing without problem. "Don't act like hot-shit if you don't even want her. Just be a man already, and reject her."

"..." Naruto kept quiet, this stubborn look on his face. So many people lately had been telling him to grow up and be a man. He was starting to wonder what the hell all this was about.

"Or is it because no one else likes you that makes you want to keep her?" Kiba said with an insulting smirk, his eyes belittling the blonde.

The blonde shot him this look; at first was this look of surprise that then turned to a look of indignance and irritation. "...?!" Yet he couldn't say anything, unsure how to respond of what part of that to answer to. A yes or a no wouldn't suffice and he wouldn't give Kiba the pleasure of an honest answer.

"You must've been a real fuck-up, wherever it is you hail from." Kiba continued to smirk. "Didja run with Yakuza back there too? Like a chinpira? Or maybe they refused to accept you as one. Maybe you lost their drugs in the river or something, huh... must've been a real fuck-up loser."

"..." Naruto stood there, listening, finally sobered from the swift beating, his temper coiling and flashing briefly inside him. The anxiety rose in his throat at his words, the nature of his taunts hitting nearly every nerve.

"Naw, I know..." Kiba laughed, causing Naruto to flinch inwardly, his mind alert and heart anxious. "Loud-mouth idiot like you, loves to brag, talk shit, and is a lousy fighter; You ran in a gang. Some stupid, little middle-school boys' gang, ha-ha. You're one of those assholes that ran around terrorizing your own hometown like you owned it. You stole from adults, mugged business men, harrassed the girls and beat up the homeless, right? Must've made your parents proud." Kiba laughed meanly. "Hey! Hey! Didja shit on the doorstep of your school before you dropped out, huh?!"

Naruto clenched his fist tighter, til the blood drained from his knuckles, turning them white.

"Bet your mom hates you." Kiba laughed, "Bet your dad hates you too, huh??" Kiba called out louder, laughing harder.

His laughter stopped when Naruto fell him, having swiftly thrown a punch to his mouth. The wind was knocked out of him as he hit the ground. Naruto put his knees to Kiba's neck as he sat on his chest. Then he began an assault of socks to the face until he was satsified with the amount of blood on his knuckles. Kiba's mouth bled a thick river down his chin. He recoiled at the flavor.

The keys had fallen from his grasp.

Naruto picked them up and ran to the shed.

* * *

Hinata found herself short of things to do, wanting to idle herself inside his house until he returned. The house was so small, only a 1LDK home. There weren't even any _fusuma_ partitions to separate the bathroom and watercloset from the living room/dining room/kitchen, and not even a separate room to turn into a bedroom. There was no privacy in a home like this, only the closets held secrets.

She had gone in, first searching through the various cupboards atop the bigger closet, finding nothing but dust and some dead flies. She then pulled opened the main closet. There was a dusty wooden rack meant to hold the futons mattresses and blankets, but Naruto obviously never used it. She briefly decided to buy him more blankets and extra futon so he could store them away and use them. She had a list in her head of things to buy him. She had forgotten how already she had bought him several expensive things, some useless things, some little things.

She wanted to buy him a bigger fridge for his food so he wouldn't run out. She wanted to put a kotatsu in here for the cold nights and so he could have a place to eat. She wanted to buy him curtains, she wanted to get him a rack for his shoes, she wanted to stay here everyday, clean his house and cook his food when he got home.

She thought of all this as if she were his lover, as if taking care of his needs was her responsibility, as if she were a wife.

They hadn't even been together for more than a night. They weren't even 'together'.

Her foot knocked into something hard on the ground. She bent down to pick it up. It was metal, and quite heavy for her hand.

Hinata walked out of the dark closet, heading for the window where the light was better.

It looked like a knife handle.

She turned it over, looking for anything outstanding. She found the slot where the blade came out. She tried to pull it out with her nails.

"Ouch.." She winced, a brief soreness under the bed of her nails. Hinata looked at her fingers. She thought she might've cut herself, there were red flecks on fingertips, but it was dry.

Absentmindedly, her thumb slid into place where the release button was.

She pressed down and the blade swung open, the lightning speed startling her. She nearly dropped it.

Flecks of red had flown off when the blade ejected, crimson dust settling on the tatami she just cleaned.

There was still bits of dried blood on the blade, settled near the handle.

She'd never seen this before.

She didn't understand what it was doing there, why it was red.

"Why... does he have this?"

* * *

Naruto dug around the darkness of the track house shed, looking for something he could use. He found the baseball bats.

Naruto grinned victoriously to himself.

"Better than a knife, however... Sasuke-teme was always better with a bat." He mused, sliding an aluminum bat out of the bin. He hadn't heard the footsteps enter the shed, the shadow that had followed him inside. A sharp pain shot through the back of Naruto's head, a headache rattling around in his skull as he fell forward.

"What happened, huh?! Need to cheat?! Can't fight with your fists!?!" Kiba shouted, flexing the tennis racket in his hand. He couldn't decide whether to drop it or not. He was so mad and disgusted, he wanted to hit Naruto with it even harder, it was surprisingly satisfying. Almost moreso than his own fists. And yet hand-to-hand combat was more virtuous. Kiba would have wanted to fight Naruto fairly if he hadn't been so impudent. Kiba decided Naruto didn't deserve the mercy of righteous punishment.

Naruto held his hand to the back of his head. There was a moistness gathering on his fingertips. Kiba kept getting him before he could. He was too fast.

"Shit..." He cursed breathily, as he scraped along the ground, attempting to put some distance between him and the suddenly wolfish boy. The pain continued to grow and split his head in two, the blood gathering on his scalp.

It didn't seem like Kiba was fighting him for Hinata anymore. It seemed like he was fighting him because he wanted to. He wanted to challenge Naruto's confidence and his strength.

He wanted to show Naruto his place.

* * *

Hinata watched the way the bleach-water in the sink grew redder and redder from the switch-blade knife she had left to soak. The water was practically opaque, practically the color of a tomato, there was just so much blood coming out of the blade's handle.

She thought of the day she found him in Shinjuku, beaten and bloody.

"Was this from that day? Did he use this?"

* * *

Kiba closed the shed door and stuck the keys in the lock. All he could smell was the thickening blood leaking out of his broken nose, and taste the blood from his gum when Naruto kicked him. The cool scent of the grass was missed. He gathered the blood in his mouth and spat on the grass, wincing in disgust at the after-taste.

The field was quiet.

Part of him expected Naruto to be kicking, banging and screaming against the shed door, throwing futile threats at him.

But he didn't have to worry about that.

And he wouldn't open the shed up for him even if he begged.

Kiba grabbed the bridge of his nose, feeling the split skin that ran across its width. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then with a grunt of effort, attempted to reset it back in place. His eyes began to water, the discomfort turning into agony, he screwed his eyes shut and forced himself to get it over with.

_POP!_

"GYAAAAAAAHH!"

* * *

Hinata hadn't gone home yet. She couldn't imagine it. She laid in his futon, blanket pulled up to her chin, with one of his fresher shirts held against her chest like it were a teddy bear.

She started to wish she had gone to school with him, like she was supposed to.

* * *

Kiba had cleaned the field all on his own; dropping off the cones at the track house shed with Naruto still inside and locked the door once more, then put the soccer balls away in the equipment room inside the gymnasium. After that lunch passed. Kiba told everyone that Naruto ditched school to avoid cleaning up the field.

Fifth period then passed into sixth, and sixth into seventh.

Naruto still hadn't returned.

"Told you... he just upped and left." Kiba grunted under his breath, as he put his headphones back on, ending the conversation. He looked pretty ragged, especially with the medical tape across his nose. His classmates nodded and went back to their seats, finally accepting his explanation.

"That's pretty mindless don't you think? That he would fight Inuzuka-kun just to escape cleaning up the field?" One of the boys commented to his friends, receiving incredulous nods in turn.

Kiba didn't care what they thought. If they were to twist the story around from assumptions and such, it wasn't his concern to straighten it out. He only lied because he didn't want people to think he was an instigator in the fight. He wasn't trying to act like some heroic victim, he felt just sick thinking about it. His stomach would feel light and uneasy with anxiety, he couldn't think about what happened and know that it was because of Hinata. He couldn't wait for the day to end, he just wanted to go home. But he knew before he went home, he would have to let Naruto out.

He closed his eyes and hung his head, the bass-line of his music keeping him distracted and calm.

He kept thinking of Hinata.

Just imagining her face made him feel better.

* * *

Darkness surrounded him, encompassed his body. The musty smell of dust and mold lingered in his nostrils, along with the smell of old metal and blood.

Naruto sat up against the shed's door, the only source of light he had was the electronic glow of his cell phone.

At first all Naruto could think about was killing Kiba. He had lost, he had been beaten by him. The bastard took his pride, shitted it on it and fed it back to him. That was all he could think about when he had woken up to an even bigger headache.

But he'd been sitting here for the past four hours. The school day was almost over. All he could think about now was getting home. Not to his house, but to his hometown.

Once more he was locked up, all alone, in a dark and empty room. Where else did his thoughts go, but to a place that had ironically become his envisioned escape. He'd been thinking about that place so much lately that he truly grew to hate it here, with no reasons whatsoever.

A minute passed, a new number replacing the old on the cell phone screen, reading: "2:37 pm". There was less than thirty minutes left until the school day ended. Less than thirty minutes, and still no one had come for him.

Perhaps it was to be expected.

Made sense.

Made too much sense really. Who would know he was missing? Who would look? Who would care that much?

_"Screw how I feel!! What really sucks is how Hinata-chan feels for you!!"_

Naruto had been tempted several times to call her, but...

_"You don't even want her..."_

... It didn't seem like a good idea.

_"Bet your mom hates you." Kiba laughed, "Bet your dad hates you too, huh??"_

Naruto buried his face in his knees, the mere movement sending pain in the beaten back of his head, where the wound there stretched a little. He thought about it again, as a childish rage bubbled up in his throat, he said, "I'll kill him... I'll kill him..." with an undefined certainty. He looked at his cell phone screen again. It read, "2:39 pm". Time was going so slow. He returned to his cursing. "... stupid cosplayer..."

He couldn't imagine what his parents would be like, he couldn't imagine them at all. But somehow he could imagine them hating him. Maybe Hiro was right. Maybe his mother had been prepared to dump him. Maybe he was one of those love-children, born because the stupid bitch was too lazy to take her pills or something. Or maybe he was one of those rape-babies.... He used to think about these things before, he used to obssess about them. He tried to ask the adults if they knew his real parents; He asked Tsunade, Jiraiya, Sarutobi-dono, Kakashi, everybody. At one point he got so fed up that all he wanted to do was find their graves and defile them. But then there was the possibility that they weren't dead. To prefer them dead but not wish them dead was far too confusing for his conscience, and he hated them even more for it. He hoped for them to be dead, but he didn't wish it if they weren't.

These thoughts... They messed him up so bad.

He tried not to think about it anymore, but it was nearly impossible sometimes.

"5:43 pm"

Naruto stopped banging his head against the door, knowing that would most likely worsen his somewhat healed head. His scalp was still moist and crusty now, but no longer oozing blood. His headache had subsided slightly as well. Every now and then his heart would sink with each passing minute, realizing that he'd been here well past the end of the day.

Even clubs had stopped by now.

No one would be at the school at this hour, not even teachers.

And the door was still locked.

It was still locked.

And he wouldn't be able to get out until tomorrow morning, when the first gym class started.

"That's one... two... three..." In the glow of his cell phone screen, Naruto began to count off the hours between now and later on his fingers. "... Eighteen hours..."

* * *

"8:09 pm"

Naruto grew so bored and tired that he starting using the internet service on his cell phone to observe some hentai. It really wasn't something he normally looked into. He was damn sure he wasn't like Jiraiya. But he figured since he was stuck here and no one was around, that he could go ahead and watch something called.... "Sensitive Pornograph".

Fifteen minutes into the first episode...

"AH SHIT! IT'S YAOI!!!"

* * *

"9:40 pm"

Naruto's stomach growled.

He realized he hadn't eaten a thing all day. Thanks to Kiba for locking him up just when lunch had started.

"I'll kill him."

But then Naruto remembered that he hadn't even been able to afford lunch today anyways, especially without Hinata.

_

* * *

_

"N-Naruto-kun?!" She squeaked, as she hid her face from him and covered her chest with her once roaming hands, her hair draping all about her shoulder and face. He walked up to her, still pointing the cell phone at her, never catching her out of frame.

_"What?"_

_"Y-you.. y-you're t-taking pictures...!"_

_"No, I'm recording." _

"11:42 pm"

Naruto lay his head against the door, his mind feeling weary. His eyes hurt from discomfort. Perhaps it was his staring at the cellphone for so long.

"Man, this thing has great battery life." He mused, as the video looped again.

_"N-Naruto-kun?!" She squeaked._

Suddenly the screen darkened. He tried all the buttons but it wouldn't respond. It finally died. And the whole time he could've used it to call somebody.

Sighing heavily, Naruto hung his head, hating himself now for his stupidity and bad karma.

"I should've just skipped school with her like she said..."

* * *

Dead silence filled the quaint and sad little home, a lone figure lay under the bed sheets, knowing it was well past midnight much to her dismay.

She began to regret her decision.

"I should've gone to school like he said."

_

* * *

_

BAN!

_BAN! _

_BANBANBANBANBAN!_

One swing after another, Naruto kept up his swinging the end of the bat into the door, occasionally switching to kicking when his arms got tired. He was certain by now the door was full of dents. Only a couple of times did he feel it move, but he knew he still had to hit it harder.

_BANKIN!_

_BANKIN!_

_BANGKIN!_

_BANBAN!_

_BANBANBANBANKIN!_

The bat slipped from his sweaty, tired fingers. He bent over to catch his breath, hands on his knees, weary head hung. He kept thinking about how beyond this door was cool fresh air. He kept thinking about getting out in that air and getting to his bed.

Naruto rubbed at his eyes. He thought he'd nearly cry, he was getting so frustrated with being alone here like this, getting so frustrated with everything that's been going on. He inwardly drew himself up, rubbing the sweat off his palms on his knees, he grabbed the bat in one hand and held it over his shoulder. He glared at the door like it were his enemy,and stuck out his index finger like he were calling it out.

"Prepare to die." He said.

Then he started it up again, with more determination and more fury.

_**BANBANBANBANBANBANBANBANKINBANBANBANKINBANKINKINKINBANNN!**_

He threw the bat aside, getting fed up with the door. He threw his foot at it several times before he started throwing himself at the obstruction.

Over and over again.

"MOTHERFU--ER!!" He screamed.

_Ban!_

_Ban!_

_Ban!_

"OPEN UP!!" Came his cry, the desperation rising in his voice.

_Ban!_

_Ban!_

_Ban!_

"WHEN'RE YOU GONNA OPEN UP!?!??" Naruto gave one final body-slam into the door. He collasped forward so suddenly. A rush of cool air washed over him, the pleasant scent of grass and night air rushed to his nostrils. Low chuckles bubbled out from his mouth, followed by louder, more exuberant laughter, tinged with relief and disbelief.

"Heh... heh-heh... I'm going to be in so much trouble when they find I did this."

He closed his eyes, he felt so tired and relaxed now to move. But he knew the broken down door was no bed.

It took him several minutes to finally get up.

* * *

He meandered his way through the night life, bike in hand, a need to think keeping him away from home. He felt partly disgusted with himself for having picked a fight with the likes of Kiba. He felt moreso disgusted knowing that he lost to him. He wasn't sure what he'd do the next time they'd meet. It was inevitable, since they shared the same space at school.

"Oh shit... I know why this happened." Naruto thought aloud, slowing his pace through the empty backstreets of a sleeping neighborhood. "It was because Hinata-chan didn't go to school today. I got my ass kicked because I let her do whatever she wanted." Naruto grimaced wearily at this, part of him still confused over what happened. "Which means I have to convince her to go to school, or her puppy will bite me again." Naruto further grimaced at his words. He began to feel at a loss. "Man, what have I done to her that's so terrible?" He asked aloud. When he got no answer, he began to think about it. "I've never done anything she didn't like, and most of the time I conceded to her requests. Okay so I've kissed her, when I'm not even her boyfriend. But I'm a guy. That's my nature. And she asked; all she wanted was a little kiss. Why should I refuse? I get something out of it too."

Naruto turned a corner, still finding himself winding through narrow backstreets, houses aligned on either side him. He found himself wandering down a long slope. Skinny trees, ferns, and overflowing flower pot extended from beyond the rails that separated the houses from the street. Compared to his hometown, this was hardly a comfort. He was used to having trees and nature all around him. He still hadn't gotten used to the city it seemed.

"Well I guess, if you look at it plainly, it looks like I'm taking advantage of her. But I'm not really. Besides it's her fault. I mean, aside from the fact that she seduced me the other night, she's got no self-esteem. It wouldn't matter if it were me, if she liked any guy at all, they'd all take advantage of her. And most of them will be worse than me."

He came to the end of the corner where three streets intersected, giving him the choice of three directions; whether he should go left, right, or straight ahead. Not that it mattered however, because he wasn't even trying to get home.

"That cosplayer seems to really care for her though. So I guess a lot of guys will be better than me too."

He looked left. He looked right. He looked straight ahead.

The road perpendicular to him sloped left. If he went left, he went down. If he went right, he went back up. If he went straight ahead... he wasn't sure where that would lead; it was so dark, the road seemed to go on, the end invisible.

"She wants me." Naruto told himself, choosing to go straight. He paused in the middle, giving a final glance left and right to make sure he could change his mind. But such a thing was rare for him. "What am I supposed to do?"

If he went left, he would just keep getting lost. Left lead away from the city, so it was much darker. If he went right, he would ascend back into the light, and back into the city.

He decided to continue forward. He didn't know what lie ahead of him, and he didn't see any problem in finding out. Civilization could wait.

"I never really liked her to begin with, I mean, not that much. I figured since we were classmates and neighbors, that I should try to get along with her. Plus she didn't see my screw-up of an entrance the first day here, so I really had no choice but to choose her. I never said I needed her."

It started to get darker and emptier here. He looked around him. There were no flowers, no lights in the windows, no trees. No trees here at all except for a sick, dying maple, with all it's branches sawed off.

"Everybody's acting like I've done something terrible to her."

Naruto walked over to the decrepit cement walls. He propped the bike against it and grabbed onto the ledge. He placed his feet on the wall and pushed himself up. He hoped that the houses were abandoned.

"People usually hate me or dislike me. I still don't know why."

He stood up slowly on the ledge, taking in his view of the low balconies and run-down little backyards. There wasn't any laundry hanging, like the other houses, so he knew they must be abandoned.

"I mean, if they think I'm treating her badly or if they're worried about that, they should take it up on her, not me. She's the one unable to stick up for herself when a guy comes around, I'm not going to treat her special like some goddamn princess... I'm really starting to think this is all because of her dad. Man, she's got "daddy issues" That's so lame. I don't honestly know what it is that has her friends so concerned. It's not like anything bad is going to happen."

He stooped back down and placed one hand on the ledge. Steadying himself, he leaped down, nearly stumbling on his landing. As he slowly rose back up, he set his eyes on the darkened glass door of the nearest balcony.

He decided what he was going to do.

* * *

The door rattled a bit at first as he slid it open. Childishly, he pretended to extend his soul or something to feel out any hidden prescences in the home. Obviously he could not feel a thing.

The house smelled like it was abandoned; the room was deathly still and silent, and there was that musty smell you get when you step in a vacant room or garage. Cold and musty, full of stale air. No life.

Yet somehow, Naruto hoped to find something useful for the taking, since there was nothing else useful about an abandoned house. He already had his own abandoned house. No bills, no taxes, no fees. He wasn't so sure he'd find his way back here again anyways, if he decided he'd use this as a second home or some sort of hideaway. This place as probably slated for remodeling, if not demolition. The real estate people must have their eyes on this after all.

Nobody liked to keep around something that was a waste of space. It couldn't exist and not be used. That was sort of the law when it came right down to it.

If something couldn't be resused, renewed or ressurrected, it had to be replaced.

Naruto took slow, careful steps inside, feeling around with his feet and his hands for surroundings. He was going to try to search for a light, but he knew that as an abandoned house, the electricity would've been cut. But it was still worth a shot, it never hurts to try.

"Wonder if this is a... 2LDK or a 3LDK. It's pretty small from the back, so it can't be bigger than 3LDK."

Naruto shuffled towards the wall, feeling around for a switch. His knee knocked into a dresser before he found it. The but lights didn't turn on, as he had thought.

"Well, that sucks. I don't have a flashlight, and my cell phone is dead. But even if it weren't, it wouldn't be enough to light up my path. How'm I gonna find anything cool in here?" He turned halfway around to look at the where he thought the dresser was, and wondered if there would be anything in there. "Ha-ha, if this were Sakura's bedroom, I'd be so close to grabbing some of her panties." Naruto snickered to himself, childishly amused with that happy little scenario. But after awhile, he felt weird about it. He remembered how old he was now and how uncool he'd be if he were still trying to steal a pair of panties. "Dammit... not some pervy old man..." He muttered, albeit miserably. His knee knocked into the dresser again. He patted around it, looking for the knob. "Hinata-chan would probably _give_ me her panties if _I_ asked."

He slid the drawer open. Suddenly something itchy crawled over his hand.

"C--cockroach...?" He bit out nervously, hoping it wasn't something else, not that he had an idea of what something else would be, just that it would be worse.

Naruto shivered, struggling to suppress his need to yell out of fear.

Now he didn't feel like stickiing his hand in there.

It wasn't that he was freaked out by bugs. Just that it would've helped if he could've seen it, rather than feel it.

Naruto closed the drawer and rigidly stood back up.

He decided to find the _fusuma_ partitions into the other rooms.

* * *

Empty. It was all empty.

All the rooms were designed the same. Only the first room was designed as the dining room, for it had the kitchen right there by the genkan. There had been a small washroom and watercloset as well, but nothing more. And all were totally empty.

He only had to check the bathroom left. He noticed that the refridgerator was still here, so that meant this place was most likely on sale or perhaps foreclosed. It was the only appliance left, so the previous tennant must have taken the air-conditioner, washer and dryer with them when they moved out or were kicked out. But usually when it's foreclosed, they have to leave all that they owned, even if it never came with the house. Though they might've taken it with them out of spite. And a refridgerator isn't the easiest the thing to move, so they might've left it here without mind.

It was times like these he wished an adult was listening, because sometimes he felt like he had his smart moments, especially now with all his deducing. He really wished the adults at least half-listened to him. At least Jiraiya would've appreciated him if he thought he were a little smart. But that old man was so wrapped up in his bullshit that he didn't care about him. Although, by the time Naruto was assigned Jiraiya as guardian, there had been no point in the arrangment, because he was already an adult (sort of). Jiraiya knew that too, so that might've been why he didn't bother with Naruto during that somber time.

"He used to like me though..." He sighed, as he headed towards the refridgerator. "... but then he got fed up with me." Naruto grasped the side of the door, "I--I don't even really remember what happened there..." He said in a grimace, trying to grasp the images of his memories. But they were so disconnected, he couldn't remember, there was something crucial though, he knew it. Yet he couldn't remember it.

All he could think of was that time they were sparring. He had been acting like an arrogant fool in the middle of lessons. Jiraiya had gotten so unamused at Naruto's television-inspired antics that he stopped the lessons that day. At that time Naruto had already gotten in plenty of trouble, and Jiraiya had grown displeased with his decision to be a yanki. He used to call him a 'hoodlum' like some old man. He was though, a traditionalist old man; that the only thing he wasn't conservative about was hentai. Even the most disgusting of it he enjoyed with the utmost fervor, that Naruto couldn't help but resent him almost entirely.

For all the time he knew the old man, the only time they got along was when he was a child. Even then, that hadn't been a long time. It was kind of sad really.

Naruto opened up the refrigderator door.

Nothing.

He had no idea why, but for some reason he had been expecting a severed head.

"They say you gotta sing the song you have stuck in your head to get rid of it. Maybe I need to see violent movie to get all these bad thoughts out of mine. Or maybe I need to do something violent."

He closed the door.

"At least I hardly have flashes of violence. But I suppose it's just as bad that I don't use the self-control I have... I guess that's what makes me so stupid." Admitting this made Naruto a little sad, a little wistful. He knew he was pretty much repeating what Iruka always lectured, about the self-control; and that he was pretty much restating the same old insults Tsunade had made, about his impulsiveness, his stupidity. Especially how he lacked disclipine. And yet nobody bothered to discpline him. They always complained about his traits but never did a thing to straighten him out.

What's the use in complaining if you're not actually earnest in amending it?

They're just as stupid for it. They should never open their mouths if all they have to say are insults.

Adults always want kids to do something constructive. But the adults themselves waste more time, money and energy doing something uselessly indulging and indefinitely stupid.

There was faint click over by the wall somewhere. Naruto heard it, but could barely trace an outline of the room. His eyes were still adjusting. There was then another click, a little louder, when suddenly light from outside poured in along with some voices.

"The neighborhood is secure."

"That's good. We should be able to regain our footing then."

"Ne, where is the Kumicho--?"

"Gone soon, safe."

"What of his child? Is she--?"

"Safe as well."

"Then no use in these old fears! Come, let us unwind our tired worries at a bathhouse!" He laughed warmly, albeit dumbly. He sounded like an absent-minded middle-aged man, but he talked like an old man; so formal, so steady.

"We still have business here. Are you senile already?" Smiled the one man, clearly younger by his voice.

"Ne, what's that?" The older man pointed out amongst the shadows.

He pushed the door wider open, letting all of the hallway light pour into the room and all across the floor. It hit Naruto's lower calves. They traveled up from his lower legs to his face, his eyes shining visibly from the light.

In moments, their eyes had near fully adjusted and they saw the frozen expression set in his rigid face. His whole body was frozen out of fear, like a statue, he wished to be seen and then ignored.

But that would not happen.

The lights turned on suddenly.

Naruto shut his eyes from the sudden burst of light, bringing his one hand away from the refridgerator to shield himself. He hadn't noticed that the visitors were just as shocked as him at the time.

Unfortunately they recovered much faster.

"What do you think you are doing here?!" The younger man yelled out.

"How'd you get in?! Well, speak now!" Came the older man, almost sputtering furiously. Their voices overwhelmed Naruto however, he felt unsually disoriented under the florescent light. He rubbed at his eyes, struggling to adjust his sight more quickly so he could get a look at these newcomers. He could barely bring himself to respond if he could see who he was addressing.

He brought his hands down from his face, squinting to see the new men. The first of them was the younger man, who seemed about in his late-thirties. He was a plain looking man, much plainer than his comrade; pale skin with a warm tone to it, a flat, oblong face with crescent shaped eyes, black, and black haired slicked back. He wore a casual suit. They both did. The older man seemed about late-fifties or sixties, perhaps about Jiraiya's age or Sarutobi-dono if he were still alive. Either way, it was a little hard to tell how old, for he had little wrinkles and a bright eyes. And he stood tall too, only slouched a little. He appeared less feeble than Sarutobi-dono. He had taupe-greyish hair combed back, barely thinning on top and a strong jaw. His brows were a little bushy, but they helped to make him look a little friendlier.

However... this didn't seem to be a likely moment to make friends.

Naruto's vision cleared up in time for him to register his situation and the newly donned looks of incredulous shock on their faces.

"You..." The old man muttered.

The words flew from his mouth. "Me?" He questioned, pointing a finger at his face, dumbly curious as to what was going on.

"IT'S YOU!!" The old man cried out in his shock. In seconds him and the younger man lunged at Naruto, having had no other idea what to do, other than to catch him.

The younger man got a hold of Naruto's shoulders and tackled him to the ground. Naruto shoved him off with a grunt, his face panic-stricken. He got up and nearly escaped them, but the younger man still had a grip on his uniform shirt. He tried to pull Naruto back or back down, but Naruto slipped away from him. He stumbled into a headlong run, pitching forward into the next room. He tried to close the partition on the men, not that it made much sense for it wasn't a door that could lock. But as soon as he closed it, it broke from its upper rail and fell on him.

Naruto cried out a panicky shout. He was pinned under the fusuma, the younger man stood atop it, holding him down.

"HOW'D THIS HAPPEN?!" Naruto cried aloud in his panic. He clawed at the tatami, trying to get a grip somehow to pull himself out from under the man, but it proved futile when he was too heavy; and pointless when the man walked off in a hurry to get his hands on him. Naruto flipped the fusuma away and charged for the other side of the room once more. The old man nearly grabbed a hold of his leg. The younger nearly tackled him to the ground when he caught hold of the back of his fleeting shirt. Naruto knocked him away with a hasty swing of his elbow. He stumbled into the other room. He didn't even bother with the fusuma this time. He was so freaked out, he could only think of getting out the glass door.

But then an accute pain erupted on the back of his head. Naruto exclaimed. A great confusion caught hold of his mind. His vision spun. His legs wobbled and shook. He stumbled to the door. He thought he had grabbed a hold of it, but he found himself on his knees in an instant. He saw smears of blood on the glass. He couldn't figure out how it got there. The younger man grabbed a fistful of his hair. He rammed Naruto's head into the glass. He pulled back and threw his head into the door once more. Blood burst on his forehead. He threw him again. Naruto cried out for his life, but they ignored him. The younger man threw him again; a fourth time, a fifth time, a sixth time until there was enough blood that they could paint the door with his beaten head.

_'How'd this happen?'_ Naruto asked in a strange calm, the words replaying themselves over and over, his mind broken like a record. _'How'd this happen? How'd this happen?'_

"God must have smiled, for the boy has been sent to us. Why, we weren't even looking." The old man seemed to praise in awe.

The younger man stared at the beaten boy at his feet. The bloody wretch seemed to be muttering in his calmed, weaken state. Not too long ago, he had been crying and screaming his head off; the boy had been bawling for his life, but now lay there, barely able to do a thing for himself.

"Naw, it's just his bad luck that he found us." The younger man responded indfferently.

The two set to work to gather his body off the ground.

Then everything went dark.

* * *

The next day the class of 1-B stood in front of the broken down shed with a helpless sort of confusion.

Asuma-sensei was having it the worst however.

The door lay on the grass, all dented and worn. Clearly someone had beaten the thing to all hell. It would have been worse if someone had broken into the trackhouse shed and maybe got away with a few equipment. But knowing that it was someone who broke out was somehow more upsetting.

Whispers and comments went about the gym class, every now and then someone would say "Asuma-sensei is gonna have a fit." with a secretive giggle.

Kiba rubbed his palms on front of his gym shorts, trying to remove the nervous sweat from himself.

Part of him was relieved at this. And yet part of him was a bit panic-stricken.

He was sort of glad, and incredulous that Naruto had escaped. He hadn't meant to keep him in there for an entire day. He had forgotten Naruto at the last minute yesterday. When he went to go back to the school, the teachers' office was already locked, and he couldn't get the keys back from Asuma-sensei or Kurenai-sensei. After that, he hadn't worried to much about it, since he convinced himself "a bit of solitary confinement will do him good.", or so he thought.

It was actually rather amusing to see the broken door like that. Truly, the yanki was an unpredictable one.

The other part, the nervous part of Kiba clung to him like so many paranoid thoughts. He couldn't help but wonder if Naruto was alright. It just didn't feel right to see this and have him not return to school at all.

Asuma-sensei sighed and decided to herd everyone back inside the gym. He told them he would speak with the principal about this at once. He couldn't imagine doing an investigation, as how everyone here were mostly well-behaved. He wasn't the type to want to lay blame anyhow, he was far too easy-going for that. But it still irked him to have this happen. It was school property, and in a way, his property.

Nobody should get away with damaging valuable things. Not ever.

Kiba turned halfway with the crowd, yet he couldn't keep his eyes off the beaten door and the broken shed. There was something about it that gave a stark contrast of its former innocence.

Something about it that seemed so wrong. Kiba couldn't understand it.

"Well... at least he's alive, I guess." Kiba joked half-heartedly, trying to shake off his guilt for locking Naruto up in the first place.

* * *

Moe's apartment complex was located in Chiba.

Robin's 5LDK house was located on the edge of Sumida.

They both attended the same public school in Katsushika.

They hadn't shared the same class this year. Normally Robin took great relief to this, as past experience shown Moe tended to be a great distraction during lessons and lectures. It was bad when she would read yaoi underneath her desk, away from the teacher's eyes. It was worse when she ran out of her precious reading material, and he had to pacify her with yaoi he bought himself. He wasn't a pervert like her, he never bought them for himself. Gifts were gifts. And a subdued Moe was the greatest gift of all.

These days she had been especially subdued. These days in itself, seemed to be cursed with a sadness.

It was because of Hinata.

They sat out on a hilly field by the school's baseball diamond. Moe had found comfort in laying her head in Robin's lap. This wasn't an entirely unusual position for them. He always had been her arm rest, her pillow, her chair, her "happiness bunny". He was so used to it, he once thought he might as well be cut up and stuffed for her permanent leisure or something.

However this wasn't one of their comfortable, casual moments. And Moe wasn't in leisure.

He knew she was still thinking about what happened the past sunday when they visited that blonde brawler. She couldn't understand what had been said. She couldn't understand what was going on with their 'dear, sweet Emiri-chan'. The whole time she had been rooting for her, without even really giving much thought to it, and without even paying attention to her behavior.

They knew nothing of the boy, nothing more than his name; Uzumaki Naruto.

The whole time Moe didn't really care who Uzumaki Naruto was or what he was about. She didn't even care to speak casually with him. It wasn't like she didn't like him. She wasn't the type to dislike a person she hardly knew. But she could tell he wasn't the type of person she was interested in getting to know. It was as simple as that.

But as Hinata's friend, it was a poor attitude to have.

She was afraid to admit this.

If LaBelle hadn't the gall the point out her flaws at every opportunity, she would never agree that she was right. But sometimes LaBelle was right. She was very smart girl; very worldly. Moe would've admired this, if she wasn't such an anal-retentive bitch.

"_Why?" He asked, sounding suspicious, defensive._

_Moe paused with a sarcastic look of innocence before answering him just as sarcastically. _

"_Oh gosh, why? You are her boyfriend, aren'tcha?"_

"_Is that what she tells you guys?" He smirked._

_The two stiffened up, the confusion passing into disbelief._

"_Are you kidding me…?" _

"_Me an' Hina-chan are doing fine." Naruto shrugged, playing along. _

"_"Fine "? ...So you're treating her fine?" Moe asked again so skeptically. Naruto glared impatiently at her._

"_I just said that. ...You ask her if she's happy."_

Moe buried her cheek further into Robin's legs and hugged them to her, like a child desperately clutching its teddy-bear. Robin could feel her emotions, her vulnerability. She was depressed.

It wasn't often that she got depressed.

"Ne... Keisuke-kun..." She called out tentatively, worried how her voice must sound. It sounded strained, as if held back by tears. "...Am I... stupid?"

Keisuke didn't have to deliberate too long on what to say. He knew her too much. "No more stupid than me." He replied back gently. She squirmed a little more, before nodding in his lap. He knew he had said the right words when she didn't say anything right away. And the fact that she was quiet for so long meant she was in serious mood for once. Usually she would throw his words back in his face as a playful protest, feigning disgust. But she couldn't even think of that right now.

"Then, am I a bad friend?"

"No." He said a little too quickly.

"Then what's wrong with me!?"

"Nothing is wrong with you." Robin easily replied, unsure if he was lying or not. Truthfully there was nothing wrong with her, pertaining to the situation. But ordinarily, there was plenty wrong with her. He just never had the courage to say so.

"Then why don't I know?! Why can't I understand what's going on?!" Moe was so frustrated. She felt so dumb that she nearly hated herself.

"I don't know what's going on either. It's something you have to talk with her about." He replied on calmly. It wasn't that he wasn't concerned for Hinata, he knew her as long as Moe, however... he didn't feel nearly as close. She seemed so delicate that she made him timid and shy. He knew there was plently wrong with himself as well, for one thing, he had the hardest time expressing himself. Moreso than when they first met Hinata in middle school, and she had been so squeamish and meek. She'd grown so much since then, that Robin never thought much about her. She seemed capable of taking care of herself. That had been Moe's thinking as well.

"Right... 'You ask her if she's happy'...." She whined, before taking a moment to explode. "Kyaaaaaaaa!!! Arrogant bastard!! Arrogant arrogant--- JERK!!!" Moe complained, hitting Robin's legs like a colicky child. Then she began to cry. She covered her face behind tiny fists. Her jaw was clenched as she tried to suppress her frustration and tears. She nearly scared Robin. He hadn't seen her like this since they were kids when her parents were always fighting. There had been a period that she declared herself homeless. She never went back to either her mother's or father's home. She would wander around Tokyo, until she was too tired to walk. One night he found her circling around the local dog park. He tried to convince her that she could stay at his apartment in Sumida. Then she had cried. Just like she was now.

"I don't know where she is! I don't know where to find her! How'm I gonna talk to her, if I don't even see her anymore?!?!"

Hinata stopped going to the bridge nearly six weeks ago.

Hinata stopped visiting her apartment in Chiba five weeks ago.

Hinata stopped calling four weeks ago.

Hinata stopped answering her phone three weeks ago.

Two weeks ago they went to eat at The Elephant Cafe to meet her precious person.

After that, they never heard from her again.

* * *

A whole day had passed.

Hinata had hoped to find him in school when he did not return home. Her heart broke when he didn't show up. She thought she'd never stop inwardly weeping if she didn't see him soon. It felt like ages since that morning.

Hinata had thought nothing of the shed during gym. It barely even registered to her. She was so wound up about Naruto at this point that she swore she was going crazy with worry. She didn't know what to do.

"He's not answering his phone...!" She whimpered miserably, grabbing at her head furiously, as she re-dialed, only to get a dead line once more.

Hinata hid up on the roof, in the same spot she and Naruto always sat at. Everything around her made her painfully anxious and hyper-sensitive. She couldn't be around those people without him to give her strength.

He was her confidence.

She needed him.

Hinata dialed again.

No answer.

She dialed again.

No answer.

She couldn't think of anything else to do but to keep calling him.

She knew he hardly ever picked up her calls. She was fine with that. The few seconds spent waiting for his voice before the line cut off was the only bit of comfort she had left. That brief feeling of hopefulness was the only optimism she had left. As unhealthy as it was to keep dialing and to keep hoping, it was the only thing keeping her a little bit happy and a little bit relieved. Even when it was madness to expect a different result, she kept at it.

"I won't give up." She told herself, ironically in a defeated voice. "He has to pick up at least once! A-ah!!" Hinata squeaked excitedly when a pause interrupted the dial tone. "Naruto-kun?!" She cried out, but then the dial tone began again.

That broke her heart all over again.

She nearly cried.

But in no time, she started up her sickening speed-dial pattern until her own phone died.

"NO!! No!! Nonononono!!! Noooo!" Hinata cried out like a child. In her fit, she threw her phone, cursing it.

She nearly hit the newcomer that had come onto the roof just to see her.

Kiba looked between her and the abused phone, having no idea what just happened.

Hinata sat against the fence, legs tucked close to her chest, her arms resting on her knees. Her face hid in her arms. She was so wrapped up in her turmoil that she never saw Kiba. It took him awhile before he began to walk towards her, in careful, light steps, as if he were approaching a jumpy little rabbit.

He stopped short a foot from her. He feared if he got any closer that he would grow disgusted with her; already a part of him was poisoned, sick with disappointment by her recent change. They'd grown apart since she gave all her attention to Naruto. She had forgotten him so quickly that it pained. It hurt to look at her gentle, lovable face and imagine that she could have become so cold. It hurt to believe that someone so sweet could suddenly be so self-centered. He tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, he tried to tell himself it wasn't her fault. She was a generous girl. She was a people-pleaser. She couldn't help but give, even if it meant she had to ignore her own well-being.

"Hinata-chan..." He called out tentatively. When he got no answer, he sat himself down in front of her. He waited and watched her for a moment. She was furiously quiet. "Hinata-chan..." He called out again. "Hina-chan." Kiba reached a careful hand for her arm, only to recieve a violent jolt, and a small groan of protest.

"Go..." She muttered, shuffling backwards a bit.

"Go?" He mimicked in his confusion.

"Away." Hinata amended much in the same way, that it irritated Kiba.

"Why?" He bit out, trying now not to upset her with mean words.

Her response came slowly. "...I'm busy."

"With what?" Kiba's temper and indignance began to show a little in his tone.

"I'm waiting for him to call me." Hinata stated back so simply. It sounded like complete nonsense. Kiba looked over to where her phone lay by the door, his irritation turning into insult.

"You threw your phone halfway across the roof!" He said, almost mocking her now. "You're not waiting for him!"

"I_ am_ waiting."

"For what?!"

"For him!"

"Well, too bad! He's not here! Nobody knows where he is, or where he goes, okay?! You shouldn't wait for someone so unreliable!!"

"Well, I'm not going to wait for anyone else!!"

"You shouldn't have to wait!! You're too good for that!!"

"You don't know what your talking about, Kiba-kun." She spat irritably before she began to talk to herself thoughtfully, "I know he doesn't love me yet, but... he likes me enough anyhow."

"'Enough' how?! Enough for him to touch you?!"

"Don't tell me that's wrong!!"

"Unbelievable!! Y--You're so insecure!!" Kiba sputtered, "You shouldn't let anyone but your boyfriend touch you!!"

"Whos cares?! Who cares?!! I'd rather have him as my lover!!"

"Lover?!" Kiba threw back indignantly, his anger sputtering out in a furious sneer. He couldn't help but think of what she must be like when she's all alone with that boy, how the two of them mold and melt together, how she willingly allows him to molest her. "Yeah, how does he do it, huh?! Like this?" Kiba grabbed her side. Not provocatively, for he still had too much respect for her, and yet he was losing much of that respect pretty quickly.

"Stop." Hinata scolded firmly.

"Like this?" Kiba grabbed her side more provocatively that time. "Like this?" He tugged at her skirt meanly.

"Stop it!"

"So you can tell _me_ to 'stop', but you can't tell _him_ to 'stop'?! I'm the same as him! No, I'm better than him!"

"Nuh-uh..." Hinata muttered under her breath pessimistically, shaking her head. This subtle rejection was too much however.

Kiba ejected off the ground, standing tall and erect, he argued back at her, "I'm better than him!! I am waaay better than him!" nearly at the top of his voice.

Hinata shook her head nonetheless. She was getting sick of hearing people putting Naruto down. It wasn't fair. He hardly did a thing wrong. She couldn't have her friends insulting him. She wouldn't have it. "No." she repeated firmly, audibly. "No one is better than Naruto-kun."

A small crack appeared between them. It grew deeper and wider, until Hinata was miles away from him. She had placed him on the other side of the rift. Then she put up a wall and locked him out.

Kiba couldn't believe how selfish she was being.

He hated it.

And he almost begun to resent her too.

* * *

Shikamaru didn't wake when the bell rang, though he heard it. He didn't wake when the teacher came in, herding the class's attention for her lecture, because he ignored it. He only stirred when Kiba plopped in his seat with a loud thud. He only bothered to open his eyes when he felt this brightly hateful emanation beside him. He only decided to be awake when he turned and saw the current state of his friend.

Kiba was practically seething. But most of all, he was morose.

The rolled his first question around in his head until he finally felt like asking it.

"What happened?" He tossed out lazily, appearing half-asleep almost.

"..." Kiba didn't say anything. He kept his glare fixed ahead so that way he couldn't see anything he didn't want to. Like Hinata.

Shikamaru shrugged him off and layed his head back down. He didn't feel like spending more energy than it was worth.

However, he had begun to feel guilty. Him and Kiba hadn't been friends long, so most of the time it just felt like an acquaintanceship. But he knew enough about him. He knew Kiba liked that one really quiet girl in the class. He noticed the changes in mood. He caught glimpses of what was going on. And yet he chose to sleep through it all. He didn't bother to involve himself with his friends.

Even Temari, who really needed him these days. He did the best he could by listening and letting her complain. But he knew that what he did had no affect on her overall situation. It was like, no matter what he did, her life wouldn't get any better.

He felt so worthless.

"It can't be helped." Kiba bit out waspishly.

Shikamaru perked up a bit at this, uttering a lazy "Hm?", to show he was awake and listening.

"I can't help her. No matter what I do, I can't help her." Kiba elaborated lamely, basically saying 'it's hopeless', 'she doesn't give a shit about me'.

For a moment, Shikamaru thought Kiba got inside his brain, his words were so ironic.

He felt the exact same way.

* * *

"I won't be long." Ayame called out before closing the door of her and her father's apartment.

There was no work today.

They couldn't open shop, so there was no work today.

Ayame tried to keep a positive attitude for herself and her father. She continually tried to instill optimism into him. He was getting old. He didn't need to worry about things at his age, he didn't deserve it.

She looked down at the crumpled bills in her hand. She was going to get dinner for them tonight. She only had 1,400 yen.

Ayame sighed to herself, "I guess... we'll just have _Yoshinoya_ again..."

She had suggested getting part-time jobs. She wanted one at least. She said it was the most reasonable thing she could do for them. Teuchi disagreed. He said it wasn't necessary.

"Even if the economy gets back up, it won't matter much. We need the money now." As she said this to herself, she couldn't help but think about Naruto. "I hope he's looking for more work. He's going to need it."

* * *

Hanabi and Neji sat out on the long porch of their home. They were both waiting for Hinata. They wanted to make sure she got home this time. Her day-long disappearance yesterday had been unacceptable.

Neji had worried himself for nothing. He thought she might've gotten abducted, that she might've been grabbed up and taken away. She could've been raped or murdered or sold. She could've been on the news. She never called or let anyone know where she was. And yet she had been next door the whole time. What the hell was she doing in their neighbor's house like that?

Hanabi wanted to know that too, though she had more of an idea than Neji did, for Neji knew nothing of their lives these days. Hanabi kept everything to herself, with every good reason. Hinata, however, was leaving everybody out.

Hiashi had actually gotten home on time earlier today. Hanabi had blabbed to Hiashi about Hinata's disappearance when he had addressed Neji. He had noticed the distress written on his nephew's face. Neji had been too reluctant to tell, so Hanabi went and blabbed. She wasn't trying to get Hinata in trouble, or maybe she was. All the little girl knew was that she was mad as hell at Hinata for her recent behavior. She was being so... irresponsible. It was embarrassing, shameful; it was unacceptable.

Hiashi had been so irritated that he growled under his breath, _"I ought to get rid of her. It's enough that I have two daughters... Useless girl, I ought to kick her out."_

Hanabi had thought he'd been serious and tried pleading with Hiashi before he took some aspirin and went to bed.

That was how they got here, waiting for Hinata to arrive, so they could talk to her.

Neji hated this. He'd always been inside the house, feeling no use for going outside unless it was for buying a book or groceries. He had no friends, just the remnants of his family. But his cousins were growing up without him. And it felt like they were leaving him behind.

He didn't mind as much with Hanabi, since she had always been independent. But he couldn't help but feel betrayed somehow when it came to Hinata. She had always relied on him. She had always talked with him. How could she have changed so much in so little time? Why wouldn't she talk anymore?

Hanabi halted her kicking and perked up when she spotted her older sister. The annoyance she felt towards her sister exploded into full-out irritation.

She put her hands on either side of her mouth and drew in a deep breath, before letting it all out in an angry, demanding shout.

"HEY YOU!! PAPA WANTS TO TALK TO YOU WHEN HE WAKES UP!! GOT IT?!"

Hinata didn't seem to hear her. She kept looking down at the ground. As she drew closer, her despondant pace a slow crawl, Neji grew more concerned and more saddened. He was afraid of what was going on with her now, of what might happen to her later if Hiashi ever wakes up. He didn't want her to get scolded. Not when she was like this. But Hanabi kept on with her own scoldings and complaints; a petty preview of Hiashi's wrath.

For a moment Neji wanted to hide Hinata. He didn't know why, but he did. He had imagined picking her up and throwing ber in the back of a car, as he drove her away to some place better. He really had no idea how his imagination kicked in with that idea. He didn't even have money for a car. He didn't even have a liscence. Yet he had wanted to see her smile. That was all he wanted from her.

Yet she refused to look up, and she refused to smile.

It was then he noticed that she had been staring at her cell phone.

There was a long crack that ran across the screen.

It was broken.

* * *

Naruto stare at them through locks of blonde hair; clumped together in dried blood. He could feel the dried blood hardened on his skin and flake off his cheeks. His temple throbbed with pain; a surging, dull ache.

His wrists were bound behind his back with cable ties.

Naruto wasn't sure how he'd been here, lying like this, on the floor of a sad little room. He didn't even know where "here" was. Tatami flooring and fusuma partitions on all four sides made up the small, dark room. The small, dark, empty room that felt devoid of life. The only people that seemed to exist was them.

Already they had intimidated him with casual beatings. Already they had taunted him with the illusion of food.

Naruto had endured them.

A man about twenty-eight stared at him and sneered. There was glee in his eyes.

Naruto could barely see, his vision distorted and blurred. Everything hurt, throbbed and stung.

The man merely continued to smile.

"How many yakuza films have you seen, boy?" He mocked.

"..." Naruto said nothing. He could barely bring himself to hum.

"Who do you like better? Kitano or Fukusuma?" He grinned, continuing to mock. Naruto remained silent. "Or maybe you just like the grotesque stuff." He smirked. "I wonder... do you think it's possible to create a killer if one is tortured enough? Perhaps we could make a monster out of you. Like Ichi."

Naruto knew what the man was saying; he understood every stupid comment for what it meant.

"What do you think of us yakuza, huh??" The man kicked him in the stomach. He placed his foot on his ribs and rolled him over a bit so he could get a good look at him. Blood was crusted over his face, from the beatings and cuts he endured. He was a broken, bruised-up mess. "You put us in a tight spot ever since that day. You know they've named your offense? 'the Shinjuku Incident'; it's been circling in the media. You'd be famous, if they only knew who to blame." He spat hatefully. "So? What's say you, huh? Think you've payed off your debt with us?"

"..." Naruto kept his silence.

The younger man that had first attacked him at the abandoned home came forth, his slant eyes scowling at him.

"Say something." The younger of the two ordered, shoving the toe of his shoe roughly into Naruto's cheek.

He raised a brow as Naruto's lips began to twitch open. His words crawled out in a tired, pain-filled moan.

"...fuh-uh... f-fuck.... y-you..."

The younger brought his foot back, and kicked the boy, making sure it hurt enough for him to remember. Naruto moaned, almost pleadingly for the pain to cease. Yet he did not want them to believe he was weak.

The old man came forward then, his face somewhat hidden in shadow.

"I believe we've been civil for long enough." The older man stated in a regrettable tone. He looked down on Naruto lamentfully, as if he were trouble by what he'd have to do. "I'm old." He plainly stated, pulling out a _tanto_ sword from his sleeve. He quickly unsheathed it. The metal gleamed eagerly at him.

Naruto shrunk away. Anxiety rose in his stomach like bile. His face flushed cold.

They surrounded him with their jeering grins.

The room was now occupied by demons.

_'...They can't kill me... not if I can't fight back... these men are not true yakuza... Yakuza are...'_

The tanto came breaths away from his throat.

Naruto didn't give him the chance.

He pushed himself up best he could and knocked into the man, pushing him enough to drop the tanto sword and fall back. The other men were quick to surround him. Naruto tucked his legs in and swung his locked arms under, freeing himself so that he could finally stand again. He wobbled and stumbled a bit at first. He could hardly feel his legs. He could barely find his balance.

One man threw a fist at him. Naruto ducked and dove around his flying arm. He threw his looped arms around the man's neck, and used the cable ties around his wrists to suppress the man.

Three other men came with short swords unsheathed, ready to kill Naruto. He used his hostage to catch their swords. The man grunted, then gurgled. He soon became dead weight in his hands, as blood ran down his chin. The men realized that they had done, there embarrassment and shame turning them irate.

Naruto dropped the body. Then men came at him again. More men came up from behind and grabbed him. Naruto wrestled against him, he couldn't believe this was happening. He thought the yakuza were done with him. He thought his troubles with this rabble were over, but it wasn't so. They were like cockroaches.

They had never died.

Naruto wondered if they'd keep finding him or not. He couldn't imagine being hunted for the rest of his life. He didn't want it.

Naruto kicked his feet up and locked the man's outstretched arm in his grasp. He grabbed the short sword in his hands and thrust it over his shoulder. Blood hit his face. The man that held him let go, and he fell. Naruto took the sword in his hands. He began to blindly, violently swing it every which direction at his attackers.

He didn't want to have to kill anymore.

He wanted to run away.

* * *

Neji found himself escaping the abysmal home. He had about as much as he could take of his family; which, in a way, saddened him on many levels. For one thing, they were the only people he knew and yet he felt so distant from them ---at times--- unrelated. He only was a nephew, their cousin. He was no longer somebody's son. He hadn't been for many years. And he hardly considered Hiashi much for family.

The state of the family of Hyuuga Hiashi was pathetic.

Hiashi was so involved in upholding his position in his business. He never treated his daughters like their were his daughters. He treated them like reluctant house-guests. Despite that, he showed more favor towards Hanabi; only because she picked up Hinata's slack. He didn't know Hanabi for Hanabi, he didn't love her either.

This made Neji question what kind of girl Hanabi would grow up to be. As it is, her solo roamings through the city prove she is rebellious. She kept her affairs well to herself. God only knows what she did. She was a smart girl, but it didn't matter how smart she was if she didn't have any discipline. And it didn't seem likely anyone could change her behavior.

Not even Hinata.

He couldn't imagine what was going on with her anymore. Not too long ago she had been happy, almost deliriously so, in the brief moments he had seen sight of her. Since then she had been distancing herself. She was involved with something, her personal life he assumed. and it was consuming her whole. He was troubled that he didn't know a thing about her personal life. He knew she had friends outside of school. He knew that she went to Harajuku and that she often went there to see them. But that was about it.

Neji couldn't imagine why she had been in their neighbor's home. He was almost afraid to ask her about that; it was so absurd.

He had his suspicions, all of which were just as absurd. He couldn't help but look back on the years and cringe. He couldn't help but look back at the Hyuuga family and see a curse; like a hurricane that robbed them all of happiness.

Just like a maelstrom.

* * *

"I have not seen fishcakes in while."

"...uh, yeah..."

Ryoji looked warily at his co-worker and friend, unsure how to respond to her out-of-the-blue comment. It wasn't the suddeness that caught him off guard, rather than the statement itself. Didn't something really crazy happen the last time they'd seen eachother? Didn't Naruto offend her?

"Was that wistfulness I heard?" Ryoji mused, not to tease, but was thoroughly curiously.

"What you suppose naruto mean?" Hiro threw out, ignoring his question as if it was irrelevent.

"You're really asking that?" Ryoji smirked, despite his puzzlement. It was an odd question for her to ask, however, he supposed it was sort of interesting. "Well, naruto is the fishpaste cake that you find as a decoration on ramen. But it also means maelstrom."

Ryoji glanced her way when she hadn't responded right away. She kept looking at all the signs and billboards they passed by. He wasn't sure if she was listening anymore or if she was just thinking about something else. She tended to be like this. She'd have moments of random questions that at times seemed deep or just spontaneous, and sometimes they led into these weird discussions that had him thinking. Then she'd go off into her own mind, thinking about whatever she was thinking about, and she'd say nothing more. Or she'd start up something completely different. She really was an interesting girl to be around; really calm, mellow, yet spontaneous.

He wondered how involved she was in her father's business. She didn't talk about it much. He heard her father had run into some trouble awhile ago though. Never heard if it had been resolved yet or not.

Then Hiro broke out of her mind's spell and said the most peculiar thing:

"Which naruto do you think Naruto is?"

It took Ryoji awhile to answer before he gave up. He thought it was a stupid question.

"No clue." He shrugged lamely, noting how late it was getting. _'Damn, almost midnight. Tch, got an exam tomorrow.'_

"Ne, Hiro-chan? Don't you ever go home?" He wondered, realizing how whenever he had to go home, she still stayed out late.

As she shrugged and turned to him, she smiled and made another puzzling statement; "I wish I could."

* * *

Hinata hid in her room.

She refused to prove her existence in order to avoid Hiashi. Whether he had awaken or was still asleep did not matter; she didn't want to give him the opportunity by showing her face.

Her only haven now was her room. The moment she had gotten to her bed, she had grown afraid of leaving it.

She had grown afraid of the outside.

* * *

Hiro wandered out of the _Family Mart_, with a bag of curry doughnuts and condoms. She thought she could re-sell the condoms to teenage boys or girls; whoever wanted or needed them. She knew she had no use for them.

She took out a curry doughnut and unwrapped it. She noted that she was close to Shinjuku and decided to hit up the pachinko parlours in Kabukicho.

"Maybe I can win something for Papa. That would be an ironic gift." Then she smiled to herself, becoming gleefully pleased with this idea. "I think he'd laugh!"

* * *

Naruto came tearing through the crowded and clustered streets of Kabukicho for a second time. He looked like a mad man being chased by invisible demons. His appearance was frightening. Many shrieks and exclamations could be heard behind him as he rushed on through.

He didn't know where he was going or what he'd do.

He just wanted to put enough distance between them that he'd never see them again.

Few of his older cuts were slowly re-opening. He could feel the wet sensation on his skin as the blood oozed out and stained his clothes.

His body began to feel like he had been set aflame, his muscles burned and ached, his throat hurt. He gasped and panted hoarsely for breath. His sight began to cloud over in a prickly haze of white spots.

Gravity became his enemy once more. He lost his footing and pitched forward.

He landed hard on the concrete. However, he had taken someone down in his stumble.

It was Hiro.

* * *

He kept muttering to her, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry...", as he leaned his head tired against hers.

Hiro put the scissors to the cable tie and cut it off his wrists. They left his skin raw; a fresh, reddish-pink line all around his wrists.

They sat in the bathroom of the _Family Mart_. Hiro sat him down on the toilet, so she could wipe away the caked-on blood. He was practically unrecognizable. She gingerly moved the wet paper towel against his cheek, only to have red reveal black, blue and yellow.

Every touch made him wince and whimper. His mutterings betrayed his voice; she could swear he wanted to cry, like a lost little boy. She could almost see what he had been like as a child, she could picture it; the vulnerability, the lonliness. She could practically see the true him through all his pain. She found him so transparent.

"What if I was t'e daughter of a very important man? You know what woulda happened to you?"

"That wasn't like me..." He said with a hoarse voice, still apologizing to her. She glanced back at him and gave him this curious look. She put the newly wetted paper towel to his face again, gently rubbing away at the cut on his brow.

"It _was_ like you." She stated calmly, not as if to insult him, but to state a fact, "You been denied t'ings all your life. When it came to my teasing, t'ough t'at wasn't my intent, you couldn't take it. You had to have what you wanted, so you tried to take it."

Naruto whimpered, "No... not true...", his voice weak. His head felt light and his body heavy. Her words hurt as much as a bat to the face.

Hiro lifted his head off her shoulder and propped him up against the wall. He looked away, eyes shut. She wondered if the light hurt his eyes.

"I'm going to purchase first aid kit. We'll get taxi later t'en."

_

* * *

_

There was one thing I remembered Jiraiya saying; "Listen you. You cannot expect to gain respect without gaining understanding. But even then you cannot expect everyone to understand you. Not if you're not willing to listen to other's pain. I should be so grateful you're not like my first apprentice, if only you hadn't quit being my apprentice in the first place. I pray the day everyone will understand eachother. I pray the day."

_At the time, I thought his speech was a result of the bad day we both suffered. At the time, he had been drinking, so I hadn't appreciated his words. _

_I sort of had been focusing on the disappointment he expressed towards me._

_Sometimes I wish I hadn't quit either._

Naruto shuddered violently. His eyes snapped open. Realization rushed over him like a bucket of water, cold, startling. His whole body continued to shiver, as he laid out on the couch.

Hiro's couch.

She had brought him to her apartment.

Naruto thought he'd never see this place again. Not that it really mattered if he did, but... He was surprised by her kindness. After what he had done against her, she still took him in.

He tried to recapture his thoughts. His dreams had flown from his brain like birds out a window. Not a single one could he grasp.

His dreams had been covered in shadow and blood. His body ached with pain. He felt so heavy, so leaden.

He tried to switch sides, wanting to see the room rather than look up at the cieling. He was afraid of the shadows on that stared at him, like at any moment, the cieling would come down and crush him.

For the briefest second he forgot where he was, and he nearly called out 'mom'. Then he remembered he didn't have a mom, and he nearly called out 'dad'. When he remembered he didn't have a dad, he nearly broke down and cried.

_'Why aren't they here?! Why aren't they here?!? Where'd they go?!'_ He felt like a child, abandoned and abused; like they had forgotten him at the hospital. He accused them in his hate-filled mind, so full of confusion.

He couldn't understand why there weren't here for him, why they wouldn't be.

"What's t'e worst t'ing you ever done?" Hiro asked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. She had been sitting on the floor in front of him for the past ten minutes, but he had never noticed her peering eyes until she had spoken.

Naruto blinked, taken aback. He was surprised to see her so plainly in the shadows of the darkened living room.

"The... wha...?" He mumbled dumbly back.

"What's t'e worse t'ing you ever done?" She said once more, with a small smile. She seemed almost mischevious, her eyes prying.

"...why?"

"I know you got in fights. I saw your battle marks back in t'e photo boo'hs. And t'en you appear to me like t'is. I t'ink... it's t'e bad t'ings you do t'at make wors'ah t'ings happen to you. Maybe a greater god is trying to discipline you." Hiro paused thoughtfully, before she looked at him again. He nearly broke down when her big black eyes stared into his, her little smile bothered him. Everything hurt, even just the sight of her made him sensitive. He couldn't take the way she was looking at him. Then she asked him again, "What's t'eh worse t'ing you evah done?"

He felt inclined to answer her, the truth and all his secrets sat on the edge of his tongue and on his lips.

It would've been so easy to get him to talk.

In his current condition, he was liable to say anything.

Maybe the biggest reason was because he trusted her.

His heart was desperate for companionship, his mind was desperate for comfort.

He needed a confidante.

He needed someone to trust.

He wanted to trust her.

"...one time... I stole..."

_

* * *

_

Jiraiya had told me about pain and understanding. I wonder if this means my pain will go away someday...

_I wonder if everyone's pain can just go away._

She watched him sleep.

He had told her incoherent stories of a messy childhood; where he had no true parents, no true friends, no love. He had told her about the people that left him, and the people he had left behind. He revealed to her his former aspirations and his childhood dream.

He had wanted to be a souban of all things, a yakuza leader.

He said; he loved how all the yakuza were outcasts that became a family. That was his favorite aspect of the yakuza.

He wanted to be part of that family.

She couldn't help but laugh at him when he said that.

She couldn't help but somehow hate him for it too.

As she watched him sleep, appearing somewhat peaceful, she couldn't help but resent him.

_"I went to a pachinko parlour... New Year's Eve..."_

_"...yakuza attacked me..."_

_"...that cocksucker... Reishi..."_

_"... I killed him... choked him... with my uniform tie..."_

_"... I've had this probation officer follow me around for the past month or so..."_

_"... I don't think he suspects anything..."_

_"... they found me again somehow... those yakuza..."_

_"...I hope he doesn't know..."_

_"...I had to kill them too..."_

He looked so idiotic, lying there, so defenseless.

She couldn't help but hate him, the more she looked on, the more disgusted she became.

"'_Souban_'... yeah fucking right."

* * *

A couple days went by.

Naruto made it to his feet pretty quickly, even though he had a bit of a limp, which was really annoying to deal with.

Hiro seemed to have grown impatient with him, and she spoke rather curtly with him now. He didn't mind, it sort of reminded him of Sakura.

"If you can walk, t'en pe'haps you do somet'ing for me?" She said rather pointedly, showing an outward annoyance towards Naruto's uneasy grin.

"Yeah, what?" He asked eagerly, fronting a cheery face for her.

It didn't seem to do anything to make her smile however.

Hiro looked away for a moment. She appeared to be balancing the words on the tip of her tongue, as if she were weighing their strength. She seemed a bit reluctant.

Finally she spoke.

"I need a knife."

_

* * *

_

Momo- No liner notes tonight! I'm lazy and there wasn't that much here that you couldn't have read and not get the jist! XD LAWL So please review or else the climax won't come! XD Oh snap, that sounded to dirty, hahahahaha! Anyhoo, I changed my mind a little bit here; Hiro's final appearance will be next chapter, but she'll only have important scenes anyways! At least I think so, don't believe everything I say, because I'm almost always changing my mind and argh!! XDDD LAWL!

Also a PS to bitches like "handy": Don't complain to me about shit and not doing good research, because I DO do good research!! I just happen to use sites that aren't accurate! And How'm I suposed to know what's legit and what's not, huh??? I do my best! You shouldn't nitpick fiction anyways! And Gokusen is legit reference, because it's fiction and this is fiction! I never told anyone to believe what I wrote to be true, I'm not trying to act like I know eveyrthing and what I write is absolute fact, mmkay?????! BTW; I'm kind of elitist **like you** when it comes to really bad fanfiction (if it really really annoys me), or if someone screws something up that I know is not that way (and stuff). So basically, get off your high horse; if you want to show how smart YOU ARE, then make your own damn blog or website for naive writers like me, who use all the wrong sites, ooooh-kay???

To the rest unlike "handy"; Please review! I loves you! XD

* * *

Next Chapter!!! The Mizuno/Hiro Arc meets it's true end!

_"Why do you need a knife?"_

_"I just need one. I'd rather not buy one. And I cannot use one of t'e kitchen blades from work. T'ey'd trace it back, y'know?"_

_"So you have to use someone else's?"_

_"..."_

_"Are you really planning on using it?"_

_"Only if I have to..."_

_"Is something wrong?"_

_"..." Hiro looked away and said nothing._

_Naruto wondered if it had to do with those recent phone calls she'd been getting. _

_One time he heard her yelling, but she must've been so angry because he hadn't understood a word she said._

_Another time he saw her cry._

_Every other time since then, she was either agitated or upset._

_Hiro turned around and retreated into the small, cluttered room she had fitted as an office._

_She never let him step a foot inside or even take a peek._

_She said it was for her father's business._

_

* * *

_

REVIEW!! (If you can! No stress! XD)


	29. This Is It!

Star - I'm going back to relative obscurity. If I get any more haters, then they'll hate Starfairy14s, and not Momo. (it's sorta a depressing prospect, but I'm cool with it I guess).

Also, I know I used 'soccer' in the last chapters, but since the U.S. is the ONLY country that gave it that name, and every other country calls it 'football' or 'futball', I'm going to use 'futball' from now to describe the game. :3 Achmed the Terrorist puppet may have said being politically correct is a pain in the ass, but I don't mind it most of the time.

Alright! Let's commence! (OMG! I'M SO PROUD OF THE ENDING, WHAHAHAHA!) WIZARD ANGST! Angst, angst, angst, angst! X3 Also, reason why I'm not writing happy things is because I'm not ready to. I just don't have a grasp on the true happiness. If I can't feel it, I can't believe it. So I hope you understand.

* * *

Ch. 29 - This Is It

_Blood pumped madly through his veins, adrenaline coursed through the streams like an ever-growing poison. His face was red with blood, it pounded against his cheeks and ears. _

_His chest hurt, his throat felt sharp and dry. His mind clawed out for safety. Desperation clung to him like mud._

_He ran as fast as he did in his nightmares._

_The summer trees flew past him, blurred by his speed. Rain pounded heavily against the dirt road as did his feet._

_The adrenaline blurred his vision, he could barely register where he was, barely begin to understand._

_He just kept running and running, bat in hand._

_Naruto had gotten separated from his teammates._

_The fight had gotten out of hand this time._

_They bolted off first, too scared to deal with the consequences._

_Naruto was scared shit out of his mind._

_He could feel the blood cake around the handle, the harder he gripped it._

_His heel slipped into a puddle. He lost his footing and tumbled into the overflown rice paddy beside the road._

_Water filled his mouth. He screamed for air but not for help._

_He couldn't think straight. Down became up, and up became down. He flailed in both directions, all the while haunted by his imaginings of dead bodies._

_Their eyes stared up at him from the bottom. Their prescence greeted him with the invitation of the deceased and rotting._

_Drunken businessmen were prone to drowning once they fell into a rice paddy. _

_Naruto believed the same would happen to him._

_'And then Sakura-chan will say: You deserved it!'_

_Up?_

_Down?_

_Up?_

_Down?_

_Up?_

_Down..._

* * *

Naruto sat across from Hiro on the sofa, curiously eyeing the way she was nervously biting her bottom lip. Despite the current conversation, he couldn't help but think it was cute.

"Why do you need a knife?"

"I just need one. I'd rather not buy one. And I cannot use one of t'e kitchen blades from work. T'ey'd trace it back, y'know?"

"So you have to use someone else's?"

"..."

"Are you really planning on using it?"

"Only if I have to..."

"Is something wrong?"

"..." Hiro looked away and said nothing.

Naruto wondered if it had to do with those recent phone calls she'd been getting.

One time he heard her yelling, but she must've been so angry because he hadn't understood a word she said.

Another time he saw her cry.

Every other time since then, she was either agitated or upset.

Hiro turned around and retreated into the small, cluttered room she had fitted as an office.

She never let him step a foot inside or even take a peek.

She said it was for her father's business.

* * *

Hinata stood at the end of the line formed before Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei as they gave the day's lessons. She couldn't keep herself from leaning off to the side to catch a glimpse of the blonde she so adored. He stood twelve classmates down the line. Kiba stood three away from Naruto, and he could feel Hinata's eyes just staring, even if she wasn't quite staring at his direction. He couldn't keep himself from grimacing at her behavior.

"Kick with the top of your toe," Kurenai explained, as she brought her foot back and thrust it forward, executing a perfect kick. The ball shot fiercely across the field and tented the net as it hit. The students courteously applauded their teacher. Hinata took this moment to sneak out from her spot in line.

Kiba perked up at her approach. On the outside he remained indifferent and nonchalant, and attentive to his teacher. Inside, he had all his attention on Hinata, inwardly fearing what she was doing. She stopped behind Naruto and smiled up at the blonde that took no notice of her.

Out of pure affection, she grabbed his hand.

Kiba wilted inside.

Hinata gave Naruto's hand a few playful tugs, her quiet little giggles tickling his ears and the back of his neck. Naruto was flustered. He wasn't sure if he was aggravated with her or if he was getting bashful. And how bold she was; flirting in the middle of class? Honestly? _'She can't keep her hands off me...'_ He mused in a half-intoxicated state. The repetitive and insistent tugging on his hand reminded him and shook him from his daydreams. With that he exasperatedly ammended, _'...she literally can't keep her hands off me.'_

He moved to push her away, but remembering her 'condition' (her having a crush on him), he grabbed her hand and wove his fingers between hers without losing eye contact with their teachers.

Her heart soared above the clouds. She felt as if she had stepped out of the confines of her body, was thrusted into the sky, and as soon as she burst through the clouds, she was swimming in an ocean of warmth. She revelled in it, drank it all in until she was drunk. Her skin alighted with such electricit. She couldn't control the look of bliss that blessed her face, and as Kiba looked on, he sunk deeper in his worthlessness as he fell in love with her face ten times over.

Naruto then pulled his hand away, and with a whisper over his shoulder said, "Alright, now go back where you were."

Hinata stopped beaming.

"Why?"

"W-why?" Naruto stuttered in a hushed shout, "Remember that one time I said I'd only hold your hand once? And not in school?"

"I know; because we're not together."

"Exactly." He nodded with firm 'hmph'.

Hinata grabbed his hand.

"B-But... anou... w-wouldn't you think.. it'd b-be nice?"

"What?"

"If we were together... don't you think?"

Naruto crossed his arms and kept his back to her. He tried to keep a nonchalant expression so no one would notice; he was getting embarrassed.

"Don't talk about sensitive things." He muttered under his breath.

"But..." Hinata uttered, trailing off with an unspoken hopelessness.

The line began to separate into two circles, and Hinata found herself at a loss. She did the easiest thing; she followed Naruto into his group. Kiba saw this, and did the same thing; he felt so inclined to keep pace with her, make sure she didn't do anything regrettable. He couldn't let her go without holding the leash a little bit.

Hinata reached out and tugged on the hem of Naruto's shirt sleeve.

"It's important." She said, almost pleadingly.

"Then later." Naruto replied hushedly, shrugging himself from her timid grasp, "And quit clinging to me."

* * *

Hiro sat out on the balcony of her apartment, with a lighter in her hand.

She dangled her feet over the side of the rail as she raised up a strip of photo-stickers, the very one she and Naruto took at the booth.

He had already taken some and placed them on the back of his cell phone.

She wanted to laugh in his face for doing such an absurd thing.

He held too much trust when he really shouldn't.

She couldn't understand him at all. Even though he was so transparent to her, she couldn't understand him.

She flicked her thumb on the lighter, ingniting a small flame.

She then placed the pictures over the flame.

Hiro watched the colors fade, the film curl back as the heat ate away at it.

She watched Naruto slowly burn.

It was the only bit of relief she could get right now.

But knowing that sooner or later she'd have to confront him made her terribly anxious.

She felt so sick in her stomach whenever she thought of him, and she began to wish she never met him.

"It always hurts more to know. It's not enough that he confessed... I have to watch him burn."

* * *

Naruto replaced his indoor shoes for his outdoor shoes. As he worked quick to put on his worn down tennis shoes, he noticed someone was staring at him. He picked up his head and looked to the side.

Kiba was watching him. But not in that outraged, hate-filled way as when they had fought, but rather he seemed to admonish Naruto. The blonde caught on and just smirked to himself. A shudder nearly passed through Kiba when he saw that grin of his; He had resembled a fox so well that it was disturbing.

The sly fox then turned around for the exit and stealthfully wove his through the crowds, before creeping out the gate like a thief.

Naruto hadn't gotten back to Hinata at all.

And now, he had escaped her completely.

"Really hate that guy." Kiba sighed, before taking off for home himself.

He briefly wondered how much longer it'd take before Hinata wised up.

He lost all optimism on the idea.

* * *

Moe's room was like entering a vintage shop abandoned on Takeshita Street, a disarray of destroyed and distorted color, poster-plastered walls and a library of old and new manga lined up against the wall by her bed. It was all so unpleasantly cluttered, it worse than treading through Takeshita on its best days; it was more like entering a dumpsite, or the result of an earthquake.

LaBelle hadn't a clue what she was doing here, and she began to feel sick from staying in Moe's room too long.

Maybe part of her had expected to find Hinata here. The only time she ever graced Moe with her dignified prescence was when Hinata was around. Otherwise she had no purpose to hang around with Moe. She couldn't put up with her, and to begin with, they were not true friends.

Moe was loud and full of crap. Plus she was a _fujoshi_, which was worse.

"Disgusting." Labelle muttered to herself after much silent.

"What was that?" Moe whipped her head around curiously, even as she spun round and round on her swivel chair like a child.

"I said your room is disgusting. It makes me fear what kind of adult you'll become."

"I wonder the same things about you." Moe threw back in a high, distracted voice.

"So how come Emi-chan isn't here?"

"I haven't seen her at all."

"So she _does_ like me better." LaBelle smirked, earning a rigid glare from the dark red-head.

"Idiot! She does not like you over me!" Moe shouted as she grabbed her stuffed dolls off her shelves; one by one, she chucked _Vash_, _Tamaki_, _Axel_, and _Roxas_, at LaBelle. "I was her friend first!"

"I spoke to her last week! When was the last time you spoke to her on the phone? Have you seen her online?"

"She's with that guy, idiot!" With a grunt, Moe tossed her _Sailor Moon_ doll at her. "Why don't you just go back to being a loner, huh? Roll over and die!"

She hit her with a dog.

* * *

Hinata sat out on his porch, kicking her feet as she awaited for his arrival. He neared her with a dumb grin and his hand on his neck.

"Alright, you got me." Naruto chuckled feigning sheepishness. Inwardly he was sighing and craving sleep, but he knew it could not be helped.

"Will you talk with me then?" Hinata asked hopefully, nervously drumming her fingernails against the porch.

"Can I sleep first?" Naruto chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. He was so playing up the clueless nice guy act. So far being honest (and rather crass) did nothing to push her away, and now he was opting to just avoid her in any way possible.

Plus he knew what 'talking' meant. ... Actually he wasn't really sure, but he didn't want to participate.

"What if I cook you something?" She asked.

Naruto perked up at this.

* * *

Hits had been taken and hairs had been pulled.

When Moe tackled LaBelle, she managed to get her to fight back.

LaBelle wasn't a coward, but she never put herself in physical altercations.

Deciding it was late, LaBelle walked out of Moe's room.

"Where you going? This isn't over!"

"For you to say that so grudgingly, are you declaring that I won this fight?"

"This isn't over!" Moe hopped off her bed and chased after LaBelle with fists at her side, yet she did not swing.

"I'm going to Emi-chan's school tomorrow." The buttermilk blonde stated so coolly that Moe calmed down. At the same time her heart brightened and sank a little at this information.

"How do you know where she goes?" She asked mopeishly. She felt so stupid for not knowing.

"Because I asked Kiba-kun. He goes to her school, in fact, they have the same homeroom."

Moe's self-confidence dampened just then. She began to feel more and more out of the loop, and yet she was practically the leader of their group; after all, she was Hinata's friend first. But now she was losing touch with everything, no, she had been losing touch the whole time. And LaBelle was on top of everything as usual. _'Because she's so goddamn perfect...'_

LaBelle looked strangely at Moe. Normally cheerful, Moe was frowning, looking down and every now and then, she emitted a sniffle.

"We'll go together then, alright? Besides I'm worried."

"I've _always_ been worried." Moe shot back under her breath. LaBelle ignored this.

"He's bad news. But it's not just _him_ that has me worried for her; I think Kiba has given up on her."

"That's too bad. So what?" Moe was indifferent to the idea of Kiba being with Hinata. She felt that if Hinata didn't like him, then tough luck. She didn't have to be with him. She didn't have to be with anybody if she didn't want to.

"_So_ she should be with someone that wants to be with her."

"You're just controlling her again." Moe sighed, rolling her eyes. LaBelle looked at her venomously and confused, silently saying, _'What are you talking about?'_

* * *

Naruto thought it was so interesting to see her there cooking for him.

Part of him expected something sexy to happen as she worked over the stove.

She even wore an apron, which she had retrieved from her house. It wasn't frilly or cutesy like he had nearly imagined. It was a practical apron; white with spaghetti-thin ties, and a single brown pawprint on the lower right edge.

The pawprint made him think of Kiba.

"Whatcha makin'?"

"Miso soup. Do you want anything particular?" She asked peeking over her shoulder.

"I dunno... You've always made good stuff." He said, recalling the bento lunches. He recalled the ekiben moment. It felt unfamiliar to him, and he felt a bit of embarrassment for his blurtings that day. "I dunno." He said again, shrugging.

Hinata just giggled.

Her giggle made him think of Kiba again.

"Hey, do you know?" He raised curiously from across the room.

"What you want to eat?"

"No, Kiba. Do you know?"

Hinata blinked at this and turned halfway around to reply with, "What about him?"

"He likes you."

The room fell quiet and her body stilled. He could tell she was caught off guard as she stared at him; she had stopped herself from widening her eyes. Her lids had flickered open before she blinked and kept a neutral expression.

"I think I knew." She said. Then she fully turned herself back to the stove. She knew she was fibbing, though at the same time it didn't feel like she was. Kiba had been pretty obvious in his affections, but at the same time they were still friends and Hinata had ignored his hints up to a point that she didn't believe in his intentions.

"You think you knew?" Naruto craned his head dubiously at her. She could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head, she could feel him judging her. But what did he care about Kiba? All they ever did was get on eachother's nerves.

"Yeah, I think... my friends could tell." Hinata quietly mumbled as she worked to melt the miso before adding it to the saucepan. Guilt painted its way across her face and seared against her cheeks. Her heart sank heavily into her stomach as her thoughts of Kiba dissolved in her brain like the dashi dissolved in the miso. She wished she hadn't told him to go away.

Naruto almost felt bad seeing how she became melancholy at the mention of her friends. He didn't think it was a big deal if she didn't notice Kiba liked her or if she knew and simply did not feel the same way. It wasn't her fault. But with they way they had been so friendly, he had thought they'd be the ones to end up together. He had been so sure they were together. He had kept referring to Kiba as her boyfriend.

_'Instead she has a crush on me. It's just a crush though, it'll blow over sooner or later,' _He figured seeing how Sasuke's fangirls got over him soon as he disappeared. He was certain the same would happen with Hinata, he just wished she wasn't so enamored when she had a crush.

She got so damn clingy.

* * *

Even as Naruto enjoyed her cooking, Hinata couldn't help but feel disappointed. She had kept her hopes up back there; the whole time she'd been cooking, she had fantasized Naruto walking up behind her, and embracing her from behind while he buried his face in her neck and purred. She giggled occasionally at the purring idea, but she had really hoped he would do that. He had been spontaneous before.

And that weighed on her mind.

"How do you like it?" Hinata asked once more.

"It's great, thanks." He said warmly though without smiling. He was unusually reserved, and actually appeared to be distracted. By what, she wasn't sure. Then he spoke up again with a feigned chuckle, "Yeah, ya think by now I'd be cooking my own meals, but I'm not."

"The Ichiraku?" Hinata pointed out.

"Yup. If I wanted, I could make my own ramen from now on; but I'm a sloth."

Hinata brought her hand up and giggled.

"That's no good. How will you pass the year?" She teased, giggling again.

Naruto couldn't help but smirk at this, even though it came with a bitter taste.

"The P.O. doesn't think I can. The teachers don't think so either."

Hinata nodded in understanding. She chose not to ask about who 'The P.O.' was.

"You haven't been here that long. And you've missed too many days..."

"Hn, you wanted to keep me here one day." He smirked.

Hinata blushed.

"Just... for one day." She quietly mumbled.

"Pretty irresponsible." Naruto laughed in sing-song.

"You can speak for yourself..." She muttered indignantly to herself.

As the room fell silent, two thoughts ran continuously through his mind.

1) She's going to ask to have 'the talk'.

2) We're actually having a normal conversation?

And he couldn't believe how pleasant the latter felt, even though part of her still made him anxious. At this point he was so used to her doing something wierd that he was uncomfortable with suddenly being comfortable.

"Naruto-kun... About last time..." She tentatively started, catching him off guard. Naruto nearly fell to the side, being so surprised. He had been waiting the whole time for her to bring up sentimental stuff and just when he got comfortable, she finally said it. "...You said you liked it right? You said it was 'nice'?"

Naruto thought she sounded so vulnerable. _'She's getting really sensitive now...'_

"Sure it was. Anyone would've enjoyed doing that kind of thing." He replied back plainly.

Hinata became confused by 'anyone', and remained silently confused.

"But you liked it, right?" She asked again, despite the evident look of annoyance on his face.

"Yeah, already." He sighed out, getting aggravated as he gripped his chopsticks too tightly; a cube of tofu broke in half and fell back into his soup. "Dammit..." He cursed. It wasn't that he was so focused on eating and not talking to Hinata that made him tense. Since Hinata brought it up, he could feel a change in the room's mood. Her eyes bore into him, he could anticipate her desire, that sensation of warm, moist flesh.

She wanted to experience that flying feeling again, she wanted to feel warm again. She wanted to feel him again.

Without barely thinking, she had her arms around his neck and her pink lips against his. She was glad she wiped off her gloss awhile ago. She hated that waxy feeling, it really messed up the sincerity of a kiss.

Naruto refused to respond at first, but when she began to press herself up against him, her crotch hugging at his thigh, he gave in.

He knew this hadn't been her main priority, but they shoved it down so they could focus on eachother for a moment.

_'So much for that talk.'_

* * *

Her giggles filled the room like soap bubbles.

Naruto jokingly wrestled with her, their legs kicking at eachother, his hands on her hips, on her thighs, on her belly. He got her on her stomach and laid out on top of her. The weight of his body pushed out more fervent laughter from her throat, like squeezing toothpaste from the tube.

Her face was getting so red.

He dipped his head down just to get a look at her.

_'She's glowing again,'_ He thought. Her smile was small but genuine. He couldn't believe she could look so happy. He thought deep down that her happiness should make him happy too, but just looking at her, tucked away against his chest, glowing; it only made him sad. He thought, _'it'd be so much easier if she didn't smile like that, if she wasn't so affectionate,'_ because then he wouldn't have to feel so guilty sometimes. Sometimes he resented her for his guilt. He resented her for seducing him with earnest affection and warm embraces. He resented her because no matter what she did, he couldn't appreciate her the way he was supposed to.

It was like Kiba had said; he didn't know how to appreciate her.

_'But it's not my fault. I don't know what's so special about her. I don't like her the way I liked Sakura-chan. The way I felt for Sakura-chan will never happen with Hinata-chan. It just won't.'_

Naruto slipped his arms around her waist and he fell over to the side. Hinata smiled, and huddled herself closer to him. She began to like spooning, but she was a little sad she couldn't look into his face at the same time. Still, this was a very comforting position.

Naruto ran his hand over the sleeve of her mulberry cardigan, down to her skirt which he knew was too short. He poked a finger into her butt-cheek, eliciting a squeal of alarm as her body jumped.

"Why do you wear it so short? Are you trying to get felt up?" He criticized while tugging on the hem.

"I was hoping... you'd like it. Other girls wear theirs like this too..."

"Yeah, because they're either super-sluts or can't find a boyfriend. Private school girls hike their skirts way up too when they go to Shibuya because they're starving for attention of the opposite sex. But when they're handle-hanging on the trains or buses, they're practically inviting bastards to cop a feel. Do you really want that?"

"...But, don't my legs look longer? My friend said if my legs were longer..."

"Is that really why?" Naruto pinched her cheek roughly, earning a childish whine from her. That annoyed him; it seeemed whenever he was being serious, she was being cute (and when she was being serious, he didn't give a damn). "Don't use shallow reasons to be sexy."

"But you don't like me anyways. So what am I supposed to do?"

Naruto propped himself up on one elbow to get a better look at her.

"And what does that mean?"

She didn't say anything. Her cuddly demeanor was gone, replaced by a somber pessimism.

Girls changed moods so quickly and so easily, Naruto always imagined girls kept their emotions in a pocket by or in their heart, and at any given moment, they'd pull out whichever emotion they felt like feeling and tucked away which ever ones they didn't feel like feeling. Sometimes he felt girls loved to be sad, and that's what made a 'drama-queen'.

Here he was certain that though Hinata had been genuinely content, she held onto her insecurities like a grudge, the emotions clutched tightly in her fist. He didn't care to make her feel better, that was her own problem. But he couldn't help but wonder what made girls so addicted to emotions; did they not get enough stimulation or something? Was it like that? And if it was, then girls were definitely crazy.

Hinata shifted around before lying still. She couldn't decide whether to get up and leave or stay snug in his arms, whether she should answer him or not.

"I thought you would figure out how I felt, and that maybe you would find me interesting enough to be your girlfriend. But you haven't asked me out yet. I don't think you will."

Naruto lifted himself off of Hinata slightly as if afraid she'd break under his touch. She became a dainty doll and he wanted to be careful around her feelings. Never had they gotten around to talking so directly, and Naruto admitted he couldn't handle this topic without putting his whole heart into it. A mental image stuck in his mind of his arm reaching down inside his chest, blindly searching for that vital organ that was necessary for moments like these. He thought maybe he was knocking into it, but he couldn't locate it.

"...And what do you feel for me?" Naruto felt his cheeks go a bit warm. The topic was unfamiliarly intimate for him.

"I like you. A lot."

Naruto sighed knowingly, "You have a crush."

"No! I like you! I feel it all the time..."

"Maybe it's something else you're feeling! I mean... I know it's my fault for making you sexually active-"

"It's not that! It's not like that! I do it because _I know_ you like it!"

"And you don't do it because you like it?"

"I like it... too."

"There, that settles it: We're both horny."

Hinata slapped his hand, clearly embarrassed.

"I just like you. I know I do," She wistfully sighed, "I like how you make me feel." The butterflies in her belly were going crazy, and her heart twisted with yearning. Yearning for what, she wasn't sure anymore. She wasn't sure what to do keep herself from getting too depressed.

Naruto didn't believe her words however, he didn't believe there was any substance to her feelings. Crushes are for kids, and infatuations are the worst. She took pictures of him when he wasn't looking, she... what else did she do?

"Ah, you like 'how I make you feel'. So you're saying you can settle for these gropefests?" Naruto asked her dubiously. He gave her hip a little squeeze. She jerked slightly away in response.

"I didn't say that... but... if you're fine with it, I am..."

Naruto hugged her closer, and in a sleepy voice asked, "...So why did you tell your friends I was your boyfriend?"

Hinata searched within her melancholy for an answer. She had hoped by now he'd get it. She hadn't been trying to be secretive.

"Because I can't be with you the way I want."

* * *

Naruto stood up to leave for work. Before he got too far, Hinata reached out for his sleeve and tugged him back to her, like she were tugging her heart back to her chest.

Naruto thought she wanted another kiss.

She didn't feel the extraordinary need to keep him this time; She could still feel the heat trails of his fingertips across her skin. Her body felt tired and used like a toddler's favorite doll, and every few seconds ten new questions would fire off in her head like roman candles.

Despite their better judgement, they let their lips touch, press, and caress, and their tongues tease against eachother.

_'I was supposed to make him my boyfriend. I was supposed to be attractive enough that he'd ask me out and want me as his love,'_

But instead Naruto chose nothing, leaving her with the yearning for completion, for the self-worth she never had.

Instead Naruto chose to keep going forward, rather than change the direction of their affair.

The door shut behind him. Hinata lay there, feeling like she wouldn't miss him too much this time.

They both got their fill, until their appetite for affection returned, they would not seek each other out until tomorrow.

"I suppose this is still a relationship... just... not an ideal one..."

* * *

Naruto stood outside the building where the Elephant Cafe sat three stories above him.

The streets of Harajuku were crowded as always; a never-ending stream of people, just a flood of flesh and eyes.

Somehow the city reminded him of a merry-go-round; it's slow down and stop on occasion, but it'd always start up again, and the scenery would always be the same.

You'd see that girl with the curled hair and pleather raincoat in high-heel boots as she strut around the grounds like she was Koda Kumi. Yet all she ever did was go to the same kareoke bar and sing the same old songs, because they were the only ones she knew or were good at.

You'd see that same marginally handsome guy with the asshole grin, wearing his hair the same way and wearing the same clothes, while the only thing that would be different were the girls that hung on his arm every other week. And every one of them had the same happy smile and trusting eyes, never knowing that they were the flavor of the week.

Then you'd see the same businessman stop by the sushi bar after work to get drunk; either he was a divorcee who couldn't see his kids or maybe he got laid off, but still wore his suit 'til it got shit-dirty, because it made him feel like he were still working. The only thing keeping him alive was the thing that would eventually kill him; the alcohol, the small simple pleasure of letting go and getting drunk.

Everyday, that merry-go-round would spin, and everyday you saw the same people moving forward, but getting nowhere.

If the everyday repeated itself much like a merry-go-round, if the bad habits kept replaying, what did that mean about people?

"Hey!"

Naruto jumped. He quickly spun around and set his eyes on his petite co-worker. She seemed angry with him. And for some reason, that made him smile.

Maybe because Sakura had always looked at him that way. And maybe because he liked girls that expressed themselves, even if they weren't cute about it, even if they got violent.

_'Hiro-chan's pretty tame though, she only flips shit when it counts.'_ A sheepishness passed through him as he touched his neck, unconsciously remembering her grip around his throat. A shudder ran down his body and he forced himself to smile wider for her. _'Though, I should still be afraid...'_

Naruto thought she was growing more impatient with him. Her brows furrowed together, her lips pressed in a frown, and were her eyes glazed over; she kept imagining his smile dissolving away by flame.

"Um, so are we gonna go?" The blonde nervously chuckled.

She said nothing and nodded.

"Are you upset about something?"

"Jus' shut up."

* * *

Their feet beat out a leisurely rhythm against the narrow asphalt road, with empty and abandoned stores crowded around them, and the loosely hung telephone wiring swooping above their heads. Abandoned pinball machines sat against dusty glass doors. Ghosts echoed in the vacant depths.

Naruto had no idea where they were going. It didn't really matter though, he followed Hiro.

She still seemed upset, like she were ignoring him. Then he remembered.

"Shit! I forgot the knife."

"You were s'pposed to get it." She shot back pointedly.

"I know, but..."

They came upon a secluded residential road. The smell of tea roses radiated from windowsill pots, and the tang of teriyaki and hoison wafted from down the road.

"That's a nice place." Naruto commented as he pressed his face into the white painted railing that surrounded the modern home. A single Crimson Queen Maple tree stood firm in the center of the natural yard, large flat stones lead from it to the front door, and smaller flattened stones lead to the shed across and around the house. Recumbant shrubs filled the crevices of the angular yard and crawled along the length of the engawa.

Hiro hopped up on the gate and stared out into the garden.

"But what?" She prodded.

"Huh?"

"You were gonna explain why you didn't get t'e knife." Hiro craned her head back to peer into the sky. Naruto looked away with a reluctant look on his face.

"Yeah... I sorta got distracted, then... it became inconvenient." He sheepishly shrugged. _'Like I could carry a switchblade with Hinata around like that.'_

"Did t'e Akatsuki-gumi always find you so useless?" Hiro sighed in an immensely bored tone.

"Hey." Naruto said with a hesitant pause, "... I'm not useless."

Hiro jumped off and turned on her heel, continuing on their way through the obscure maze of urban civilization.

"Yeah? T'en why when you tried to be a chinpira, your friend became chinpira instead?"

"..." Naruto slowed to a halt.

"They liked your friend better. Reishi wasn't t'e only one yakuza had no use for."

"Don't compare me to that prick..."

"I'm jus' speakin' honestly. C'mon, let's go play pachinko."

* * *

The menthol and nicotine stuck to their hair and clothes. Naruto had been complaining the whole stay about yakuza, while Hiro played the slots. She finally knocked him upside the head when he got too loud. They didn't get to win anything because Naruto didn't let her stay long enough on the machines.

They wandered all through the night like they had always done, never having a plan or a clue, just hoping for something interesting to come up, maybe something like an invitation.

"Hey there! Would you like a _massage_?" The young woman winked.

Naruto was dumbfounded.

The woman seemed about twenty-one and 167 centimeters, 175 centimeters on those heels. She wore all white: knee-high boots, low-cut skirt, low-cut tanktop with her cleavage almost spilling out, and a vest to match (or make her appear a bit more modest). Her skin was pale but warm in color, her smile cordial and her eyes sparkling black. And her hair was a cool dark brown, shaggy and permed into large curls that spilled over her back and shoulders, framing her chest.

Naruto thought this might have been a joke or something.

"I-Is this a _Pink Salon_?" He lamely croaked with an agape smile.

Hiro was ready to punch him in the back.

"Oh, you speak Japanese very well!" The woman lightly laughed.

Naruto's brow twitched. If she wasn't such a hottie, he would've thrown a fit at her for mistakening him as a foreigner. But because she was a hottie and because she had offered him services, he chose to go along with it.

"Yeah, well... I studied very hard before coming over here!" Naruto grinned, forcing a laugh.

The woman giggled, "That true?"

"Yup! Ha-ha, I didn't want to miss out on being able to talk to a beauty like you! Ha-ha-ha!"

"Did you just come back from an _Image Club_?" She said, pointing to Naruto's attire. He was still wearing his uniform.

"Yeah, I think so." Naruto grinned jokingly, making her laugh again. It was hard to tell whether she was laughing because it was part of her job to be accomodating, or if she really found him funny. It didn't matter much to Naruto at this point. He enjoyed hearing her laugh. It was low and sweet.

Hiro didn't care either, and she wasn't going to stand around while he had a good time.

"He's a seventeen-year-old in Secondary School, who doesn't have enough money to get you to hold his hand."

* * *

Naruto couldn't stop thinking about the other night.

_"What's your deal?"_

_"Don't complain to me, fishcakes! You were the one actin' like an old perv! Advertise your fucking virginity on your own time!"_

The futball game had ended, the students were clearing the field. Naruto stood to the side, knowing Asuma-sensei wouldn't recruit him again to clean up the field. Asuma still had no clue who broke down the shed door, he wasn't too adamant about finding out for some reason. Maybe he did have an idea who it might've been, but was waiting to address the offenders later.

Naruto felt like Hiro had branded him with malignant disease. _'Old perv..? Was I really... that disgusting...?'_

In some ways, the last thing Naruto wanted to become was Jiraiya.

_"Tha-! I-I was flirting! C-Can't I do that?"_

_"Not like t'at! T'at was shameless! She's a service girl! You're a kid! Even if you had t'e money, what did you expect you'd do once she got your pants off?"_

_Naruto nearly fought back. But then he kept his mouth shut._

_He decided she was right, and decided she was looking out for him, even though he really wanted to argue it out._

He still felt humiliated by her. He had openly embarrassed himself in front of her and didn't know it until she said something. She was harsh, her words were harsh but truthful. She put him in a vulnerable spot now because of her words and he almost had the urge to be perfect around her. Just like with Sakura, though that never worked out.

A hand touched his shoulder. He didn't have to look up as Hinata bent down beside him and leaned in close.

"Where do you want to go?" She whispered, her clear eyes peering up at him through her lashes. He felt relief around her. She never ceased to be sweet, to be submissive.

She allowed him control when he didn't have control over anything.

* * *

_"Did you just come back from an Image Club?"_

That's what Naruto thought about as he sucked Hinata in a kiss.

They stayed in the changing room, the boys' changing room actually. They both thought it would be safer.

In a small way this felt like in an Image Club, or so he assumed. What they did was mutual, private and accessible. Naruto couldn't do this with anyone else and Hinata wouldn't do this with anyone else. Like an Image Club, they got to live in a fantasy. They used eachother to enjoy something that was exclusive to them both personally and they didn't mind.

_'Lot of people would find this sleazy...'_ Naruto thought as he buried his nose in her neck, his fingers fumbling over her buttons. But he didn't feel sleazy doing this. He didn't plan on taking her. He didn't plan on doing anything that she wouldn't enjoy. This was mutual. He liked it better mutual, that way there would be no expectations. In relationships you have to be perfect, you have to do everything right. He didn't want that if he coudn't put his heart into it. What was so bad about this? Was this considered slutty, even though they weren't going copulate? Were they just as bad as bed friends?

Naruto had her sandwiched up against the wall, her back pressed against his chest, his fingers roaming under her shirt. Hinata's quiet cries filled his ears. Her face was burning red, her neck moist with sweat. She sounded aroused and horrified all at the same time.

He grew self-conscious just then. His ministrations stopped. He pulled himself away from her little at a time.

Hinata regained control of herself, worried at the sudden change. She turned halfway towards him, but he wouldn't look at her.

He wasn't disgusted with her this time.

He was disgusted with himself.

* * *

Naruto hadn't seen Hiro in awhile.

She had changed her hours, so he hardly saw her at work anymore.

He needed to see her now.

He stopped messing around with Hinata five days ago. What disappointed him was that he had thought it was a good idea. Now he didn't know, in his heart he hated it, and he sort of wished he didn't. He felt betrayed by himself, betrayed by impulse, by bad judgement. He didn't want to see Hinata that way anymore. His conscience however kept at reminding him: He couldn't avoid her forever, he couldn't drop their 'relationship' on a dime. He would have to talk about it with her, but that was the last thing he wanted. He wasn't even sure what the hell to say!

Naruto walked up to Hiro's apartment, with the specific hope of seeing her smile. She hadn't smiled at him in so long, and this time he remembered the knife. Though it seemed morbid, he could imagine her jumping up to hug him. At least that's what he was hoping for.

He reached out his hand to rap his knuckles against the door, but before he could make contact, the lock made an audible 'click'. The door then swung open.

Naruto took a step back. The first thing he saw were the man's shoes. They were black, meticulously polished, and expensive looking. The man stepped out, pushing Naruto another step back. Instinctively his blue eyes flew to meet the man's face.

Naruto stumbled back breathless like he had been punched in the stomach. His body flashed hot and cold. It became difficult to breathe, to think. It was like he had looked into the eyes of Medusa, instead it was icy black eyes of a man he was all too familiar with.

Aomori was the same, even though his group had dissolved, he still carried himself around in that cold, aloof way, he still dressed like a suit.

The man took note of Naruto's defensive stance and wide eyes that said he was scared shitless. Aomori grunted passively before walking away.

He was halfway down the corridor when Hiro ran to the doorway.

"What do you t'ink you're doing?" She accused agitatedly as she poked him in the chest. She sounded the same way she did when he had stayed with her, when she got those phone calls, when she had asked him for a knife.

_'Has it been him all along then?'_

Naruto's hand flew to his pocket. A fierce look flashed across his face, yet there was still that anxiety that hung heavily in his eyes.

"Hiro-chan, was it him? Has he been the one hassling your father's business?"

"T'at's not your concern!"

Naruto unsheathed the switchblade from his pocket and looked fiercely into Hiro's eyes, yet he wasn't seeing her. She could feel he wasn't seeing her. The fury and the fear blinded him, all he could see was what was running through his mind.

"Just tell me if that's him! I'll...! I'll kill him myself!" As Naruto said this, the blade swung from its shaft, startling Hiro. She didn't stare very long before Naruto suddenly bolted off after the older man.

Hiro screamed after him, her voice echoing behind, "YOU IDIOT!"

Naruto rounded the corner into the stairwell where he saw Aomori at the foot of the first landing.

"AOMORI!" Naruto shouted out rather gallantly. Aomori stopped and looked up at the feverish expression on Naruto's face. He looked about as foolish as he did heroic with that knife brandished about. "It ends here! I won't let you harm Hiro-chan and her family any longer!"

Aomori didn't look impressed.

"Are you her protector?" He asked coldly indifferent. The stairwell fell silent and cold. His icy, black eyes looked right through to Naruto, chilling his veins, making his courage shrink in despair.

Naruto knew he would die if tried to fight him.

"C-C-Com-me u-up here! A-And f-fight me!"

Aomori took one step up, never breaking eye contact.

"You haven't grown up, have you?" He said in a belitting tone. He took another step. Naruto thrust the knife forward. "Are you still trying to be a hero?" Aomori took another step, and Naruto took a step backwards. "You should know; I have no grudge against you for what you did to my organization, or for what you did to my Kumicho."

"Wh-what I did d-do to the K-Kumicho?"

Aomori stared hard at Naruto. He took another step up and Naruto took another step back.

"You forced my lord to run." Aomori took another ominous step, his hard stare icier than ever.

"I th-thought you d-didn't have a grudge against me."

"I don't." Aomori back turned around and proceeded down the steps once again, "Someone else does."

It wasn't until Aomori was completely out of sight that Naruto snapped out his stupor. He rushed to the rails, waving the knife about, screaming after him, "H-Hey! G-Get back here! I'm not finished with you, y-you asshole! HEY, GET BACK HERE!"

* * *

When Naruto got back to Hiro's apartment, she asked him if he wanted to go out for drinks.

It was just like old times, even though Naruto and Hiro hadn't known eachother long enough to have 'old times', it felt like it anyways.

Naruto had waited for Hiro to get off work, so they could enjoy some drinks.

He had completely forgotten about Mizuno and the threat of being sent away to a reformatory, he hadn't seen the man since their last meeting.

He knew that his blatant ditchings would definitely motivate Mizuno to act against him, but he didn't care about that right now.

All he wanted was to regain that carefree feeling he got from being around Hiro.

He just wanted to feel good again.

* * *

The one way to trick someone into getting heavily drunk is to encourage them. In some cases, people refer to that as 'pressure'. But at the moment Naruto didn't feel pressured at all.

The rain drizzled outside and over the awning of the streetside sushi stand, the swift _'rata-tat-tat'_ of the downpour drowned out most of their noise.

"Let's have a race!" Hiro declared, pulling out the whiskey.

Already Naruto was a little red-faced from downing all that beer, now she was tempting him into alcohol poisoning. And he fell for it.

"Y'ain't gonna beat me!" He slurred excitedly, taking the bottle from her.

The shopkeeped looked on in concern, not so much for the fact that Naruto's blood alcohol content will be well over 0.8% after he drinks the whiskey, but at how little Hiro had drank.

She'd been steadily dranking, and tricking him into drinking recklessly.

_'Am I reading too much into this?'_ The man wondered before finally dropping it altogether. He doubted they'd get into too much trouble after this.

* * *

_"This is the moment that you know_

_That you told her that you loved her but you don't._

_You touch her skin and then you think_

_That she is beautiful but she don't mean a thing to me._

_Yeah, she is beautiful but she don't mean a thing to me..."_

They took a taxi home.

The city became a wet oil painting; the shapes smudged and the colors melted. And Naruto himself was left to drip dry after he had drowned himself in alcohol.

"You really came off to a bad start wit' drinking." Hiro laughed behind her hand, her comment belittling in the driver's opinion. It wasn't too often he had to escort the drunk back home; only because no one got too drunk that they couldn't walk.

But when he saw Naruto, he changed his mind; He thought Naruto was a foreigner or American.

_'Why are tourists so ill-behaved?' _He sighed to himself, keeping his eyes on the road.

Naruto could barely process a thought to respond with. He kept his head propped up against the window, afraid he'd fall out or fall asleep. The most conscience thought he had was 'I can't control my body anymore', which it was true in a way.

"If you get t'e DT's, I'm gonna laugh!" Hiro said, smirking to her reflection in the window.

"I dun' have SDT's..." was Naruto's mumbled response. Hiro just laughed.

"If you get STD's, I'll laugh too!"

"Ya aleddy laughin'... s-so... shut the hell up." He muttered resentfully, which surprised Hiro. He never talked back to her, even despite the assault in the bathroom, he had always been rather obedient to her. She would've choked him like last time if she didn't think it was the alcohol.

Which made her even more curious.

Alcohol tended to make the tongue loose and words hard to contain; what would it do to him? What would it make him say? What would it make him do?

Hiro crawled over to him like a wide-eyed cat. She leaned into him close so she could whisper in his ear.

"Ne... Did you bring t'e knife?" She asked eagerly. Naruto lifted his head up as best he could to take a good look at her to see if she was serious. If he hadn't known her, he would've thought she was playing around; what with her cheeky smile and grinning eyes, but he knew she was serious. Also she was lucid, while he was not so.

"Sure I did." He whispered to her, so the driver couldn't hear. It would be disastrous if he did. Hiro's grin stretched to her ears. Naruto couldn't help but ask, "What're you thinking?"

Hiro's smile never dropped as a thoughtful, playful look passed over her face.

"Are you really blonde?"

"..." Naruto stopped to think. Naturally one would know the answer, but he was exceptionally drunk, and her question put a doubt in him that made him have to think about it. Suddenly Naruto turned away to look down at his crotch. He then pulled his pants down to his knees, followed by his underwear.

Hiro shrieked.

"OMIGAWD! What's wrong wit' you?" She shouted despite laughing. She pretended to sound indignant, but she wasn't offended at all. Instead, her inner sadist couldn't stop laughing on the floor.

Her inner sadist was what made stare as well.

"...yeah... i's natural." Naruto mumbled, dumbly staring at his exposed crotch.

Hiro nodded, "Certainly is."

The cab driver had no idea what was going on.

"Guess that means you're not-"

The car gave a violent jerk, cutting Hiro off as the driver honked lividly several times on the horn before they went on their way again.

"Well, how you know I'm not-?"

The cab jerked again at a red light, when another car refused him right of passage, making him miss the yellow.

"'Cos you blonde wit' blue eyes."

"Really?"

"Duh! So you can't possible be-"

A chorus of car horns echoed in the streets, the last part of Hiro's sentence going unheard.

"Shut up! You're confusing me!" Naruto yelled out.

"You confusing you'self, dumbass!" Hiro shouted back. Naruto thought she was drunk before she continued, "I reon je gi rar! I reon je gi rar!". then he thought she was super drunk.

"What?"

"A peun yeot gat eun sae kki! Ba bo sae kki!"

"You're plastered, huh? You're worse than me now." Naruto drunkily chuckled, craning his head back to rest against the seats. It was getting hard to keep his head up. He knew he was sleepy.

The driver thought they were both idiots; they were getting so annoying. He had to continuously remind himself; _'Setagaya, Setagaya. It's worth it for Setagaya.'_, because the fare was going to be well over his daily average.

He was a little surprised they didn't take the train, easier and cheaper, but he could hardly complain.

"Bad things happen to you alot, don't they?" Hiro mused aloud, sounding strangely calm. The driver glanced back at them through his rearview mirror; Hiro was rested against Naruto, her dark head laid on his shoulder with this thoughtful look in her large, dark eyes.

"You know they do. ...I told you. ...I told you everything." Naruto mumbled back, suddenly feeling very somber, and very cozy with her hugged up against his arm.

"Doesn't mean I know you better." Hiro smiled, leaning her face closer to him, with her eyes downcast. She kept eyeing his pockets.

"But I haven't... told anyone... anything... since I got here. O-only you."

"Hm... Why me?"

Naruto lifted his head from atop hers. He shifted around until he got a better view of her. A couple minutes passed before his vision finally focused in on her, and yet the image wasn't quite right. All he registered was her short black hair and emotionless black eyes.

At that moment, a mortified groan croaked in Naruto's throat as he turned away from her, seemingly out of embarrassment or disgust.

"Shit... when I'm sober, you're hot. But when I'm drunk, you look like Sasuke-teme."

"What wrong?"

"Dammit... SHIT! If I'm gay for that bastard, I'll kill myself! Okay? The very moment I'm gay, I'll kill myself!"

"Can I kill you if you're gay?" She teased as she batted her lashes up at him. She made him feel very uncomfortable as he looked warily back at her.

"Wha? Are you a homophobe?"

"You're awful! Hee-hee-hee!" She giggled in her devilish, little way. "So I look like him? What would happen if I should kiss you then?" She grinned, unfortunately reminding Naruto of a really awkward memory. It was the only story he hadn't admitted to her, and as he tossed and turned and groaned in his seat like a child, Hiro couldn't help but assume she hit another nerve in him.

"Do it when I'm sober! You look like Sasuke-teme! Do it when you don't look like him!"

Hiro laughed and pounced his arm. She hugged it to her chest and grinned closely in his face.

"You're so silly, fishcakes!" She said, rubbing her small but full chest against his shoulder. "There's nothing to be ashamed about. You've done far worser things, right?" Her wandering hand stopped at the top of his thigh. She patted his crotch for emphasis, reminding him of his earlier deed. He gave a jolt and jerked a little under her hand in response. In his embarrassment, he moved to pull his boxers back on.

He had completely forgotten he had exposed himself to a girl.

He never did that before.

Hiro wondered if this would come back to haunt him later on in his life. Or tomorrow.

"Of course..." Hiro whispered in a dangerous tone, as she smirked against his ear, "...aside from all your stealing, your tagging and fighting; I suppose murder is the worst you've ever done."

Her voice sent a chill through his body. Goosebumps spread themselves across his arm and a tingle of anxiety trickled down the back of his neck. He stared earnestly into the rearview mirror, fearfully hoping that the man wouldn't respond.

"Shut up... he'll hear you..."

"What's he gonna mind? There's more than a dozen cab drivers 'round the city; You'll never see this man again. And he'll never see you again." She giggled, resting her hand on his thigh once more.

"...i's not point..." Naruto mumbled back uncomfortably.

"But I'm serious; You'll never see this man again."

Hiro patted his right pocket. She felt something hard there.

"Fine then. Just don't... say anything more..."

"Why?" She pryed nosily, noticing how his speech slowed and he seemed to drift in and out of consciousness.

"Because... trust you... trust you..."

Hiro took this moment -as her fingers crept along the lip of the pocket- to delve in for her prize.

The tip of her fingerpads touched up against something smooth. Part of it was cold and part of it was warm from the heat he gave off.

"That's a terrible thing to do." She smiled at him as she wrapped her fingers around the object in his pocket and pulled it out.

She looked down at her hand, satisfaction and excitment coursing through her. The sheathed switch-blade almost gleamed at her, happily, as if eagerly greeting her like a new partner. She placed it in Naruto's loose grip. Already he had begun to nod off, his semi-conscious self recognizing the knife like it were a manifestation of his dream.

Hiro pulled her sleeves over her fingers and carefully took back the blade from him.

The dreaming Naruto seemed to respond to the loss. Distress passed over his face. "Sasuke... why'd you do it...?" He mumbled remorsefully in his sleep. Hiro thought he would cry.

Yet his pain didn't affect her at all.

She couldn't understand his pain.

She doubted tears from him would ease her pain.

She doubted she'd ever be swayed.

Her thumb pressed the button on the shaft, ejecting the blade from its sheath.

The gleam of the shiny metal did nothing for her however.

Hiro called out to the driver.

"Hey, pull over here!"

* * *

_"Why don't you love me?" The dark-haired girl whispered with her head hung._

_He couldn't recognize her, no matter how he tried._

_He reached his hand out to touch her face, so he could see her, but his fingers went straight through her pallid cheek._

_Her words echoed through him and out his mouth._

_"Why don't you love me?" He asked in replace of her, yet it seemed like he were the one asking all along._

_The dark-haired girl was gone, replaced by cropped pink._

_She lifted her head and set her acrid green eyes on him._

_Her lips were stretched in a sneer. She appeared as if she were to attack him with words. _

_She looked ready to yell._

_But then she frowned._

_Her agitated features blurred out._

_Her hair grew long and turned reddish-orange._

_He found himself asking again._

_"Why don't you love me?"_

_The faceless woman smiled._

_Happy memories echoed in the background, as she laughed, so carefree and cheerful._

_Happy memories that he missed out on, memories that weren't his own._

_Tears choked his words._

_"Why?" He begged once more._

_She continued to smile and it hurt._

_It hurt, and yet he didn't even know who she was._

* * *

Naruto stood in front of his bathroom mirror, busily observing himself.

His eyes were a little red, his hair dirty, and clothes heavily wrinkled and stained.

He couldn't remember much of last night, which was to be expected. He had gotten over his headache awhile ago, but the sun still hurt his eyes, and he wasn't too keen on big sounds. Other than that, he felt pretty good.

Naruto wasn't sure what to do today. Naturally he would've gone out, if only to loiter or work; but the Ichiraku was closed for the day again and Hiro wasn't answering her cell phone.

He assumed that either she had it turned off or that she was sleeping in due to hangover. Of course, she could be ignoring him as well, which he sort of understood because he knew it would be too soon for them to hang out or talk.

He just wished he knew what to do on this sleepy Sunday afternoon.

He also wished he knew where he dropped the knife.

Last he remembered, it had been in his pocket.

Then it wasn't there anymore.

"That was Sasuke-teme's knife too..." He heaved a tired sigh, feeling rather hopeless about it. "...Dammit. Why the hell did I ever give my click-clack to Konohamaru-chan?"

* * *

Naruto stretched his hands to the sky, before reclining back in his seat.

He never thought he'd be so glad to return to school.

He felt a little lighter now that he wasn't in a hole anymore.

Naruto grinned albeit cheerfully to himself as he thought about his current position in life. It still wasn't great, but he knew he wouldn't have to deal with Yakuza anymore. At least he prayed he wouldn't.

_"Are you still trying to be a hero?"_

Naruto was worried for Hiro. Everything clicked when he thought about it: the troubling phone calls, the knife maybe, the fact that someone was making trouble for her father; it was because of Aomori, because of Yakuza.

Naruto held hope that Hiro would be able to protect herself. He wasn't afraid of fighting to help or save her if it came down to that, he was afraid of getting re-involved. _'But if Hiro's father is getting blackmailed by yakuza or something, I will have to get to involved.'_

But the Matsuraba-kai was gone, and those other men were gone as well.

He was certain they were all gone now.

There was no one left wanting his life.

He was so thrilled to be free.

Now all he had to do was get rid of Mizuno.

Naruto pulled his cell phone from his pocket and turned the back around.

He had decorated the back with a couple of the photo-stickers he and Hiro had taken back at the booth in Shibuya.

The first one was her hugging him from behind.

The second one was her making a funky face; her tongue sticking out, one eye half-closed, and mouth quirked up in a goofy snarl.

He hadn't smiled nor made a face in either of the two. He had been so distracted by her, you could even see it in the picture.

Naruto gave a rueful smirk before he dropped his cell phone in his bag.

He had to go to the bathroom.

As Naruto crossed the room for the hallway, Hinata crept back to her seat. She had been so afraid to face him that she had been hiding in the back of the room, watching him from afar.

She couldn't help but wonder what he had been looking at before he left.

She didn't see the harm in knowing, long as he didn't know.

His school bag hung defenselessly off the corner of his seat, begging her to pry into its contents.

She really didn't see the harm.

Or maybe she did, and she just didn't care.

Hinata shoved her hand carefully into his bag, digging deftly around for his cell phone.

Some of her classmates were watching.

Perhaps it was good that Kiba was eating in the Cafeteria today.

It was definitely good he was eating in the Cafeteria today.

Hinata's fingers ran across something smooth. She plucked his orange cell from the bag and brought it to her attention. She didn't bother with the digital contents and instead, turned the back around.

There were two photo-stickers of him and a girl; a petite girl with a cute face and big black eyes. And they were both... naked? Or half-naked? The booth camera only caught them from the chest up. Naruto was definitely shirtless. The second picture, you could see the girl wearing a black lacy bra. But when you looked at the first one, with her hugging him from behind, it looked like they were both naked.

Hinata lifted the corner of the first sticker with her nail and tore it off the back.

She refused to see Naruto like that. She couldn't stand it. She couldn't believe it either.

She dug at the corner of the second sticker, in the end, folding the corner and wrinkling the picture.

She hated the images. They were erogenous and illicit in her heart. But then so were the things she and Naruto had been doing.

Hinata dug and scratched at the second photo until the stubborn corner finally lifted up, and she tore it off the same way as the first. It wasn't as clean a tear; the lower right corner remained, and the rest a skin of paper adhered to the back.

She couldn't remove it no matter how she scratched at it with her nails. Tears welled up in her chest the more frustrated she got at the upsetting images, and the more she thought about the humiliation she endured the day before.

No matter how she tried, she couldn't remove the damn adhesive.

Footsteps crossed the room to his seat.

He stopped in front of her.

Hinata dropped his cell with a quiet shriek as she looked up at his agitated blue eyes.

"Didn't your dad teach you not to touch other people's shit?" He growled out, as he picked up his cell phone to make sure nothing was smudged or broken. He turned it over.

The pictures were gone.

"What the hell do you think you were doing, huh?" He growled under his breath, trying his best to keep his temper. He had been feeling good a moment ago. He didn't want to pick a fight with her, he didn't want to argue with a girl. "Shit... I'm so sick of people ruining my shit..." He muttered hopelessly. He sounded so upset. "You of all people, too..."

Her body felt like it was covered in ice and sweat. Her heart pounded in the hollow cavity known as her chest.

She felt disgust for what she did. And yet she felt an unbearable emotion grip her for what Naruto did.

"I bought you that cell phone." She whispered fiercely to herself, as tears stung her eyes. He hadn't heard her. She was much to spineless to let him hear her. Then she wondered aloud, "Why don't you love me?"

His eyes shot open wide.

He stared at her, wondering if she really said that, if he heard her right.

Hinata didn't speak to him for the rest of the hour.

Not until she changed her mind.

* * *

_'I'm not the only girl that does this,'_

Hinata whimpered against his mouth, as his tongue bullied hers for dominance. She flushed from disgust as the drool seeped out her lips and dripped down her jaw. Excitement fluttered wildly in her chest even as her stomach sank and churned; kind of like a heartburn.

_'Lot of girls do this kind of thing,'_

The equipment room sort of became their new place, their spot the farthest left corner, behind all the mats. Naruto pressed himself against her before seizing her legs. He picked her up and walked them over to where the pommel horse was located. He propped her up on the saddle and stared into her face.

_'Lot of girls are desperate to feel loved,'_

He laid his hands on her knees, then ran them across her calves to her ankles. He grasped her ankles and lifted her legs to drape across his shoulders.

Her heart jumped and her head dizzily swam in her own disbelief.

_'This can't be wrong if I love him...'_

Hinata scooted away from him, embarrassed and frightened by the sudden intimate position.

"How can you still be shy?" Naruto scoffed incredulously. This was still her idea. She was the one that wanted to keep going, she was the one that couldn't let him go.

"I-I'm just n-nervous..." She mumbled meekly behind her fingers in a manner Naruto found hard to believe.

With a sigh, Naruto backed away from her, "Maybe we shouldn't do this then."

"D-Don't be annoyed pl-please? I'll be good."

That stopped him.

Hinata shrank under his gaze, the look he was giving her made her want to crawl away and hide.

He found it strange that she would phrase it that way, 'I'll be good'. As if she was misbhaving or something and needed to submit. Maybe to some people that would've turned them on, but for Naruto it didn't.

"I don't wanna continue." He said with surprising coldness. He didn't understand why he should have to do anything for her. The charm of their insincere relationship had been swept away, the need for indulgement replaced by a thought very depressing: The fantasy had become an excuse. And even though Naruto's body was leaden with guilt for their relationship and his encouragings, he couldn't help but feel molested.

"But-"

Naruto firmly planted his hands on either side of her. With a sigh, he pushed himself off.

He didn't give her a chance to finish. He stumbled out of the equipment, almost starved for fresh air.

Maybe he was just being too sensitive or too self-conscious about this, but he couldn't rid himself of the shame, as if the whole world was laughing at him, maybe at what he had become.

He wasn't sure why he felt so divided, but he didn't feel like this was him.

"...I really wonder what happened to my switchblade."

* * *

People crowded around the scene of a parked taxi car.

The investigators poked around the vicinity while the clean-up crew poked around the vehicle. The police set up the yellow tape, urging the by-standers back.

"What's the time of death?"

"Believe around 11:50 pm."

"11:50? Why didn't the suspect take the trains?"

"Perhaps this was planned."

"Money has been taken. Along with the driver's wallet."

"So a robbery/homicide then?"

"He was stabbed nine times in the throat."

"With what?"

"Here's the weapon! I found it under the dashboard!" cried out a young man from the passenger's side of the car.

He held out the alleged weapon, unable to hold back the nervous excitement in his voice and smile.

"This must be it!" He exclaimed. "Should... should we check if it fits? Or...?"

"We can tell from seeing it." A police officer replied arrogantly, hurriedly butting into their work. He glared down on the young man, discouraging him from smiling. The young man's smile faltered and dropped as he looked away from the testy officer. He felt stupid thanks to him.

The officer plucked the weapon from his hands and held it to his eyes, doing his own weak observations.

The switchblade was covered in blood. It couldn't be anyone else's blood but the driver's.

"Now we just have to see who owned such a knife."

"You make it sound so easy." The young man harumphed indignantly, knowing that he was the intelligent one with access to technology, unlike the arrogant officer. "What're you gonna do? Interrogate some poor fool in your secret dungeons?"

"Enough with you!" The officer irritably spat, his face red from damaged pride. "I have an idea!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Foreigners!"

* * *

Kiba knew what is was they did. If Hinata hadn't been so apparent up on the roof, he would just have a feeling right now, but he knew.

Hinata leaned off to the side to peek at her blonde sort-of-lover. He was even farther away this time. He looked so bored standing there, obediently listening to Asuma-sensei lessons. It didn't seem like him to be reserved and yet she knew she couldn't ask for him to be different. If she could, he would be in love with her.

Hinata stepped out of her spot and walked over to him.

Kiba kept a close eye.

Hinata grabbed Naruto's hand as she had the day before.

Naruto pulled his hand away.

He didn't even hold her hand for a second.

She tugged him back, and he twisted away, never looking at her.

She wasn't trying to annoy him, but it was clear that he was getting irritated.

"Naruto-kun..."

"Leave me alone." He muttered back to her.

"I'm not trying to annoy you..." She grabbed his hand again.

"Then talk to me later." He said, pulling away from her once more.

"N-No. I-I... I th-think..." She grabbed his hand a fourth time, wanting to make sure he took her seriously when she said what she wanted to say, "...we should date."

"Yeah?" Naruto turned and gave her a dubious once-over, "What makes you think I'd date you?"

Hinata heard a classmate snicker to her right. Anxiety poisoned her blood as her face flushed with shame.

"The-Then... H-How about j-just one... date?" She asked hopefully as she reached out to touch his elbow.

Naruto jerked away.

"No."

"Pl-Please? J-Just one?"

"Are you begging?" He asked incredulously, looking at her wide-eyed.

"Why won't you?"

"Because you're a leech!"

Kiba witnessed yet another heartbroken expression flash across her face; her pink lips parted, her milky eyes filled with confusion and betrayal. He saw the surge of fright shoot through her. He wasn't sure if she was truly in love or not, but he knew for certain her heart was in a dangerous place.

"N-Naruto-kun..." She mumbled dully, making another reach for him, but he jerked away.

"Just go back in line." He calmly advised without looking at her.

The rejection cut her, with shallow, slicing steadiness.

Kiba watched the way she gathered herself up and stood her ground, even when it was futile and so pointless, she didn't shrink away. Not yet at least. He wasn't sure if she was fooling herself again with a dumb-downed reality or if she was simply being stubborn, but either way he saw a sliver of hope that she hadn't changed for the worse.

Hinata grabbed his hand a third time.

"No, I want to stay by you."

Naruto twitched. Her persistance was more irritating than it was cute.

"I don't care. Just go back in line like a good girl."

Hinata didn't like his tone nor his diction. For him to call her a 'good girl' so condescendingly was where she drew the line.

"**No. I want to stay by you.**_**"**_

Distress filled Naruto at her stubborness. What the hell was he supposed to say to that exactly?

Kiba nearly cheered her on for her boldness, even if he was completely against her decision, he felt pride for her strength of voice.

"And I said 'Go back where you fuckin' came from'..!"

Naruto's harsh words cut through his teacher's speech. Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei stopped to see what was going on.

Like a child, Hinata nearly stomped her foot at him as she glared. Naruto felt the heat of her eyes burn through the back of his head. To spite him, Hinata defiantly grabbed his hand once more, knowing it would annoy him.

"No!" She declared.

"What is wrong with you? Go back where you were! Leave me alone!"

"I'm not doing anything wrong!"

"The hell you are! You won't stop touching me!"

"I'm not doing anything!"

"You're such a slu- aaaahhh!" Naruto growled angrily. In his aggravation he pushed her back, though not roughly, he wasn't trying to be mean. He was trying to get through to her stubborness.

That didn't work however.

"Don't- PUSH ME!" She screamed, catching the eyes and ears of all on the field. Hinata threw her palms forward for Naruto, attempting a shove, but he caught her forearm. He then threw her back.

The wind swept about her. All her classmates and Naruto seemed to grow taller. She then landed abruptly on her ass.

All eyes widened.

Near panic and guilt shot through Naruto's heart like adrenaline, but on the outside he remained unaffected.

He saw the fresh tears well up around the corner of her eyes, the whites turning an irritated red.

It was an accident. To everyone but her, it seemed an accident that he pushed her. He didn't mean to push her that hard, he didn't mean to make her fall. But he couldn't bring himself to help her back up either.

Everyone stared on with varied expressions of confusion, pity and shock.

The shock didn't last in Kiba as it dissolved into searing disappointment and embarrassment.

Kurenai was quick to rescue her, concern stricken across her face.

She took Hinata and lead her back inside the building.

Tears rolled off her pale cheeks one by one.

To be wrapped up in Kurenai's motherly warmth was too overwhelming.

* * *

_'Why does this keep happening?'_

Hinata peeked over the side of her computer monitor. She sat in the way back of the class. She was still far too embarrassed to be around the rest of her classmates.

"Hey! Check this out, you gotta see this!" The fat boy Masabo called out whispering with a mischevious grin. Naruto leaned over to see what he wanted to show him.

_'It's like nothing had happened...'_ She felt so disappointed he could be carefree after what he did.

Not even halfway through the video, did Naruto bite down on his surprise and amusement.

"Wow..." Naruto laughed.

_"Panties! Panties!_

_These panties are so cute, I wish you could see them!_

_Unlike my everyday panties that you keep trying to see._

_You know Suzuki's panties aren't like those boys wear._

_Pan! Pan! Pan! Pan!_

_And Ichigo's panties aren't like those worn by little kids!_

_Tiny panties are the way of love._

_Hidden treasures seem more exciting._

"Whoa, is this from an H-game or something?" Naruto laughed.

"Psh, hardly. That was just one titty."

_Ah, whether plain, white or fancy_

_Red, black, polka-dotted or striped..._

_It's all about panties!"_

Then Naruto and Masabo both said at the same time, "It's all about panties!", which earned them a few a looks.

"I'm going to sing this everyday." Masabo snickered, knowing how it would annoy and embarrass so many unsuspecting people.

"Dare you to go up to a pretty girl on the train and sing it." Naruto replied, grinning like a cat.

"Sure, I'll make a friend."

"Ahahaha! What an asshole! Hahaha!"

By then, the Computers teacher was glaring at Naruto and Masabo admonishingly.

"You're an asshole! So shut up!" Cried this one girl in the back who sat in the same row as Hinata but in the opposite corner.

Naruto whipped his head around to see who said that, but he couldn't find nor see her.

Disappointment and this sense of failure gripped at Hinata. She began to feel the tears surface, wanting to spill over her cheeks. She bowed her head and hid her face in her hands.

She couldn't stand being here like this.

_'My face feels really hot... I... I hate this... I really hate this.'_

Whispering, Masabo said to Naruto, "Hey, speaking of panties...", then gave sneaky smirk. Naruto looked at him quizically, waiting for him to continue. "How many times have you seen Hyuuga-san's panties?"

Naruto punched him in his fatty shoulder.

"Never. What shit have you been listening to?"

* * *

A black cadillac pulled up to a fairly worn down school yard.

The driver honked the horns three times, catching the attention of the students who were just leaving.

They all wondered who belonged to such a car; majority of the students attending were middle class and below.

But when a girl with reddish-mulberry hair zipped across the yard, they couldn't believe it.

"SUGIHARA MOEMI IS A RICH GIRL?"

Moe jumped in the car and slammed the door. The car then peeled out, leaving all but one boy stunned and surprised.

"No she's not." Robin dully muttered to himself as he walked past the frozen statues and out the gate.

It wasn't Moe who he was annoyed with this time though, but the student body and how easily they believed their imaginations.

He was thankful Moe didn't hear them, or come tomorrow she'd roll with it.

"...Idiots."

* * *

Students flocked out of the corridors, the school initiating its daily ritual of purging.

Every step made her heart ache and she felt herself fall further into unpleasant memories. Yet it wasn't the memories she was reliving, but the old feelings associated with those troubling times.

It was like Junior High all over again, when she was introverted and lonely. She wouldn't have survived long back in those days, if she hadn't met Moe on the train. Everyone around her was so much stronger and more expressive. She thought she had a mental illness for being so withdrawn. Every encounter back then felt like a stab in the chest or a stab in the arm, she couldn't survive in their environment.

She couldn't be like them.

_'I... I don't think I've grown at all...'_ She felt like she was travelling dazed through a stifling fog, she felt like she had completely lost her perspective. She thought she had grown stronger when her group gave her confidence, but it didn't feel like confidence she earned herself. It felt like chocolate; when she would see them, they would give her confidence like a chocolate ball, and she would consume that little piece of happiness with a grateful smile. But by the end of the day, the chocolate had fully passed through her system, and she would no longer feel secure. She would go on through the week being a calm-face recluse because she knew she didn't have the ability to mingle with normal people, and so she would wait until Sunday to recieve that brief piece of happiness, and become a little more than herself for a few hours.

But she hadn't seen her friends in so long, and she hadn't gone to Sunday in so long.

She hadn't had chocolate for a long time, except with Naruto. With him, it felt like she was consuming mountains of the darkest chocolate. And like a sugar rush, it'd all be gone in a few seconds.

She felt like her ugly self back in Junior High, her weakling, ugly, insignificant self.

Hinata watched Naruto leave past the gate and went on his way towards work.

Once again, she'd be walking alone, just as she always been.

* * *

It seemed like Neji hadn't seen his family in ages.

The only way he knew Hanabi was around was when she would stumble back to her room or raid the fridge after her late night adventures. Turns out she left her outdoor shoes by the _genkan_ to appear as if she were home, but would put on different shoes outside when she snuck out.

Neji couldn't believe the amount of effort she put into being sneaky, it was really beyond him.

For Hiashi, the only way Neji knew he were home was if he heard the wheezing-like snoring that emitted from the master bedroom.

Neji was certain he had sleep apnea. And sometimes Neji hoped Hiashi would 'mysteriously' pass away in his sleep from his dangerous snoring. But then he remembered about Hanabi and Hinata; if Hiashi wasn't around for them, what could he possibly do?

_'Doubt he's bothered making a will...'_ He sighed wearily.

As for Hinata, the only way he knew she was around was if he felt depressed after passing by her bedroom door. She locked herself up in there a lot these days and he could feel every bit of her bottled up sadness exude from her isolation.

It was like she had regressed back to her childhood self, back when Hanabi didn't know her, didn't admire her, back when he and Hiashi looked down on her.

Every time she was sad or troubled, he felt immense guilt just shoot right through his chest.

Her eyes, her lack of a smile. He missed her smile. Only so many times did he see her smile and loved it when she did. He remembered hating her never made him feel any better about himself. He remembered how good it felt when he let go. He remembered the gladness that passed through him when she first smiled at him.

He thought a smiled couldn't exist on her face. But when it did, he felt lightness enter him and a cheer fill the room.

It was like her name; when she smiled, the entire room filled with sunshine.

He knew someday her smile would grow brighter. He looked forward to the day she would outshine all the rest.

There was a 'thud' at the door, followed by an angry voice and several more awkward 'thud's.

"Hurry up you!" Hiashi growled by the genkan. "Walk straight, dammit! Pick up your head!"

Neji watched from the kitchen as Hiashi roughly tugged Hinata along by her wrist. Her cheeks were wet and puffy, and her eyes were red.

"The school calls and I find out I have **headcase** on my hands?" Hiashi spat condescendingly, referring to his crying daughter. Her tears and quiet cries did nothing for him. "C'mon you!" He growled, taking her out of the house.

Once again, Neji was left alone and forgotten in the empty Hyuuga home.

* * *

Hiro actually called Naruto up for once.

He arrived at her apartment door, grinning like a cat.

"It's really wet out t'ere, huh?" She smiled.

"Ah-ha-ha, yeah..." He grinned back sheepishly, as the water rolled off his hair and down his face.

Hiro turned around and let him in.

"I've got a few cheap movies I saw at Akihabara. I t'ink we should go t'ere t'is weekend." She called over her shoulder.

"Sounds good to me. Hey, have you seen my knife?"

* * *

The carpeting was worn flat. The floors creaked with every sound step. Rain drizzled out the windows in sporadic tendrils. The hackberry leaves hung their heads down against the barrage.

The dreary storm was a mirror to the quiet turmoil that lay restless within Hinata's mind and breast.

"We'll be right with you." The young woman kindly said, excusing herself briefly for a moment.

Hinata couldn't stop mentally kicking her feet out of distress and impatience.

She couldn't believe she was here of all places, she couldn't believe she had been called down here.

Hiashi sat rigidly beside her. He radiated coldness and indifference like he were her executioner. It was very likely he could be, for he was the only true authority over her.

Back straight, ankles neatly crossed, elbows tucked at her sides, and hands clasped so tautly she thought her muscles would collapse and go numb.

Nervous sweat swam between her palms and coated her frigid fingers.

Hiashi hadn't given her the chance to grab some gloves.

Even now he radiated with such impatience that she couldn't stand to be herself and she ran away into her mind just to make the time here more bearable.

She was certain that he truly hated her.

She couldn't decide whether she resented him or agreed with him; in some cases she hated herself, so she empathized with him for putting up with her weakness and dull mind. Other times she hated him for being the oppressive, unforgiving one. But then she'd go straight back to hating herself; her mind was plagued with negativity.

As Hinata stared out into the evening storm, she sat inside herself surrounded by darkness. There was no warmth, no coldness, no breeze, and no company. As she stared out into the emptiness inside herself, her voice echoed back.

_"I wish I knew why I was here."_

_Naruto grasped the side of her face with both hands and crashed his lips onto hers. _

_He was rough and clumsy. Her lips felt numb and cold at first, like the sudden pressure caused her lips to fall asleep, _

_until he started moving his lips against hers that she began to regain feeling._

_Hinata whimpered against him, partly out of awkward pain, partly out of pleasure. _

_She felt her eyes grow wet, her heart pound madly. The tears leaked out with the moans, muffled sounds stumbling from her lips into his mouth. _

_His tongue tasted funny, he was kinna slimy._

_"Why am I here?"_

_"She's been taking pictures of you when you're not looking." Girl A stated seriously. She was such a busybody._

_"Did I do something wrong?"_

_"May I get a kiss goodnight?"_

_"I did something really bad... didn't I?"_

_"Go..." She muttered, shuffling backwards a bit._

_"Go?" He mimicked in his confusion._

_"Away." Hinata amended much in the same way, that it irritated Kiba._

_"Why?"_

_"But I love him. Why was I sent to see the guidance counselor?"_

She couldn't forget the look in Kurenai-sensei's eyes.

She couldn't release the image of Naruto's indifferent face.

The humiliation stuck to her body, buried beneath her skin like self-induced bruises.

She hadn't quite known what made her speak like that. Perhaps she had been trying to match him, perhaps she wanted to show him she wasn't to be belittled.

_"They must think I'm crazy..."_

"So sorry for the wait. The counselor will see you now." The young woman smiled sheepishly as she lead them down inside the room.

* * *

Hinata wasn't sure what a counselor was for.

Hiashi wasn't sure either.

Time passed by in that cozy office as the female counselor dragged on and on. Hinata hadn't been paying attention to a word. Like a child, she let the adults discuss the remedies.

"Considering the circumstances..." She drawled on in a low, womanly voice.

Kurenai-sensei was there too. Hinata wasn't certain, but it seemed like her teacher was fighting calmly in her interests.

_"I feel like a mental patient... perhaps I am a headcase..."_

"You seem to have an attachment to her." Hiashi stated gruffly to Kurenai. Never did he glance her way 'til now, never did he look her so sharply in the eyes 'til now. "Perhaps I ought to leave her in your care instead."

_"Is he going to abandon me? Just like that?"_

* * *

Kiba wandered all through the aisles of the open-air novelty shop, in hopes of finding something good on sale. Shino followed close behind, umbrella in hand.

Kiba stopped talking about Hinata entirely. He used to rant every once in a while about her 'relationship' with Naruto. They both knew it had taken on a whole new level of sketchiness, but since the incident earlier, he completely stopped mentioning her.

"What did you find?" Shino called out from the rain.

Kiba looked up and smiled.

"_'Fear of the Ghost House: Bloodsucking Doll'_. This is the first of the trilogy. I saw the last two when I ten, but I could never find this one."

* * *

Hiashi left her there.

He got picked up by a company car and left her there at the school.

He had completely given up on her.

She stood alone and still in the middle of the yard, soaked by the dreary rain.

The school sat in shadow, imposing the sense of solitude and isolation upon her as the ground glistened wet. The night was dark around her, the air cold and street empty. She felt cut off from everything; she couldn't see the street lights, the buildings, the cars. Emptiness echoed within her heart, it haunted her with this feeling that coiled up in her stomach like a parasite and left her hollow; it was the crippling sense of worthlessness.

Her face twisted in her pain, her heart drenched in it.

She shut her eyes and prepared to cry.

Car lights appeared on the shimmering wet street beyond the gate. A sleek, black Cadillac pulled up to the school.

Two girls hopped out of the vehicle and rushed to her side.

She knew it was them. She knew she was supposed to feel gladness when they hugged her, when they tried to comfort her.

But as they lead her away into the black Cadillac, she never felt more afraid in her life.

* * *

A young officer came stumbling towards his superior's desk with a stack of files that nearly reached up to his chin. Much to his satisfaction, he promptly dropped the load onto his superior's desk, despite the glare and inevitable tongue-lashing. Instead he sauntered off on his merry way, whistling a cheery tune that was albeit too happy for the older man's taste.

"AREN'T YA GONNA TELL ME WHUT YA FOUND?" He yelled out angrily.

The younger officer came back around and peeked his head around the corner.

"The knife has an extensive history." He said plainly. Then he left.

The older man gave out a loud sigh, before digging into the pile.

He wasn't looking forward to this.

"Why don't we have secretaries to do our research?" He wondered aloud, grabbing a handful and placed it down in front of him.

Of all the things he chose to look at, was the most recent.

"How did this... If he's here..." The man's mumblings stopped dead on his tongue, an anxious realization crossing his mind. "We've got to call someone in Matsue."

* * *

Hinata was filled with the distinct feeling that everyone was leaving her, or they were forgetting her.

She felt so alone.

Hinata peered longingly into the back of Naruto's head, in hopes that he'd turn around. Instead he slouched forward as if ready to take a nap.

As she stared at him -slumped over his desk with his bad posture and tense shoulders- he seemed to shrink. The more she stared, the further away he moved. Hinata swept her glance across the room. As she did so, it was like a wave pushed everyone aside. The floor stretched beneath her, pulling her away from them, or pulling them away from her, leaving her stranded alone and helpless.

She was completely alienated.

Her father dumped her, Naruto... her friends...

She turned to look over her shoulder.

Kiba wasn't there.

A sense of self-pity bubbled up in her throat like a sob as she shut her eyes, and fervently choked down on it.

Naruto turned halfway towards her upon hearing the muffled sad noise.

She sat there hiding her face in her hands. Her cheeks were puffy and red, her lips stretched across her teeth as if she were silently crying.

She looked so lonely.

_'I don't know what to do...' _She cried angrily to herself. She felt like all her friends were leaving her, she could no longer keep a hold of them. And she couldn't keep a hold of her love. She had been so focused on winning him that she thought once she had him, she would still have her friends too, and everything would be so perfect.

_"You were lying this whole time. He's not your boyfriend, is he?"_

But she wasn't winning Naruto over, she wasn't winning him fast enough for her friends to still stick around.

_"LaBitch thinks you should settle for Kiba."_

_"Shut it, she won't be 'settling' if she chooses Kiba."_

_"It's 'settling' if she still sees him as a friend. She just has give up on her infatuation, she doesn't need to go rebound."_

_"Emi-chan? Do you think going out with Kiba would be unfair to him?"_

_"YOU JUST TWISTED THE WORDS! Do you even know what happens when you date your friend?"_

She hadn't thought about Kiba, he was a dear friend.

She knew she'd lose Kiba if she chose Naruto, she felt she had already lost him.

She hadn't even known Kiba very long, yet he meant a lot to her.

She barely even knew Naruto, yet she loved him, or so she felt and so she said.

Hinata had thought once she had Naruto, she could convince them that everything was alright. She didn't see why things wouldn't turn out alright.

But Kiba hated Naruto, and so did her friends.

_Hinata wouldn't stop watching her cell phone. Even as Moe and LaBelle tried to get her to talk,_

_she kept all her attention on the damned phone._

_"Tch, let's see what you've got there that's so significant." Moe spat as she snatched the phone right out of her hands._

_She flipped around through the different applications before pulling her album up. There were photos and photos of the blonde boy._

_From pics of him sleeping to pics of him on the volleyball court, even pics of his smile._

They were getting fed up with her and everything she did.

_Moe started hitting various keys with swift succession._

_"W-What're you doing?" Hinata called out hesitantly, her voice small. She felt so powerless. She felt guilty and so she felt powerless._

_"I'm deleting your stalker evidence."_

She didn't know what to do.

_"NO! STOP IT! NO NO NO! GIVE IT BACK!" Hinata screamed desperately reaching for her phone._

_Moe denied her as she continued to pull it out of reach and delete her precious images._

_"GIVE IT BACK NOW!" Hinata grabbed Moe's hair and pulled her back. Moe let out a rage-filled scream and kicked her away._

_Tears welled up in Hinata's eyes, but not from the pain of the kick. _

_Hinata cried and screamed and fought, blinded by her friend's disrespect._

_Her heart hurt so bad._

_"GET OFF!" Moe roared, bringing her arm back. She slapped the hell out of Hinata's cheek._

Even now it still throbbed sore.

_"Told you she likes me more." LaBelle randomly threw out unsmilingly. Moe sat out on her bed, glaring with a violent intent towards Hinata._

_Hinata sat quietly aching on the floor, clutching the cell phone to her heaving chest. Her cheek was bright red._

_All she could think about was those images and how they were deleted, gone forever._

_She felt the loss of Naruto like she felt the loss of his pictures._

She didn't know what to do. She still wanted Naruto, but she didn't know what to do.

She didn't want to end up alone.

_"What is wrong with you? What the hell is wrong with you? Does he love you? Does he care you exist?"_

_It wasn't just the disappointment of Hinata's decisions or the betrayal that she would hit her,_

_but the fact that what she said about LaBelle was the same for her._

_Hinata was the only female friend she had._

_No one at school liked Moe, for all the same reasons LaBelle couldn't stand her._

_Her personality, her habits, her speech, her behavior; all a put off._

_Without Hinata, she was virtually unpopular._

_Without Hinata, she was friendless._

_"Why don't you call him? Ask him if he loves you!"_

_Hinata stared at her phone, her heart breaking in her eyes. She couldn't call him. She knew the answer._

_"I can't believe you! You were the nicest girl I ever met!"_

Hinata was slowly ending up alone.

It was a gamble for her, one she thought she could win; She could bet on one and keep both, or she could bet on one and lose all. And she had been so confident that winning Naruto and keeping her friends was possible. If he were truly her boyfriend, they could forgive her for all her fibbing and fooling around. Machiavelli may have had a cynical look on conquest, but it was truthful. The only difference between her and Machiavelli was that she thought her fibbing wouldn't have hurtful consequences.

So she kept saying Naruto was her boyfriend when he wasn't; if he accepted in the end, who would have been hurt?

Not her. Not her friends, far as she knew. It wasn't totally wrong of her if lies and fantasy could become truth. At least, that's what she had reasoned.

_'I suppose none of that matters now... Kiba-kun hates me. ...They're slowly leaving me... and Naruto-kun was never mine to begin with...'_

"Don't cry." He whispered.

Hinata jerked her head awkwardly up to meet his eyes, only to look off to the side. There was pain in the edges of her face, her eyes troubled.

"..." She wiped at her eyes, and willed her face to cool down, yet she knew she wanted to cry. She thought she may hide in the girls' locker room to do so alone. She wasn't sure if she could make it that long.

"If you cry, people will just want to bully you." He then said, as if he were giving good advice.

Hinata nearly rolled her eyes.

"I know that..." She bit out sarcastically, unable to keep a hold of her emotions at this point.

Naruto looked off to the side, feeling indignance for her tone, but also stupid for his own words. He remembered the things Kiba tried to tell him. In fact, it was pretty obvious that Hinata must've been a target at least once in her sheltered life, considering how weak and insecure she was these days. Her walls slipped long ago because of him, the foundations reduced to shambles.

That might've been why he didn't like her so much now; he didn't find her true face attractive, if this was her true face. She was just too insecure, too depressing.

"Is that why you don't like me anymore? Did I cry too much in front of you?" She called out somberly, as she stared at the floor in front of her.

He tried to see her face, but he could not. In that moment his heart vaguely remembered that dream he had.

_"Why don't you love me?" The dark-haired girl whispered with her head hung._

"..." Naruto didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what to say. There wasn't really anything wrong with crying, it's really normal for girls at least he thought. He hated to admit to himself, but he used to cry... a lot. But he didn't want to tell her that, that wouldn't really answer her question and it wouldn't help his image either. The easiest thing he could think of saying to not hurt her was, "That's not it.", except it did hurt.

"'That's not it'? Then what is 'it'?" She demanded, her tone and frustration forcing dominance over the conversation.

Naruto felt like running away at that moment. He knew that tone all too well and he realized he put himself in a bit of a corner.

He chose to meet her question with a question.

"What's your problem?"

Wrong question.

Rather than cry or wince or back away, Hinata glared at him. She pinned her eyes on him and furrowed her brows in an indignant expression.

Yet she couldn't say anything. She couldn't find the words and even when she found them, she couldn't speak them. Until she decided she was tired of this vicious cycle she put herself in with him; hiding, smiling, letting him go, thinking things will work out for the best, thinking things aren't so bad, when in truth she was being stupid. She had been quiet and she didn't like it anymore.

It was like how she had always been with her father, and she wasn't going to be that girl this time.

"You are." She said in the surest voice she could muster. She surprised Naruto. She wasn't sure if it was the way she spoke to him or if it was the way she was looking at him as she said it, but she put him at a standstill. She felt a little proud of herself, yet sorry for herself at the same time.

If he hated her after this, she would understand, and she planned to cry about it later.

"Me?" Naruto dumbly scoffed, as he puffed out his chest and shifted around his seat uncomfortably. There was something in that little action she found disheartening, because she found it unbearably obnoxious. "What'd I do?"

Her eyes widened a little. It was enough to make Naruto's stomach turn. He wasn't sure what was going to happen; if she would say something really biting or try to hit him, or maybe she would cry. He wasn't sure what'd she do but it didn't really matter, his urge to run away was growing more and more into a fervent itch. He was getting this feeling that he had finally pushed his luck and there was no way out or no way back.

But she didn't say anything.

* * *

Wooden rocking-horse shoes and mary-janes laid tossed aside. Ribbons of the softest texture and colors cluttered her bed, along with homework and magazines. And jumpers, petticoats and capes piled themselves up around her as she dug through her closet and flung articles and objects about.

She was planning on getting rid of her precious possessions.

Her lolita possessions.

Already she'd done things for him: little things, stupid things, adorable things and over-the-top things, all for him, and yet nothing came of it. In fact, it only seemed to have made it worse, to the point that there was no point in loving him or anything.

Hinata picked up a small one-piece dress; it was white and lavender, gingham, with little embroidered violets on the edgings. It was a spring-dress, classic style, made by an exclusive designer.

LaBelle had gotten it for her, when they first met.

It was her first dress.

Hinata looked around and plucked out a white headdress adorned with creme-colored silk ribbons and roses.

She had bought that at _The Strawberry Spider_ with Moe around the time they met. She remembered how they had kid around the store, read the manga installments in the back of every mook and magazine without paying. She remembered when they got carrot cake together at a little shop down the street. Moe would point out every good-looking guy she saw and either she'd giggle and make these silly, adorable comments, or she'd try to flirt with them. She even tried to get one of the guys to flirt with Hinata; except at the time, she was fourteen and the man was twenty-seven. But he was gorgeous! Tall, lean, strong shoulders, clean face, strong jaw, an upturned mouth, dark smiling eyes, stylishly unkept black hair, big hands... He had a warm, deep voice too... That man had been so kind when he turned Hinata down, not that he had a choice, she was -after all- half his age.

But that was what made it so fun. At least for Moe... Hinata had been too embarrassed at the time to truly appreciate and enjoy that moment, she was nearly panic-stricken when the man smiled at her. Blood had pounded like crazy in her ears that she couldn't catch what the man had said to her before he walked away; his eyes and smile had held her in place. She had been so attracted to him.

"That was the day I bought this..."

Hinata looked down at the bag in her hands; it was childish to say the least, dark-pink and shaped like a giant strawberry. Hinata remembered throwing it at Moe because she had been teasing her about the guy.

_"Ah-ha-ha! You chased him away with that childish bag of yours, Emi-chan!"_

Of course she had only been teasing. But she didn't seem to mind at all that she threw it. Perhaps because... it had shown that she was growing more comfortable with herself and less afraid to act out.

Hinata picked up one of her rocking-horse shoes, it was cherry-red and milk-white. It was the only one she had that wasn't a knock-off.

She remembered briefly reading _Shimotsuma Monogatari_, up to the part where Momoko approved _Vivienne Westwood_ ballerina rocking-horse shoes as the quintessential lolita accessory. It was true; they were perfect, they went with every outfit.

She spent two years saving up; lunch money, recycling cans. She even offered to take over classmates' cleaning duties for 500 yen each. That was perhaps the sneakiest, slickest thing she ever came up with, and it pulled off. It took her two years to get these amazing shoes.

She remembered the day she made the purchase, she practically broke down and cried. She remembered hugging them to her chest and wailing as the bewildered cashiere tried to console her. The other customers had been smiling and giggling at her display; some thought it was ridiculously funny, others thought it was plain adorable.

There were so many wonderful memories attached to her purchases. As she looked around at all her possessions, she felt fondness and relief.

This was her accumulation of happiness, her collection of the good things in her life.

However, because she held so much love for material things, she felt so much shame. She thought it was pathetic. Material things can't love you back. Holding so much love for petty things made her feel like a loser, like 'otaku'.

Naruto didn't like otaku.

Hinata hung her head. She bent down forward ever so slightly until she sunk down onto the floor with a soft, near silent, 'thud'.

There was that familiar ache in her throat and tightness in her chest.

The tears slid out from her eyes as she knew they would.

She hated herself.

She hated what she had become.

"I'm a leech... a leech... a leech... a leech..."

* * *

Naruto had a vivid dream. He dreamed that he had been birthed from the cut-open womb of a dead woman. She'd been slain by old world bandits. Or maybe they were gangsters from Kyoto. His mind had been the same, but his dream body had been that of an infant. And yet, though that child's eyes had been his own, and though he did inhabit its body, he had also been looking at himself from out of the body. After that he recalled turning around and he was in his sixth grade classroom. He was himself at fifteen but he was supposed be himself at twelve, and he was perceived as his twelve-year-old self. The classroom was fuzzy and covered in film grain it seemed. Sasuke was there. He stood in the doorway talking to him, but there was no sound.

Naruto chalked it up to watching all those _Cult Horror_ movies Hiro bought.

At least because in the dream, he and Sasuke were wearing the _Battle Royale_ collars around their necks.

Back then, every day was a different kind of battle. Back then, Naruto had thought it was like they did wear the collars, that sooner or later one of them would die.

"At least _we_ didn't have to kill eachother..." Naruto mused aloud at the cieling, as he ran the grotesque movie scenes in his head, occasionally dropping in panels from the manga adaption.

"I used to have so much shit... Well not really 'much', but still much more than what I have now." He closed his eyes, and mourned the loss of his childhood memorabilia.

"Head-cha-la... head-cha-la..."

* * *

Hinata had enough of this love-induced dementia.

She cried herself to sleep, until all the illness had been purged from her mind and her throat was ragged.

She awoke the next morning with a unfamiliar calmness.

The sun graced the spring morning with a promise that the days would grow brighter, warmer, and longer.

Hinata fixed her bed and tidied her room.

She brushed her hair until it shined. She put on a blue plaid skirt that rose just an inch above her knees, and not five. It wasn't the correct color for school, but she knew she would have to buy a new uniform if she wanted to wear her skirt longer again. She'd been hemming her old one too much.

She could hear the pounding of little feet hit the wooden floor. It was Hanabi, and she was racing out of her room again to leave for school.

Hinata knew she wouldn't be seeing her again this time, but she didn't mind.

Hinata straightened out her tie and tugged on her grey cardigan. She looked herself over in the mirror and changed her mind about the skirt. She exchanged it for a plain black skirt, making her red tie the focal point of attire for it stood out the most. She then pulled her hair into a low ponytail and grabbed her school bag.

* * *

Naruto stumbled out his front door, with school bag thrown haphazardly over his shoulder.

He began his walk to school when he noticed a girl far up ahead.

However, he didn't bother running after her just to see who she was.

* * *

As soon as the girl reached the gate, so did Naruto. He had been a little surprised to find that it was her.

She looked ordinary today which, for some reason, seemed unusual. The only thing that stood out was the way she held herself, like she was walking on a designated line; she kept her eyes straight ahead. She almost appeared to be floating.

Naruto ambled through the grounds into the locker area where students were putting on their indoor shoes for the day.

The moment he got to his locker, Hinata closed hers and walked away from him. It was like she didn't even know he was there.

"What the hell?"

* * *

The rest of the morning went on like that, without a glance or single word from her, not even that familiar stutter of his name.

She sat calm and still through the lessons, through the futball game. She reserved a small smile for Kurenai-sensei as they spoke in low voices, about what Naruto did not know.

_'Did something happen?'_ He thought, as Kurenai put a comforting hand on Hinata's shoulder.

Then came lunch.

Kiba got up to eat in the cafeteria with Shino.

Hinata stirred in her seat and watched him go, a look of reluctant yearning on her face. Then she got up after him.

Naruto thought this especially strange.

_'I can't believe she's ignoring me!'_

Naruto bolted out of seat and sprinted out the classroom.

* * *

Naruto slowed down upon hearing conversation. He stopped short of the corner and peered around it.

Kiba and Hinata stood just outside the cafeteria doors.

"You seem calm." Kiba said warmly, almost wistfully. She looked the way he had always remembered her; so composed, as if nothing bothered her, as if everything was perfect.

Hinata gave him a small smile back.

"Yeah, it feels a bit strange. But like a good strange." She giggled. The she looked down, "I think my father was right to call me a headcase... I messed things up so bad... He doesn't want to deal with me anymore. He requested Kurenai be my supervisor... and I have to visit a guidence counselor frequently..."

A somber expression fell upon her face, her lips upturned in a wry smirk.

Something changed then, Naruto wasn't sure what, but he was sure it was them. He felt excluded, uninvited, as if they had stepped into a room and locked him out; it was the intimacy they shared, and it made Naruto feel like he didn't belong.

Hinata uttered Kiba's name in a trembling sigh, and kept her eyes to the ground. Her sense of worthlessness prevented her from meeting his eyes. Then came another heavy, trembling sigh to roll from her lips.

"I'm sorry... sorry..." She brought a hand up to catch her tears and hide her reddening eyes, "I'm sorry... s-so sorry..."

Kiba pulled her into a hug. She laid her head on his shoulder. He laid his hands on upper back, where he proceeded to soothe her, only to have her cry harder. In between sobs, she sucked in his warmth and breathed in his scent; instant relief washed over in waves, compelling her to hold onto him closer, tighter. She wanted to show she appreciated him, she wanted to show how much she still cared.

Kiba was enjoying every second.

"Th-they're not going to want to s-see m-me again..."

"I think they'll be more than happy to!" Kiba laughed, encouraging Hinata to laugh too. She needed all the optimism she could take.

Naruto saw the look of contentment and relief on the other boy's face, and a voice inside him set off the alarm: Hinata was going away.

* * *

Mizuno stood by the police officer's desk and stared at the laid out images of crime scene photos. They were related to the knife they found last week. It wasn't until now that they decided a youth could have been in on it and called up Mizuno.

The officer went into several details - some vague and incomplete, some thorough - about the various cases they found in relation to the knife's characteristics and history.

The first several offenses, all taken place in Matsue, were consistent in the handling style. Then when came the 'Shinjuku Incident', the handling style was not the same at all. It had been very frantic, very reckless. Then came the robbery/homicide of the taxi driver. That had been brutal and deliberate. They couldn't be sure if the original owner of the knife was involved the last two or not. The officer threw out the possibility that the knife has been simply circulating around to different owners and after each incident, the suspect got rid of it until someone else found it.

Mizuno took note of the possibility and hung onto it just in case.

The police officer told him that he alerted authorities in Matsue to check things out if need be. A particular officer was coming down personally to look into the recent cases.

Mizuno nodded to him and thanked him, before taking his leave.

After knowing who the blade originally belonged to, Mizuno knew he only had one person to talk to, and it pained him.

* * *

"Hey! ... W-What're you two doing?"

Hinata pulled herself away from Kiba, but not once did she turn to look at Naruto. She kept her eyes at the cafeteria doors, where she could see the other students grouped together and happily chatting the period away. Kiba looked at Naruto and said nothing. Naruto's eyes flickered to their hands, intimately wrapped in eachother's warmth, a representation of commitment and security. Hinata gripped Kiba's hand tighter. Clearly she was getting nervous.

Kiba saw this and smirked the smallest of smirks. He couldn't help but imagine that this was what King Kong must have felt like when the pretty girl got taken away. In fact, Naruto looked like a wild beast fighting against rope restraints, the only thing keeping him at bay was his blatant insecurity, which he didn't want to show.

Kiba then turned to Hinata and smiled.

"We should go inside, Shino's probably getting lonely." Kiba laughed, tugging her along. As Hinata walked away, the hallway seemed to grow dimmer. Each step away from him was like a cold, harsh wind that whipped around an desolate, broken down building.

They went through the door, into the sunny cafeteria. The door swung closed behind. The hallway became black, dark; the only light came from the cafeteria where Hinata was.

All Naruto thought about was how Hinata had her arms around Kiba, how she had been clinging to him.

All he could think about was how she could do that after all the things they did, all the things she made him do. What made her change her mind? What made her choose Kiba out of the blue like that? What made her think she could do that so easily?

"Can she be done with me... already?"

* * *

When lunch was over, all the students returned to the classroom.

Naruto went over to his seat, then Hinata. Naruto watched her pick up her bag, and pull things out from her desk. Not once would she look at him.

Naruto bit down on his tongue ad stared at her. He hoped to get her attention, he hoped to make her uncomfortable enough to yell at him.

Instead she got her things and walked over to the back of the room in the desk next to Kiba, the one that was initially Shikamaru's. Hinata apologized to him in her naturally shy manner, while Kiba chuckled. Shikamaru shrugged and moved to take Hinata's old seat in front of Naruto.

Naruto didn't like this, but he wasn't sure what to say about it.

He clenched his jaw to prevent himself from blurting out like he used to do as a kid. His teeth slipped on his tongue, causing him to bite down hard. Naruto's eyes shot open. A sharp, stinging pain shot through the muscle, blood coated the tip.

"-!"

Everyone was looking at him by now, as he sat there covering his mouth in pain and stomping his feet against the tiles.

"Do you need to go to the nurses'?" Imahada-sensei, the English Teacher, asked with a dubious smirk.

Naruto hung his head and shook it back and forth. He felt really stupid just then.

* * *

Hinata ran for her house, desperately wanting to escape Naruto. Ignoring him was what she needed to do, but it was harder than she thought.

"Are you going out with him now?" Naruto shouted after her, wincing. His tongue twinged with pain everytime he had to form a syllable.

"No! Not ye- It's not like you care anyways!" With that, she disappeared inside and shut the shoji behind her.

* * *

Naruto and Ryoji sat out on the steps to the GAP building, watching as the merry-go-round went by. Ryoji casually sucked down on his cigarette, patiently waiting for Hiro's arrival.

She changed her hours back, saying she finished her evening classes and had the time to work nights again. Naruto occasionally asked Ryoji about Hiro's school. Ryoji didn't know, they didn't go to the same college.

Hiro spotted her boys on the steps and ambled her way over to them. Her hair was pulled in a ponytail. She wore classic All-Star converse shoes, skinny jeans and a t-shirt. She never did dress spectacularly unless at work, but she still looked good.

_'It's her hips...'_ Naruto thought, remembering how he got to see her in her skivvies. It didn't matter how average her chest was or how petite she was on a whole, she was definitely all woman. But then, Hinata had a grown-up body too.

Naruto had already been moping since he got to Harajuku. Thinking about Hinata, he visibly sank in deeper into his conflicting emotions.

His co-workers caught sight of this.

"Wha's up wit' him?" Hiro said, pointing at Naruto's direction with her chin.

A short laugh came from the smooth, low-voiced Ryoji, as he twiddled his cigarette between his fingers.

"I think our little hero has been dumped." He smirked. The way he referred to Naruto as 'their little hero' pissed him off. He said it so condescendingly, at least that's how it sounded in his head.

Naruto got up and punched him in the shoulder. Ryoji nearly dropped his cigarette at the sudden jolt.

Ryoji ignored him and sourly bit down on his cigarette. The older man reluctantly cussed the younger under his breath, "... Such a child..."

Hiro blinked. She was surprised to see Ryoji so exasperated. Was Fishcake's power of annoyance that strong?

"Alright, Fishcakes, don't cry. What happen?" Hiro pointedly stared at the moping Naruto. He kicked out at the granite steps, as if in refusal to speak. He was so irritated, he really didn't want to get into it a second time. Ryoji hadn't even been too sympathetic when Naruto got around to talking.

"Our hero has been sexually involved with the girl from the bathroom," Ryoji began with that dubious smirk of his, "Now he thinks she's found a boyfriend."

As Ryoji explained, Naruto had sunk back down on the steps, his head hung in defeat. The blonde hadn't expected Hiro to burst out laughing.

"Shut up!"

"What you sad about? I thought you didn't like her!" Hiro continued to laugh.

"I don't! But... How can she just drop me like that? She was crazy about me!"

"Maybe she got smart. Isn't that a possibility?" Ryoji muttered to himself as his cigarette slowly smoldered. He was vaguely embittered by Naruto's immature attitude and bull-headedness.

Naruto crossed his arms and a half-smug, half-sullen look appeared on his face.

"She said she liked the way I made her feel."

"Didn't she want to get serious with you at all?"

"Yeah, she even begged me for a date."

"And you refused?"

"Well, uhm..." Naruto hesitated quite sheepishly, "I thought that would go against our Pre-Cop agreement..."

Ryoji flicked his cigarette onto the steps quite vigorously, making Naruto nervous. The twenty-six year old didn't even bother looking at Naruto as he stood up, but he didn't miss the chance to forcefully push the lad's head down, before trudging off to work.

Hiro found this division between her boys rather interesting, but she didn't show it.

"You wanna keep her? Go try an' keep her. Go remind her how much she needs you and that your hair is blonde because you're a god."

He knew she was making fun of him too and he did all he could not to look at her.

She observed Naruto intently.

He had tensed up completely, his shoulders hunched and fingers coiled up tight. He tried to blank out his mind so his face couldn't give away the troubled emotions that were boiling over in his stomach.

It didn't seem like anything was going right for him.

* * *

Hiro snuck into the males' changing room and walked over to where Naruto was changing. His uniform pants lay on the bench as he busied himself with taking his shirt off over his head.

"What're you up to?" He asked, heaving one last effort into pulling the dress shirt off his head.

"You'll tear t'e t'reads t'at way," Hiro casually commented as she plucked his cell phone from his pants pocket. "You have buttons."

Hiro's nails hit against the touch screen as she went through his files, the occasional 'click-click-clack' filling his ears.

"It's easier to slide it off and on." He reasoned.

"Yeah, but t'en t'e collar will look like crap, 'specially if you wash it."

_click-click-clack, click-click-clack_

"Did you buy t'is cell phone?"

"No, she bought it for me."

"It's really nice. Did you know you can even edit videos here?"

Naruto just gave her an apathetic shrug.

He turned to get a look at her, and found she was already dressed and lightly made up. It'd been awhile since he got to see her like this and he wasn't stingy when drinking her in. She looked good in everything she wore, she had the right skin for it. She had her hair down, the front bits framed around her face. She wore a deep blue cheongsam, a black and gold peacock draped across her hip. The feathers descended down the train of the dress, its head rested across her breast. Her legs were exposed and she simply wore a pair of matching slippers. Naruto couldn't help but think how proud her father must be to have such a lovely daughter.

"Why don't you have a boyfriend?" Naruto suddenly asked. He hadn't even thought about it and the words flew right out of him.

"My life doesn't permit me t'at kind of time." She said rather seriously.

"Your father doesn't let you?"

"Not my father, his business."

Naruto nearly smiled.

"You're really devoted... But... What does Aomo-"

"I'm not telling you." She cut in harshly.

"Alright, alright. Then, did you get to use it?" Naruto inqueried jokingly, referring to the knife.

"..." She didn't say anything.

Naruto thought he could get through to her, but he began to see she had a rock solid wall between him and her secrets. She wouldn't tell him about her father, about his business, about Aomori or his involvement in the matter. She wouldn't talk to him about what happened with the knife.

"If you still need it, that's fine." Naruto shrugged as he forced a smile for her. Hiro didn't seem to acknowledge him anymore. She hit the 'Upload Video' button, and when the loading bar reached 100 percent, she exited the internet application and set aside his phone.

Naruto watched her leave with the distinct feeling she was upset again.

* * *

The rest of the shift went on like that: Hiro, Naruto and Ryoji all took turns being moody, both adults took turns ignoring Naruto after a certain argument. Ryoji couldn't believe his lack of discernment, Hiro couldn't believe his persistence on a topic that he didn't understand. The more time they spent together that night, the more out of place Naruto began to feel in their company. And it seemed more apparent that they wanted to get away from him.

Naruto had already gotten the feeling Ryoji didn't like him anymore. He refused to indulge in the possibility that Hiro didn't like him anymore either.

By the end of the night, all three co-workers went home instead of out for drinks.

* * *

Naruto sat in his Computers class chin in hand as he idly scrolled down through the lessons with his mouse. He tried to pretend Hinata wasn't sitting in the back of the room with Kiba, stifling her giggles as he made jokes about something they were watching. It only made it more apparent.

"You're a shitty liar, Uzumaki." Masabo laughed pointedly down the row.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto muttered back.

"You said you never saw Hyuuga-chan's panties," The chubby boy smirked.

Just then, something popped up on Naruto's screen. He didn't click on it, but it looked like it was a video. The 'play' button in the middle of the screen was just staring at him.

Naruto looked suspiciously back at his vulgar classmate, cluelessly mouthing, "What's this?"

"Don't be stupid, you uploaded this." Masabo said, a vulgar smile spread across his big lips.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh my god, look at this!" Cried a girl a row behind Naruto.

"What's going on?" The teacher marched over, getting annoyed at utter lack of attention he students actually paid to the lessons.

"Sensei, It's just popped up on my screen!"

"Uwaa? M-Mine too!"

Naruto looked back at Masabo questioningly. The chubby boy mouthed to him again, "Play it."

Naruto took his mouse and clicked the play button.

_"What're you doing?"_

_"I'm trying to remember last night." Hinata replied casually, as she ran her fingers over her neck and belly in a caressing manner._

Kiba stood up from where he sat to figure out where that voice was coming from.

Naruto felt his eyes and turned around.

Kiba was watching Naruto's screen.

_"Geez, was I so bad that you forgot?"_

Several snickers went around the classroom, many eyes giving Naruto mocking looks.

"You think that's why she's with Inuzuka now?" A girl smirked to her friend, deriving giggles from her.

Naruto's gaze drifted over to Hinata. It was like a punch in the gut when she stared right back at him with those big eyes of hers.

"That voice is you, right? Who else made this video, huh?" Masabo sputtered with amusement.

_Hinata ran her right hand across her chest and grasped her left breast._

_You could tell she was imagining her hand as his own._

The video went on to play mismatched clips of Hinata touching herself, the dialogue excluded.

"Hey, Naruto! Great job on making this video!" The chubby boy laughed despite making a sincere compliment. He was thoroughly enjoying every second. "You got anymore of these? I'll subscribe, ha-ha-ha-ha!" Masabo's laughter filled the room like white noise. Naruto heard him yet his attention was divided, the gravity of the situation far too sudden and overwhelming for him to register.

Kiba set his eyes on Naruto, startling the blonde. Kiba threw aside his seat, silencing the whole room.

He was seething.

"Bastard..." Kiba muttered.

Naruto weakly shook his head, "I didn't..." , the confusion numbing the words on his lips.

Anxiety clouded Naruto's mind, his flight instincts kicking in first. As soon as Naruto stood up, Kiba was already on him.

Naruto knocked his fist aside and threw his shoulder against Kiba's chest, knocking him aside.

"You two, stop immediately- Uzumaki get back here!" The teacher cried out like a kid having a fit.

Naruto ran out the classroom, with Kiba on his heels.

"Everyone, close all windows right now!"

* * *

"Were you trying to get back at her?" Kiba accused as his feet pounded against the hallway floor.

"Are you ki-? YOU THINK I'D GET THAT UPSET?" Naruto yelled back indignantly, almost sounding frantic. He had no idea how he was going to escape this or face it tomorrow.

Their footsteps reverberated through the halls, their voices travelled into every classroom.

Naruto was struggling to figure out how that video got up on the internet. He know he didn't do it, he totally forgot he even made that recording.

_"It's really nice. Did you know you can even edit videos here?"_

For the first time in a long while, Naruto felt what it was like to run out of a haze of ignorance, and into the painful clarity of reality. At first there was no atmosphere, no oxygen to breathe, yet it was like breathing fresh air; frigid, plentiful . Then the realization struck him in a such a way that it left him helpless in his distraught. And even though he knew the truth, he still couldn't understand.

_'Why would she do that?' _

_'Maybe I shouldn't have kept that video...'_

_'Everyone's going to think I'm a creep. Or... worse than what they've already thought of me.'_

_'What's going to happen to Hinata-chan?'_

"GET BACK HERE!"

Kiba's voice echoed in the locker corridor as Naruto dashed across the school yard.

He thought he'd be heading to some sort of freedom. He didn't expect to see Mizuno parked outside the school gates.

* * *

"What the hell happened to you? What'd you do this time?"

_Naruto sat in Mizuno's office, his head bowed as if to deflect the insults being hurled at him._

_"Geez... you sound like Iruka-sensei..." He muttered under his breath, almost wistfully, yet he sounded more resentful than anything._

_"What, did you try running away? Think I wouldn't catch you?"_

_"You didn't catch me... I never went anywhere..."_

_"Then where've you been this past week? You realize the school year is almost over? I seriously doubt they'll want to keep you if all you're gonna do is bring down their standards."_

_"Screw standards... you can never reach their's..."_

_"Where were you this past week?"_

_"... Locked up."_

_"Locked up?"_

_"... Inside a shed."_

_"Such a smartass..." Mizuno sighed as he grabbed his head out of pure frustration, "I've had enough of your bullshit!"_

_"If you didn't believe that, then you won't believe the rest." Naruto scoffed, smirking out the window. A pidgeon landed on the sill. It strutted back and forth twice before another pidgeon landed beside him and they both took off._

_"..." Mizuno noted how divided his attention was. As he observed the longing in the boy's blue eyes, he couldn't help but lose his motivation to be angry. _

_He was like a cornered animal, meant to be set free. So for now, he decided to set him free. _

_"We're done here." He said casually, feigning normalcy for them both, "You ought to leave now. And get to work on time, alright?"_

_"Yessir."_

* * *

This was the second time in Tokyo he sat locked up in the _Daiyo Kangoku_. They hurled question after question at him, shoved photographs in his face. When it came down to the knife, Naruto shut up completely.

It was still caked with blood.

"We found this in the neck of a taxi driver." The scrawny officer hissed through wide lips. Naruto tried to see his eyes, but the lights glared off his glasses.

"Wha... What makes you think I know anything about it?" Naruto asked evenly, making sure what he was thinking wasn't being portrayed externally.

The officer sneered, "You personally know Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto feigned innocent surprise for the man. He knew Sasuke had nothing to do with what was going on.

"You think he's here?"

"If he is, you have to tell us."

"I haven't seen him since he disappeared." Naruto idly shrugged. He felt confident enough to play these men until he got out. After that, he had no idea what'd he do. _'Shit... I have to get to work later. ... She's going to be there...'_

"You mean, since he murdered his brother?" The man said derisively, clearly trying to get a rise out of Naruto. The young blonde visibly sank back in his seat, his eyes drifted off to the side.

He replied with a hesitant "...Yeah," but none too happily.

"What about the Shinjuku Incident, Naruto?" Mizuno called from the side. His stare was hard and having known the man for some time made the question all too compelling. "The knife was traced back-"

"Indeed," The officer nodded impatiently, "And knowing you-"

"I wasn't involved!" Naruto glared at the officer, daring him to complete his sentence.

"I suppose not," He continued, seemingly unimpressed, "You have tried several times before to join Yakuza, but with no success. Your friend Sasuke, however, was accepted into the Akatsuki-gumi rather easily."

Naruto smirked, "Yeah, and the Akatsuki-gumi dissolved as soon as Nagato died."

The officer slammed his palms on the table and leaned forward, causing the light to completely engulf his lenses, obscuring his eyes from Naruto. Despite his scrawny build, he did look rather intimidating.

"But Nagato was barely pulling the strings! The man was so sick, someone else was running the syndicate," At this, the man made a vile grin, "Do you think your friend Uchiha Sasuke is still running? Or do you think he ran to someone he can trust, someone in power?"

The blonde numbly shook his head, unsure where any of this was leading to.

"The Uchiha may be a family of noble blood, but there was one that estranged himself to spread his influences throughout Yakuza."

"You think..", Naruto paused to gather his words, overwhelmed by the man's theories and connections, "...You think Sasuke is with Yakuza, then?"

"Uchiha Madara! Uchiha Madara is Sasuke's last breathing relative and he is the Kumicho to five main syndicates spread across the Southern Kanto region; not mention over ten smaller groups in Tokyo. God knows how much more he controls, especially if Sasuke is his right-hand man."

Naruto stared at the man for sometime, feeling rather incredulous about the whole thing.

Naruto didn't doubt Sasuke would get sick of running, but Naruto didn't believe Sasuke would seek the protection of Yakuza, relative or not. He was too proud for that. But then again, Sasuke had proved to be surprising. If Madara could give him power and influence that Orochimaru couldn't, then perhaps Sasuke did involve himself.

_'But Sasuke only wanted to get to Itachi, and he did. He only sought people like Orochimaru to get to Itachi... So what other reason could there be that Sasuke would remain in their ranks?'_

Naruto knew this had nothing to do with Sasuke, nor whether he was with Madara or not. This barely had anything to do with Yakuza even. The knife belonged to Sasuke, that was why they were implicating him, but the officers were either reading into it too much or not enough.

The man they really wanted was still a boy and he was staring them right in the face.

"Sorry, I don't know what to tell you guys."

* * *

Mizuno offered to drop Naruto off at work. The man had been quiet and solemn the whole time since.

"You know I haven't seen that bastard since he ran away, right?" Naruto asked casually, giving Mizuno a sideways glance through his rearview mirror.

"Yup."

Mizuno didn't bother to look, he kept his eyes firmly ahead, only mirroring Naruto's nonchalant facade.

"So there's no way I'd know where is now."

"I believe you."

"Yeah, those officers were grasping at straws." Naruto chuckled, resting his head against the window.

"But it must be tough though, having been asked those questions," Mizuno glanced at his rearview mirror. Naruto gave little reaction. He looked back on the road. "You're close to Uchiha Sasuke, so it's only natural they'd come to ask you about him. Who knows; anything he does now may lead back to you. You may even be asked to track him down one of these days."

"I'm not doing that." Naruto grumbled.

"Don't you want to see him again?"

"..." Naruto didn't answer.

"And the knife. Don't you think it's odd it founds its way out here?"

"Maybe he is here, I dunno," Naruto sighed, closing his eyes. "It's a big city."

The car turned left, the sound of the tire treads rolling across the asphalt filled the silence of the vehicle as Mizuno pulled over. Hundreds of people filled the intersection, giving a feeling of vastness despite the congestion. When Mizuno didn't say anything, Naruto thanked him and hastily got out of the car.

His whole body felt like it was charged with electricity.

Under the current circumstances, having to see Hiro terrified him.

* * *

Her face seared hot with humiliation, it ached from restraining her cries. Her cheeks were moist and sticky with tears, her hair stuck to her skin as she smothered her face in her hands. She tried hard not to believe that Naruto would post that video on purpose, she tried hard not to believe he would be that cold.

But that video showed everything.

The boys thought she was a kink.

The girls thought she was 'a lowlife for being with a lowlife'.

Hinata cried to Kiba about her shameless behavior. She cried about how her father would hate her so much, how he'd say he didn't raise a slut, how Hanabi had more self-respect and intelligence than she did. She cried about her mother, were she alive, and if she would hate her just as much.

"I can't deny that it happened... I can't deny that we did those things... I can only deny having sex... I never gave myself to him... He didn't want me..."

Kiba did his best to comfort her, to hold her, all the while cursing Naruto. He was the one that made that video whether he posted it or not, it was his fault that it got out. It was his fault that this happened in the first place. It was his fault for using Hinata.

Hinata wanted him to stop. Holding her was fine, saying soothing words was fine, but insulting Naruto continuously was not fine. She knew he had her best interests in mind, and she appreciated him for being such a fierce friend, but writing Naruto off didn't make her feel better, it made her feel worse, it riled her.

She blamed herself. She did all this to herself. She couldn't hate Naruto, even if she tried.

There was still something there about him that she appreciated and she held onto it.

Maybe she wasn't strong enough to forget about him completely, ignoring him was hard enough.

If she hadn't changed seats, she barely would've gotten through the afternoon.

* * *

Naruto glued his back to the wall as he watched Hiro disappear into the female employees' changing room. She wore the same black and gold baseball jacket as she did when they both stole back the Ichiraku's delivery bike. Apprehension and anxiety clutched his heart in a tight fist, causing his breath to hitch and his heart rate to increase.

He dashed for the Manager's Office, knowing the man had a crush on Hiro. He hoped Mr. Masaharu wasn't all stupid.

Naruto burst through and slammed the door shut, startling the forty-something year old half to death.

"Why did you hire me?" Was the first thing that flew out of Naruto's mouth. The question barely registered in the man's mind as he carefully set down his _YOUNG JUMP_ manga magazine back in its drawer.

"You came to me for a job." He blinked, stating matter-of-factly.

Naruto came to his desk, his eyes plagued and troubled. Hastily he spoke, "Yeah, but shouldn't you have done a background check or something, just to see who you'd be hiring?"

The agitation in his voice made the Manager wonder if he should laugh him off or take this seriously.

"Well I don't think that was really necessary, Eh-heh. You are still a child, what sort of stuff would I have been looking for?" The man smiled, chuckling hesitantly every once and awhile.

"But what about Hiro-chan?" The anxiety in Naruto's voice increased to where it was nearly contagious.

"..." The silence from Mr. Masaharu was a sign that he was guilty of mistake.

"I remember, you said you hired her on the spot, right? You didn't ask her any questions?"

"..." Mr. Masaharu remained speechless, Naruto's contagious concern growing visible on the man's forehead in the form of sweat.

Naruto took a step away from his desk, disbelief written on his face.

"You don't know anything about her, do you?"

The man's heart sank. His whole body sagged from having been so tense, and the look on his face was that of defeat and shame. His lips were quirked up in a sheepish smile, his brow drooped in an apologetic manner, yet his eyes were wide with fear.

"What sort of stuff would I have been looking for?" He gasped, emitting an unintended laugh.

Naruto hoped he wasn't going to give the man a heart attack for this. He wasn't sure where this was leading him, his thoughts and fears were all over the place is his head, but he felt for the man.

Just because he was an irresponsible manager didn't mean he was responsible for what his employees did. He didn't mean anything, he was just running a business.

Naruto turned away from his manager and exited the office, with only one thought in mind.

He had to talk to Hiro.

* * *

Naruto didn't dress for waiting tables, only wearing a white t-shirt and his work pants. When he announced he'd be washing the dishes, Hiro decided she would to. Naruto wasn't sure if he was thankful for this or not because she made it so easy for him that he couldn't help but feel more intimidated.

"Just like when you started working here, right?" Hiro smiled as she picked up a sponge and plate.

"Y-Yeah..." Naruto laughed back, rather weakly. He couldn't stop his heart from warming at her smile and the prospect of lighter times returning. He began to wish things hadn't changed.

He wished he never got involved with Yakuza.

He wished Sasuke didn't leave. If Sasuke didn't leave, then he wouldn't be in Tokyo.

Naruto began to wish he wasn't in Tokyo.

He wished he hadn't seen Hinata cry.

He wished he hadn't run into her at the bridge.

He wished he hadn't asked her to go out on New Year's Eve with him.

He wished she never had a crush on him.

He wished he hadn't kept her away from what she needed instead of what she wanted.

He wished he never recorded that video.

He wished he never stole that bike, he wished he never rode that taxi, he wished he hadn't given Hiro that knife.

He still wished he could've been the good guy, and not 'that orphan kid'.

He wished he hadn't taken his clothes off at the photo booth and then got arrested all because Hiro thought it would be fun.

"Does t'e name Minato mean anyt'ing to you, fishcakes?" Hiro said suddnly out of the blue. Naruto didn't respond right away. "Fishcakes?"

Naruto jumped, finally hearing her.

"Wh-Wha-? H-Huh?" He chuckled nervously. She stared at him for some time, suspicious as to why he would so jumpy. But she ignored it.

"Does t'e name 'Minato' mean anyt'ing to you?"

"Um... There's a Minato district in Tokyo-"

"No, I mean a man named Minato." Hiro explained, staring ever harder at him. She made him sweat.

"Nope, sorry." He uttered tentatively, keeping his gaze on the frothy suds.

"Because Aomori-jiji t'ought you looked familiar, t'ogh I hadn't really been listening to his story." She said whispery voice that made Naruto's skin crawl. Maybe it was the way she spoke or the way she said that name. "But I told him t'ere could be no way he had a child. T'e surnames aren't even t'e same."

"Uhh, yeah..." Naruto wasn't even listening anymore, his mind too caught up over a different name. _'Aomori-jiji? She called him 'Aomori-jiji'...'_

"Hiro-chan, why did you post that video?"

"I t'ought t'e world would be interested in t'e relationship you guys had." She plainly said with an apathetic shrug.

Naruto turned to her and leaned in close, dropping his voice to a hiss, "And why did you kill that taxi driver with the knife I gave you?"

Hiro acknowledged his panicky distress and etched it into her memory. Inwardly she smirked, but did not let her amusement show.

"I didn't do t'at. You did t'at."

"What?"

Hiro grabbed his soapy wrist and turned him around so both could present themselves fully to the kitchen staff.

"I just want everyone here to know," She started out in a loud, clear voice, bewildered boy in hand as all eyes looked on, "T'at Uzumaki Naruto is a very good guy."

Naruto flushed, and awkwardly saluted his co-workers, having no idea what else to do. _'What is she doing?'_

"When we went to get our pictures taken in a photo boo's, I got him to streak around Shibuya! When I gave him a wrench, he stole a bike and it was chained! When we went out, I got him so drunk he took off his pants! He also killed the taxi driver!"

"What're you doing? I didn't do that! I didn't do that!" Naruto cried, trying to free himself from Hiro's grip, but she was stronger than he thought.

"Oh, you know he had sex with a customer in the lavatory two months ago?"

"Hiro, shut up!"

"He even has a video, you can find under the tags 'blonde, tiny, dicks' on any website!"

"Shut up already!" Naruto moved to cover her mouth. As soon as his palm hit her lips, she bit him. She grabbed his wrist again and twisted his arm behind his back, and forced him to the ground.

"I thought you wanted people to know who you are! Did you want to tell them?" Hiro put her foot to his head and shoved him aside. "Or are you too much of a failure that there's nothing to tell?"

Her voice changed, she dropped that ridiculous speech of hers!

Hiro reached into her dress and pulled out a small sheathed knife.

"You want to play 'Yakuza', Naruto-kun?" She taunted in high, fluid voice, as if she were about to cry. She gripped the sheath and tossed it aside, revealing a _hira_ style _tanto_ knife. "I'll cut off every finger, knuckle by knuckle."

Naruto was ready to run, not so much that he was scared, but he wasn't even sure he wanted to fight Hiro. She was still a girl, even though she was now more of a bitch than a girl. And part of him still recognized her as a friend. But she didn't see him that way. No, she was the one that still had a grudge against him.

_'That's why she called him Aomori-jiji... Shit, but what do I do?'_

Ryoji was the only in the kitchen brave enough to approach Hiro, let alone move. Naruto met his gaze, his face silently telling him what to do. Ryoji carefully sidled around the counter before creeping up on Hiro. His palms and neck were moist with anxious sweat. He couldn't begin to imagine what caused Hiro to want to harm Naruto or even why. Sure, he could be pretty annoying, but he didn't deserve to get attacked.

Naruto glanced back at Hiro, and decided to get her to talk long enough for Ryoji to reach her.

"You're after me because what I did in Shinjuku forced the Kumicho to run, but why do you hate me for that? What did I do to you?"

"BECAUSE THE KUMICHO IS MY FATHER!" All her pain, her frustration and anguish was put into that mournful scream, causing tears to run down her face in streams. "O... MAP SO SA! HE LEFT ME HERE! HE RAN AWAY, BUT I CAN'T GO BACK HOME! I CAN'T GO BACK!"

"B-Back where?" Naruto bit out tentatively.

"KOREA!" Sobs wracked her body, her throat ragged from hate-filled screams. Her fists shook violently around the knife that was aimed towards Naruto. "Oh god, god, god, oh god... He- He destroyed m-my visas... my citizenship... H-He c-cut off my account! I have no way back! I'm not even his daughter anymore!"

Naruto watched her carefully as he pushed himself up. Her grip on the knife tightened.

"I never intended..."

"Shut up! I know you didn't intend this! But it happened anyways, and I found you! I never knew it was you that destroyed Matsuraba-kai until you said all that shit, when you were lying in a stupor on my couch! I don't give a shit about how bad you had it; I'VE BEEN EXILED! If I have to be all alone on this shitty spit of land, then you do too! Th-that's why I did all that stuff... So you'd be alone... I thought the police would figure it out, but they're so narcisstic in their search... They don't want you, because you're not worth shit. They want your traitor friend. But I'll make them see it was you, I'll make sure you can't survive in your own country. I WANT YOU ALONE! I WANT YOU ALONE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!"

She lunged out at him, knife thrusted forward. Ryoji hooked his arms under hers, causing her to swing back.

Screams and frightened shouts rang throughout the kitchen in horror.

The blade had caught Ryoji by his neck, two-thirds of the three inch blade embedded in the side of his throat.

Hiro in her blind rage, only saw Naruto, as she pulled the knife out, half-aware of the blood that coated her fingers, and swung after Naruto again.

A startling, searing pain tore through his arm. Naruto had caught the blade in his wrist. He tried to hold Hiro off by pushing against her when she pushed forward. He glanced past her to see Ryoji. By now the staff members were either fleeing to the door or scared stiff, some with conflicted expressions on their faces as they watched Ryoji bleed.

He had his hand pressed to his neck. His face was pale and aghast. He stumbled backwards, the blood oozing out between his fingers, and dripping from his mouth. Naruto could only think about his four younger sisters. Would they see him again?

Another sob-like scream tore through the kitchen as Ryoji fell against the wall, unable to stop his own bleeding.

The searing pain grew with sudden intensity, compelling Naruto to clench his jaw, as a groan rumbled in his throat. Hiro dragged the blade through his skin, slicing open muscle until suddenly the handle broke.

"Dammit..." Hiro cursed, and tossed it aside. Naruto looked down and clutched at his arm.

_'I can't believe it broke inside...!'_

Hiro ran back for a replacement, leaving Naruto to search for the metal embedded in his muscle. His fingerpads scraped across a rough edge jutting from near his elbow. He struggled to get his grip on it, his blood making it too slippery for him to find.

Quick footsteps came after him.

"Holy shit!" Naruto hissed under his breath, as Hiro came after him with a _Nakiri Bocho_ in hand. He met with her every step, narrowly escaping her swings with one jump backwards. Naruto's back smacked against the wall, and Hiro swung. He ducked down and rolled out of the way, leaving a trail of blood from his arm where he moved. He glanced back at Ryoji. His eyes were growing tired. His upper left side was already soaked in blood.

_'He's not going to make it, I don't think he's going to make it... Maybe someone's already called an ambulance... God, he's going to die...'_

"Do you wanna kill me or do you wanna make me suffer?" Naruto taunted, fleeing her advances but never fleeing the premises. He struggled to find the answer, but he didn't know what to do.

"Depends on what you're willing to do!" Hiro yelled, chucking the knife at him. "I'll never stop. If you find even the smallest bit of happiness, I'm taking it away! If you want happiness, you will have to kill me! I'll never stop!"

"I'm not scared of you," Naruto teased, feeling unsure of his confidence in his own statement.

"You're still a kid," She smiled as she bent down and picked up the knife. "A kid running in a never-ending nightmare. I know what you fear, you told me after all."

_**BANG!**_

Thunder suddenly burst through the air. It reverberated through their bodies and ears. Naruto's heart nearly exploded in his chest, it was beating so fast!

His eyes drifted a little off to the left, where in the wall lay a small hole.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Said a cold voice from behind.

It was Aomori.

He had a gun.

Naruto's gaze drifted over to Hiro. He realized now that wasn't really her name, maybe it was her pass name, but it was her alias because she had been hiding like her father.

"I hate this place," She bitterly muttered, "I have nobody. Being abandoned here is like a death sentence. I refuse to use my pass name. I'll run. But if one day I'm incarcerated, you can bet I'll see you there."

Aomori walked up to Naruto and put the gun to his head. The man then gripped Naruto's wrist and turned him around. He was escorting him out, but to where?

Naruto heard a clang behind him. He looked over his shoulder. Hiro had dropped the blade and was walking over to Ryoji with a towel in hand.

She pressed the towel to his throat as a tourniquet.

She was sobbing.

"I'm sorry..."

* * *

Aomori pushed Naruto in the back of a cop car. There were few cars and dozens of officers rushing into the building. It wasn't until Aomori got into the driver's seat that Naruto saw he was disguised as a fellow police officer.

"Don't let him die."

Aomori glanced into his rearview mirror, and despite his eternal poker face, a questioning look passed through his eyes.

"Don't let him die." Naruto begged once more. From what he saw, Hiro didn't want Ryoji to die either. Aomori could pull some strings, get someone in there to save him. Naruto sunk forward, with his head hung has he clutched his still bleeding arm., Desperation was aparent in his voice as he begged again, "Please?"

Aomori looked away. He turned the key and revved up the engine.

He couldn't promise anything but, "We'll try."

* * *

Aomori pushed Naruto in Mizuno's direction. The young blonde did all he could not to meet Mizuno's eyes.

"So you did murder that taxi driver." The probations officer sighed.

Naruto shook his head, forcing another disappointed sigh from the man before him.

"Naruto, your prints were on handle."

_"Depends on what you're willing to do!"_

Naruto knew then, Hiro had him cornered long before he could stop it.

_"I know what you fear..."_

Loneliness.

Emptiness.

Failure.

They were going to take him away.

He didn't even make it six months in Tokyo, he didn't even make it through the school year, and already he failed.

* * *

Next Chapter:

_It was like Hiro said: It all depended on what he did, what he chose to do._

_He chose to run._

_Again._

_Funniest thing thing he found this time about running was having Hinata chasing after him._


	30. This is About Falling

Star - I like reviews! XD I really do! Please? Heheheh...

My friend has been nagging me for happy stuff, and well while I cannot promise long-lasting happy stuff, it will last in the long-run. So let there be NARUHINAAAA! whee.

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch.30 - About Falling

_I know I messed up. I'm not really sure how exactly. I could name all the things that might've sparked this, all that things that must've made Karma decide I deserved this._

_Maybe it was because I chose to play pachinko on New Year's Eve instead of trying to find a party to hang out in; like a good kid._

_Maybe it was because I was never a good kid._

_I always wanted to be a hero. I thought Soubans were heroes, who took in all the orphans and outsiders, and give them purpose and a home. Because I've been searching for home for so long, I've been fighting to establish my purpose so that way people would want me as a part of their lives; a good part, a happy part, so that way they'd recognize me. So they'd know the name 'Uzumaki Naruto' with pleasant connotations._

_Why did I still think it would be that simple?_

_There are no heroes in Yakuza. That's just romantic bullshit from the movies, just like childhood fairy tales. I should really stop believing in that crap._

_I'm no main character, and real life doesn't have plot shield._

* * *

Naruto didn't even have to think about it.

The moment Mizuno touched his arm, Naruto bolted.

Mizuno called out after him, letting out an exasperated growl. He whirled around on the stoic and unusual 'police officer', Aomori, and addressed him in a near insulting manner.

"Why didn't you put cuffs on him?"

Aomori reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a cigarette, his blatant disregard confounding to the other man.

"I didn't have them at the time," The Yakuza coolly answered, disturbingly unconcerned with the new turn of events. Then again, in some ways it wasn't at all surprising. Children do love to run. "You better catch him," Aomori smirked after Mizuno had been staring at him for some time.

Mizuno curse, "Shit..." , and ran after Naruto. He couldn't believe he hadn't prepared himself for this to happen. Runners weren't exactly rare, and they were almost always the dumb kids. He didn't exactly think Naruto unitelligent, but he was an impulsive knucklehead. Running away should've been something he expected!

Maybe it was because a police officer had turned him over that he thought it would be so easy.

Mizuno cursed at himself for being so naive. He also cursed himself for not taking his car.

* * *

This was just like when Mizuno first appeared, when Naruto had thought all his Yakuza business had been dealt with, and Mizuno had been simply the 'Armband Man'.

Naruto thanked Mizuno's delayed reaction, for he wasn't on his heels this time.

His arm, however, felt as if it was on fire, as his muscles rubbed and twisted against the three-inch blade with every hasty movement.

He sprinted across the crosswalk, and rushed on through the crowd of Harajuku Station, frantically making his way to the train.

A female voice over the intercom stated that the train was boarding.

Naruto wrapped his bleeding arm in the hem of his white shirt and hugged it close to his stomach in hopes that no one would see.

He eased himself into the car, wincing as the conductors forced several more passengers in.

He couldn't keep people from touching his injury.

* * *

Naruto knew as soon as Aomori had escorted him out, that Hiro had ran away. She was escaping the law, same as him. He kept telling himself: she didn't have to do this, she could've made friends, she could've opened herself up to like this place, even if it wasn't her home. But no matter how many times he ranted about her decision, he couldn't bring himself to believe he was right.

Her hate was twisted, but perhaps it was justified.

She had been denied her home, her purpose. She had been deeply involved in her father's business, she was clearly proud of her father. He didn't doubt she would succeed him. Now she was left with nothing, not even her name.

There was a part of Naruto that was screaming at him to get it together. He thought he should've talked to her more, he should've appealed to her pain. But then he knew that wouldn't have worked. She said she didn't care. She listened to him once before, he opened himself to her once before. She wouldn't listen again. Already he revealed his pain to her and she wasn't swayed. There was no sympathy in her heart. Even if he tried to tell her how much he empathized with her, she wouldn't care. All this was happening to her, not to him. That was why she had to make it worse for him, far worse than it was for her.

_'She's willing to kill complete strangers... She must have so much hate that she doesn't care...'_

He pumped his feet as fast as he could, only thinking of the amount of distance he could put between himself and his death, and not once thinking of finding a place to hide.

A thought drifted across his conscience, a memory, a realization, something like a truth.

_'Life means nothing to her anymore...'_

Sasuke thought he could become powerful and unyielding in his hatred, if he denied all the things that made him human. Naruto didn't understand that at first, but he could begin to see now how that works. Demons have no emotion, they have no regard for life and they're not cowards either. Hiro was already at that level where she had nothing left to lose. At her truest nature she was a sadist, not just someone looking for revenge, she could live off the blood of others if she wanted.

That was something he could never do.

She could survive with her hatred to shield her.

He couldn't do that at all.

* * *

Kiba was hesitant to let her go, but in the end she convinced him. After all the crying she did, all she wanted to do was sleep.

She dragged her feet to her house, all energy and reason left behind with her confidence. She tossed her schoolbag onto the engawa, then leaned her forehead against the post. She turned to gaze tired eyes at Naruto's home, as various thoughts ran through her head. She remembered when no one lived there, when everything had been relatively calm and consistent; a mundane routine. Then she thought about how Naruto came to live there. She used to think his smile was annoying, but it was actually his best feature when she thought about it. She didn't know why she didn't like it at the time. If she had been who she was **now** _back then_, she would've fallen hard just for his smile.

Instead he grew on her. Over time, he exasperated her and teased her. He warmed her and he touched her, not just in the physical sense, which lately made her sick.

"What happened to that smile of his?" She lamented with a sigh. She closed her eyes and settled down on the engawa so she could feel the wind.

The breeze caressed her face with fingertips as light as petals, it ran through her hair and tickled her roots. It swam through her clothes and seeped into her skin. Remembering the miracles of nature helped her to remember that there was still life beyond the constant heartaches of failed romances.

But even if there was, it didn't solve any of her problems. The wind could only calm her, it couldn't save her.

An abrupt skidding sound cut through her conscience, coincided with a troubled yelp. Footsteps thudded up the steps of Naruto's home, before the door had been thrown open with an even louder thud.

Her curiousity compelled her to stand. Her curiousity grabbed her by the collar and dragged her to Naruto's broken down doorway. There was a smudge of blood on the door and handle, several large drops across the tatami flooring.

She could hear the faucet running.

She stepped into the _genkan_ and peered out at the shadow hunched over the sink, its shoulders shaking.

Every once in awhile it'd emit this strained groan, before its shoulders slumped and starting shaking again, as it wept quietly, as if in desperation for relief.

Naruto was struggling to get the blade out from his arm. The warm water stung like acid, and every time he moved the blade just a centimeter, his arm would flare up with so much agony and heat that it was excruciating. It was much worse than recieving a bullet through the hand or a tennis racket to the skull; both would recede into aching pain, like bruises. He survived that kind of pain. But this three inch cut needed stitches and more, every movement forced out a unwanted sob.

"N- Naruto-kun?" a voice tentative whispered. It stopped him cold, suddenly Naruto's back straightened like a rod.

_'H- How does she always find me..? O-Oh yeah... We're neighbors...'_

Naruto kept silent, unsure whether to face her, unsure of what to say. She cautiously made her way over to him. He could feel her every move, he absorbed it, until he was sure she was close enough, and he stiffened again.

He could picture her face; so pallid and innocent. He didn't want her to see him like this again. If she saw him, it would be in her memory forever and there was no way he could make her forget.

But she was here anyways, and he needed help.

"Do... do you have nails?" He muttered dumbly, startling her.

"Wha-?"

"Or that first aid kit?" He smirked wrly despite the pain. He had suddenly remembered a funny memory about that first aid kit. There were a couple memories attached to it actually, both involving him having gotten hurt and her treating him. He hoped this would be the last time he would put her through this.

Naruto took one last look at his arm before releasing a shaky sigh. He turned around, with his bleeding arm held out away from his body.

Her eyes widened significantly.

Blood trickled out his wound and splashed onto the tatami.

His face was the most miserable she had ever seen, his eyes caught in a haze of despair.

"Wh- Wh-What happened...?"

* * *

Naruto gripped the side of the sink and clenched down with all his might as Hinata gripped the blade with a pair of tweezers. They had to both pull in the opposite directions at the same time, with the same force, or so they both thought.

Naruto tried to tell himself he wasn't crying. Hinata couldn't believe how much he _was_ crying. She thought she never saw him like this, she swore it. She didn't blame him though, she didn't expect him to be strong all the time.

Blood coated her fingers as she tried to unwedge the blade, every new movement reawakening the flesh to bleed more profusely. Streams of it ran down the length of her forearm and dripped off her elbow. The stench of copper stung her nose, causing her stomach to recoil in repugnance.

The tweezers slipped and the blade moved crookedly within his flesh. Fresh tears leaked from his clenched eyes, and a pain-filled groan growled in his throat.

Hinata took one glance at his face before tossing the tweezers aside and deciding to go for it.

She gripped the ten centimeters of rough, rectangle-like metal that jutted out from his skin, and began to pull. Each effort sent new waves of heat and pain to assault his nerves, but Naruto was too busy crying now to make a verbal complain. She grabbed his arm with one hand, and held onto the metal with the other. She began to pull once more.

Naruto screamed.

"NOT LIKE THAT!"

"YOU DO IT THEN!" Hinata frantically screamed back, drying her throat out faster than intended. Her heart was racing at a dizzying speed, she wondered when she would get used to this.

"Gimme those tweezers." He said seriously, leaving Hinata to question him. "C'mon, gimme the tweezers!" He bit out agitatedly.

She handed it to him and he shoved it inside his wound. In a matters of minutes, he dug it out and the blade landed crookedly on the tatami.

It glinted in the daylight.

* * *

As soon as Naruto washed the blood off his skin and wrapped his wound tight under several layers of gauze, he flew past Hinata in a haste and leapt out the door, without even a word to her.

Without thinking herself, she followed after him.

"That's it?" Hinata called as she jogged after him.

It took Naruto two double-takes to realize she was there, pure bewilderment on his face.

"Why're you following me!" He blurted out like it was the oddest thing.

That made Hinata hesitate. She asked herself if she cared if he got mad that she was following him, she asked herself if she cared if he got annoyed with her prescence. She bit on her lip and thought about it for a couple of seconds.

She decided she didn't care anymore.

"I've got your blood all over my hands, and you just leave?"

"Maybe you should go back and wash it off!" Naruto threw sarcastically over his shoulder. When Hinata stared at him through squinted eyes, he turned his gaze back. At this point, a glare from anyone perturbed him. When she remained silent, it made him paranoid, and he let her follow.

If that was was she wanted, what could he do about it?

* * *

They both took the _Kodama_ train on the _Tokaido Shinkansen_ line. The _Kodama_ was the slowest train service the line had to offer, much to Naruto's irritation. But the limited _Nozomi_ train had already taken off when they arrived, so they had no choice.

Naruto sat holding his arm close to himself, as he let his eyes wander all around the train car. Most seats were filled, as young kids played their gameboys and old men read their newspapers. He could hear the music of a girl's headphones as she sat directly behind him.

She was listening to _Miyavi_.

Hinata exited the bathroom in the back of the car. She had gone in to scrub his blood off with success and was currently busily working the blood out from under her nails.

Naruto looked up as she sat herself down beside him, her eyes fixated on her nails.

"...What're you doing?" He quietly asked after some hesitation.

"Cleansing myself of you." She said, cold and casual.

Naruto turned away from her to lean his head against the window.

He decided if he was bothering her, then he wouldn't bother talking to her.

That only made the the trip lonelier, and all the more awkward for him.

* * *

Naruto had been silent for some time, she noticed. She didn't realize he had fallen asleep until his lips parted open and light snores exuded out his mouth. She had almost been tempted to take out her phone and take a picture, but she killed that thought immediately.

Still, he looked really huggable.

_'NO! STOP IT! STOP IT! YOU CAN'T LIKE HIM ANYMORE!'_

Hinata started having a tantrum inside her head, unbeknownst to herself that outside she was reflecting that tantrum by stomping her feet wildly on the floor as she smacked her face repeatedly.

"Hinata... What're you doing?"

She froze.

Through half-lidded eyes, Naruto watched her, waiting for a response.

But she never said a word.

* * *

A heavy air fell over them. It was like they were in a world of their own, Naruto's reality a separate darkness from the rest of the passengers' happy lives. He wondered if he was dragging Hinata into his mire by taking her along like this. Though it was still her choice to join him, he felt he could've done more to stop her.

Then again, after all the times he tried to bully her away and give her the cold shoulder, she still stuck to him like a leech.

_'Maybe she's a good leech, like the medicinal ones...'_ Naruto blinked and vigorously shook his head at himself. _'That's a weird thought...'_

"Can you pay me back?" Hinata asked out of the blue, seemingly distracted. She had been doing a lot of thinking since he woke up, he wasn't sure what was going through her mind right now, not that he really cared.

"Pay you- I don't have any money." He admitted, not sounding sorry in the least. Hinata had payed for their tickets since he couldn't at the time. He didn't think she'd be concerned with getting payed back.

"Why? I thought you were working." She replied, looking off to the side.

"Sure, but I left my wallet at the restaurant." He said, thinking, _'Do you honestly think I could've made a last request to get my shit out of my locker?'_ Of course he couldn't say that without having to explain himself, and his heart hung heavy at the thought. The last thing he wanted to do was explain to himself to her. He felt he would not only burden her, but burden himself. He feared speaking about it would only concrete his troubles. He felt if he kept it to himself, then he could change his outlook to suit his needs, nobody could contradict him.

Nobody could remind him of his failure.

"I want you to pay me back one of these days." Hinata persisted. Boy, she was getting bold. It was getting on Naruto's nerves.

"Why're you so concerned with 7510 yen?"

Hinata was quiet, but as she spoke, he swore she was nearly seething. Maybe seething. He couldn't imagine her getting that mad over a bit of money.

"The lunches, the wristwatch, the cell phone, the cell phone _bill_..." She began to list various things that were flying right past him.

"Wait, what?"

"That's 20,000,000 yen you owe me, plus the tickets."

Naruto jumped from his seat, unable to believe what he was hearing. He looked at her like she had transformed into a landlady.

"N-No friggin' way! Tha-That's...! That's way more than I ever owed the Ya-a-!" Naruto sputtered anxiously, stopping short of the forbidden word. He stared at her speechless, with stark wide eyes and mouth agape. When she shrugged him off, his frustration grew. He stood there stammering, refusing to sit back down beside her. She had become a landlady.

"I'm holding you to it." She said in her new cold and casual way.

"H-How do you even have that much money?"

"I used to have forty million in my account."

"F-F-Forget you! I-I don't owe you rich people nothing!"

* * *

Moe said her relationship with Naruto was just like the _UTADA_ song, "Taking My Money Back", except minus the pimpish boyfriend, though that was part of the main metaphor. With the way she spent all her time, and inevitably her money, on him and got nothing back in return; Moe said she had to 'take her money back'.

Hinata thought the literal sense was a good start. She really didn't care if he did pay her back or if he never payed her back; Money was never a great concern for her, but she thought she could tease him with the idea.

_"...And ooh, ooh, ooh, and ah, ah, ah_

_Give me back my heart, give me back my time_

_And ooh, ooh, ooh, and ah, ah, ah_

_What a waste of a woman so fine-ine-ine..."_

The train slowed to a stop. The passengers began to stir and move, making Naruto wonder.

"End of the line?" He asked Hinata, a hint of distress on his face.

"This is Atami," She said nodding, pushing herself up from her seat. She waited for the line to move before easing herself into the aisle. Fearing abandonment, he rushed into line, incidently bumping into the headphone girl that had sat behind him.

"S-Sorry," He muttered with a hurried bow before rushing after Hinata.

Atami was a seaside resort city, located partially on a submerged volcanic caldera, known primarily for its hot springs and sandy beaches. Atami was located on the eastern edge of the Izu Peninsula, about 95.4 kilometers southwest of Tokyo.

The train ride had been a little over two hours long, longer than he liked. He would've preferred being in someplace like Nagoya by now, but the _Kodama_ didn't reach out that far.

"Maybe they won't find me here so soon..." He muttered to himself, as he unconsciously caressed the gauze around his arm.

As soon as the fresh air outside hit his nose, he couldn't help but breathe in deeply. The lightest hints of sea water tickled in the back of his nose and stuck to his sinuses. He almost felt at home.

Several rentals cars were parked on the side of the curb, all courtesy of Toyota or Nissan services. The city of Atami was compact, yet open. There wasn't a skycraper to be seen to obscure the sun nor intimidate the trees. The _Kodama_ breathed to life as it screeched against the rails before making its way back to Tokyo.

The thought of Tokyo made him think of Matsue. He had never planned on returning to Matsue, and as for Tokyo; he couldn't make that choice at all. He didn't even have to wonder about it, he felt the banishment.

He doubted he'd miss it though.

Hinata was leaning against a post when he found her. He realized just then that she was still wearing her school uniform. She didn't wear her skirt so short anymore. She let her hair down and wore a baggy blue cardigan that looked really comfortable despite its stretched state.

He imagined she gave up trying to be like other girls like she gave up on him.

So why'd she leave home with him like this? Did she really feel like he owed her?

He walked towards her and reached out to touch her arm. He felt her relax a little before she tensed up completely and jerked away.

She addressed him with a hesitantly sullen glare.

Her behavior caught him off guard.

_'Delayed reaction?'_ He scoffed dubiously to himself.

"Look, I'm not staying here," Naruto declared seriously.

Hinata gave him a crooked glance.

"Where are you going go?"

"Doesn't matter, I just gotta keep increasing my distance. ...What does the timetable say?"

"There's a _Hikari_ train to Nagoya in the next twenty minutes. I'm taking the next_ Kodama_ back to Tokyo."

Naruto blinked at this.

* * *

Naruto had her swung over his shoulder like a towel, with his hand on her thighs to keep her from falling.

She was throwing such a fit.

"Let go! Let go of me! I'm not going with you!"

"Liar. You want to follow me to the ends of the earth, just admit it." He teased whilst grinning, as they bathed in the attention of awkward commuters.

"I can't believe you're so full of yourself!"

"Ahahaha, don't worry, you can be full of me too."

"You're gross! I'm going home! Put me down! I'M GOING HOME!"

The _Hikari_ train doors opened to the patient passengers, as they filled the cars. Naruto, with Hinata in hand, none too carefully carried her inside just before the doors could shut close again. He put her down on her feet and smiled at her, as if it was the most appropiate response. Her face was flustered red again, but this time with aggravation, not adoration. Her hair was everywhere as well from her wriggling and struggling. He actually thought she looked cuter like this.

_'I wonder if I always have a thing for angry girls...'_ He mused as he conveniently noted how he always felt an attraction whenever Sakura was angry, or any other girl really; he was feeling the same attraction with Hinata, he thought it looked good on her.

And maybe he was mistakening 'angry girls' for 'feisty girls', because unbeknownst to him, Hinata would never be an angry girl.

"Ladies first," He smirked knowingly. Hinata was so tempted to smack him or kick him or do something, but when she remembered his injury, she just stomped her foot and walked away, leading them to find some seats.

* * *

Hinata had curled herself up against the window, continuously flipping her cell phone open and close. She was battling against her fear and her common sense.

_'I'm stuck on a train to Nagoya with no way back until tomorrow... Neji will worry sick, I have to let him know where I am, but... what if he doesn't pick up? What if father picks up instead?'_

Naruto tried to pretend she wasn't upset because of him. He kept his eyes to the cieling, letting the fluorescent lights blind him and the world around him.

He began to wonder what a world would look like it was all white, like suddenly the daylight consumed the planet and all you saw was white. Or maybe you wouldn't see white, you'd see nothing, because everything had been consumed or was either made of light. And then would you feel anything? Would that be the same as if the whole world were blind? And if all the world were blind, would that mean people would fuck more or fuck less? Both seemed logical. On the one hand, since you couldn't see who you were doing looked like, you would probably being screwing more. And on the other hand, since you couldn't see you were screwing, you probably couldn't even find them, or much less yourself, and then you'd never get to screw. But then again that probably would increase foreplay because people would be groping around so much before they could finally get down to dirty business.

By then, Naruto's mind was so far down the philosophical gutter that he was no longer aware of the people around him, or their emotional well-being.

Hinata moved to get to the bathroom. In her teary haste, she knocked into Naruto's legs, jostling him awake, before she rushed down the lane.

It wasn't until fifteen minutes later that she returned, with her eyes all red.

* * *

Naruto watched her sleep. She was curled up the window again, with cell phone clutched in hand like it was her only friend. He wondered how badly she needed to be home.

Blackened silhouettes of trees and telephone wire swept across the reflected glass, the only occasional anomaly being a glimpse of a river or the fleeting glint of town lights, or the sudden blackness when they went under a bridge.

He gave up guessing which towns and cities they had passed and decided it didn't matter. Chances were he wouldn't be able to visit those places.

He didn't know why a reformatory school was like a death sentence to him. If Hiro got caught, she would actually get hanged... right? And if he got caught, Mizuno would put him in a facility full of other convicts and crooks his age or younger. All he had to do was go through a first week of solitary confinement and then four years of counseling, schooling, and probably some volunteer work before they set him up with a stable job.

Why did he refuse to do that? In light of this, going to Tama would probably be the best thing that could ever happen to him. That was what the adults have been trying to say anyways, and it doesn't seem wholly unreasonable.

So why did he choose to run away and risk losing everything, when after being a 'reformed youth' he would have only lost so much?

Naruto checked his cell phone for the time. He let out a sullen sigh, knowing that in a couple of days the battery would die out if he didn't get another charger, which he had no money for anyways.

It was 11:20 pm.

He decided to get some sleep.

He was thankful his arm didn't hurt too bad now.

* * *

The train didn't arrive until 2:05 am.

Sleepy travelers arose from their seats and filed out into the aisle, bags and tired children in hand.

Naruto didn't have the heart to wake Hinata up. He thought if this was the last stop, then she could return home as it made its way back to Tokyo. But then he thought he'd be leaving her here all by herself; she'd be defenseless.

What would happen if she was riding home all alone? Who would be sitting next to her and would it be safe?

Naruto decided he didn't want to leave her here all alone, so he picked her up in his arms and carried her out the train car.

* * *

"I'm going to be in so much trouble," She utter in a hopeless whisper, as they descended down the escalator to the main lobby of Nagoya Station.

By his surprise, Hinata had collasped against his back in her half-awake state, her face pressed against the muscle of his shoulder blade, and her fingers limply gripped onto his upper arm. Fearing she'd lose her balance, he took her hand into his. When they got to the bottom, Naruto led her towards the _JR Takashimaya_ Department store and sat her down against the wall adjacent to the store's window displays.

There was no place to sit.

He bent down in front to take a good look at her. He brushed aside strands of hair, his rough fingerpads scraping along her smooth skin, and he saw that she was still crying. Even though she was practically asleep, her cognitive mind was struggling to cope with the reality of her situation.

"I don't want to give h-him another r-reason to h-hate me... I-I don't... H-He's g-going to h-hate me..."

Dry sobs, almost like a baby's, hiccuped from her lamenting lips.

He began to wonder if he did owe her something.

Naruto brushed away the few tired tears that managed to leak out, then pulled her into an awkward embrace. More tears soaked into his shirt as she gripped his neck with exhausted fingers, her nails lightly digging into the soft flesh.

He deliberately absorbed her warmth, the smell of her skin and the limited body contact he had with her. This closeness was familiar and welcomed after the chaos that had ensued hours before and chased him away into a new lifestyle of fear and uncertainty.

For all the times he encouraged her to openly share herself with him, it was those times he felt closest to her and in a vague way, he appreciated her for loving him, even when afterwards he felt frustrated and annoyed thinking it meant nothing, and so took it out on her. The activities made him feel so good and he imagined that it made her feel really good too, that was why they did it, the reward system in their brains kept telling them what they were doing was a good thing, that it was worth it.

Then by the end of it, reality came back screaming; already he had put in his cognitive mind that he did not really care for her, that their activities had no special meaning, and so in his cognitive mind, what they were doing was bad. He had unconsciously planted a bias in his head that prevented him from using his heart the way he was supposed to, and in a word, empathizing with her needs. Because of this bias, he had overlooked her completely, while his lonesome body kept wanting her.

The only thing they had shared in common in those times was how lonely they were and how much they enjoyed eachother's unbridled affection.

The way she felt in his arms now reminded him of those moments, and the reward system in his brain was telling him 'this is a good thing'. His cognitive mind was beginning to agree.

"Hinata-chan," He called out as he lightly patted her cheek, earning a moan of protest from her. "We gotta find a place to stay,"

"N-No... I have to pay for it,"

"But this place is so crowded and bright, I don't think we should sleep here," He argued increduously. He got up and tugged at her arms, but it was like pulling up a dead body; she was limp and heavy, totally unmotivated.

"Naruto... Just stop... leave me alone..."

This was getting exasperating.

Naruto's neck and shoulders felt so sore. With a sigh, he rotated his neck and shoulders, relieving some of his stress. He squat back down in front of her and stared straight into her dejected eyes that refused to meet him.

"You can ride on my back then."

* * *

It felt really good to have her this close, it was almost intimate, and not the sexual intimate they had incurred in eachother for so many times.

It was like the special kind of intimate, like on the dramas, hopefully not as cliche as the dramas though.

As Naruto circled around the city with Hinata on his back, he had a park in mind. He often slept at the park when he was younger, and there was almost always a homeless village, so to him that was the most reliable place to be. Not often were there punks roaming around parks, and the grass was really nice, at least better than a bench, but concrete benches were pretty nice sometimes if they were really worn down.

Naruto was getting dizzy from all the lights and noise around him, and there were so many people crowding the streets that it wore down on him; he felt like he would never get past this first block before sunrise, the foot-traffic was that bad.

Anxiety brewed in the back of his head, throwing constant reminders and realizations at him that this wasn't going to work, that there was no way he'd find a park, that they didn't have enough money for a room, that he hadn't a fucking clue where he was or what he was even doing.

_'Why'd I think Nagoya was a good idea? I don't know anyone here! Where'm I going to stay? And how am I going to afford another ticket out of here? Shit, I can't even afford running away! And how 's Hinata-chan going to get home if she spends all her money on a room? Can't even afford food at this point! I'm so screwed, I'm so screwed, I'm lost, I'm so screwed-! I should've just let her go home... I sh-should've... We should've just stayed at the fuckin' station!'_

Hinata was geting heavier by the minute, her arms hung around his neck. He couldn't keep this up, yet he didn't dare put her down. She was his burden, and likewise he was her burden.

_'Instead of the cross, the Albatross_

_About my neck was hung,'_

In his despair and failure, he began to find that he did owe her something: a life undisturbed. And he had come into her life like a maelstrom. The day they met he had chosen her out everybody, then one day he had pushed her aside because for some reason he had deemed her as nothing special. Maybe because there were times she made him feel like nothing special.

She didn't deserve to be dragged into this situation, just because he was scared.

She had things going for her, even if her father never respected her, she still had family that cared, friends that loved her around...

When did he have any of that?

_'What I had was back-stabbers for friends and a lonely pervert for a temporary guardian,'_

Tsunade ran away to Tokyo to become a Hospital Director, only to NOT become a Hospital Director.

She dumped him on Jiraiya, even when the old perv had made it fully known that he didn't want to take care of him. Because of his ambivalence, Naruto didn't want to stay with Jiraiya either.

But Kakashi said he was 'too much work' and as for Iruka, who boasted that he would watch over Naruto and be there for him whenever needed, drew the line at actually being his guardian.

By the time Sasuke left, Naruto didn't know who to trust or who he could rely on. He wasn't sure if he had pushed everyone away or if they never cared in the first place.

Now he was alone and a derelict in every sense.

Naruto wondered what Hinata would think of him by the time she got back home.

She didn't know a thing about him. She didn't know what he was about, she didn't know the things he had done, and the things people thought he had done.

Would she find these intimate details of his life when she returned to Tokyo?

Would his name be slathered all over the news, possibly associated with a low-priced reward?

Or were the police spreading their forces through the country like a plague of assassins?

Would they make him disappear? Would Mizuno sentence him to a life of government-related stability and order?

Would he even be remembered by Hinata when she moved on with her life? Would she even fondly acknowledge him as one that had been a part of her life? Would she ever talk about him in a nostalgic voice like, 'I knew him from high school. He was such a nice guy,' or 'I couldn't tell he was so troubled. He always had on a cheerful smile,'

_'Past tense? Shit, Hinata-chan, you're talking as if I've died,'_

"Naruto-kun, put me down..." She mumbled into his back. His body stiffened at the surprise of her being awake.

_'Shit, was I talking aloud?'_

"Naruto-kun, put me down," She declared again, sounding more awake than a second ago.

"N-No, you're tired. I can keep going," He feigned with almost admirable determination.

"No, _you're_ tired. I can walk on my own."

"No, it's fine! I can do this!"

"Naruto!"

"WHAT?"

"There's a hotel right there!"

Her voice echoed in his ears, yet she had only been a level above speaking. His gripped lessened on her legs and he let her jump down to her feet. She walked ahead of him, scanning the streets for a place they go to sit down. She pointed to a plaza just down the street.

He knew he would've walked right past that if she hadn't argued with him.

He looked at her with an uncertain question in his eyes.

She read him with an inward smile.

"It's alright, I'll pay for it."

* * *

"I wish we had stayed in Atami," Hinata commented as she pulled aside the curtains of their hotel room. "At least if I'm staying a night away from home, I'd be in a resort city,"

Her casual conversation passed over him like a careless breeze as he layed out on the bed in a daze, his mind on other things. All his big and little mistakes, his failures, his moments of ill-judgment, all were rewinding and replaying themselves over and over in his head. The fact that he nearly passed by a hotel, when he thought he could not find one, made him feel exceptionally inept.

"Of course, I bet the counselor would make fun of me for staying in Atami," She continued on to say.

"What would she say?" Naruto asked though not sounding at all there, his unblinking eyes glued to the warm beige painted cieling.

Hinata walked over and plopped herself down on the queen double size bed, her sudden closeness making him wince.

"I think she'd say, 'Are things that bad for you? Did it work, did you heal?', something really mean and snarky like that," Hinata joked.

Naruto let out a single laugh that felt very fake. He wasn't exactly in the mood to laugh.

"Why do you have to see the counselor anyways?"

Indignance entered her face. She glanced sourly at Naruto before turning away from him.

"My father called me a headcase. Also I've been failing my classes, so they think I have a behavioral problem."

"Seriously?" Naruto asked, as he propped himself on his elbows. The room was filled with her silence. Suddenly she didn't want to talk anymore. Having to explain things he should already know and having to reveal personal stuff that she preferred to keep to herself; just thinking of forming the first words was mentally constipating.

* * *

They went to bed with sunrise looming, the curtains deliberately closed tight.

They slept as far apart as the bed would allow, both fully aware of what it meant to share a bed, and both fully afraid of what it meant to share a bed with eachother.

The circumstances did not help.

Naruto wasn't surprised Hinata could sleep soundly. She still had a home to go to. She still had friends that would ask where she had disappeared off to. She had a safe and normal life to return to, so of course sleep was easy for her.

Naruto couldn't sleep. Every second ticked by in the unbearable silence, bringing him closer to a tomorrow that he did not want to come. He stilled his breath and slowed his breathing, fearing that it would speed up the time.

He hated reality.

He was homeless.

He was jobless.

He was friendless.

He was fundless.

He was loveless.

_'Meh, I've always been loveless...'_

_"I like you. A lot."_

Naruto forced his eyes shut to block out the memory. What use was it to dwell on things past, things that he had blatantly and outright refused... over... and over again...

_'Dammit!'_

Naruto grabbed his pillow and forcefully shoved his face in it, the pressure inside him mounting.

_'What if she did really like me? What if she still likes me? She said she wasn't going out with Kiba, so I have a chance right? Wait, a chance? What the hell am I talking about? Do I want her all of a sudden? Do I need her...?'_

Naruto threw his pillow across the room and turned over on his side so that way he could see the back of Hinata's head. He may have decided he hated reality, but she was part of his reality, and he nearly had forgotten that. Just like everytime he had nearly forgotten her. She was only a foot or two away, so close.

He sidled himself closer to her until he grew dizzy, his brain going crazy by just her scent. And maybe it was his brain that was picking up something more compelling than her scent, something chemical. He sidled to her ever closer, until her hair hit his nose. Maybe it was the thought that he would never again be this close to a female that was making him so desperately excited.

She had been the first person he'd ever been with. Now she was going to be the last.

He picked himself up and looked her over, the only light in the room being the digital clock, as its glowing blue face shined on her. Stealthily he brought his fingers to her cheeks to brush away mutinous strands of hair, revealing her clean, pale face.

Her lips were parted.

He recalled all those times he licked those lips, all those times he swallowed her whole, yet he couldn't recognize the taste, the way she felt. He struggled to remember what she tasted like, what she felt like. He stared at her lips like it was forbidden fruit itself, so tempting and rare.

His eyes traced the outline of her hips in the weak light, his heart shaking with anxious intensity of his need.

She was his last chance.

But for what exactly?

He placed a hand on her shoulder before leaning in close to her. In her ear, he whispered, "Hinata-chan, I need you..."

He bent down and kissed her cheek. He rubbed her shoulder and kissed the smooth curve of her jaw.

"Hinata-chan, I need you,"

He was begging.

Hinata stirred sleepily with a soft moan. This gave him confidence enough to press himself closer to her as he planted more kisses on her cheek.

"N... Naruto-kun..." She murmured tiredly.

"C'mon, let's not be alone tonight," He kissed her cheek again, but not without stealing the chance to kiss her closer by her mouth.

"Wha... Are you doing?" She yawned, not cognitively aware of his affections.

"Let me hold you, please? I can't sleep,"

Of course by now he was already spooning her, his arms wrapped firmly around her shoulders, his head on hers. Hinata never had the chance to object, his extra warmth lulling her back to sleep.

Exhaustion has a way of putting two people together. Waking up will be another story.

_'This is nice,'_ Naruto smiled to himself. He hoped tomorrow he would feel as good as he did now. It was important that it did.

* * *

Star - YAY! SHORT CHAPTER! WHOO-HOO! XDDDD There you bastards, you got a light change of direction, hu-hu-hu-hu. ;P


	31. Where Do We Begin? How Does This End?

Star - I suppose I should apologize for the previous Hiro Arc. I wish it had ended more excitingly, but not the point, hehe. In the light of the past angsty-ness, I think I must've turned off most of my readers, in what I've noticed as a depressing decline of reviews ---Not that I ever got that much on average to begin with--- But I don't really want to give into fan service to write a satisfying story... I'm really sorry for the past Arc, I guess it was lagging and going crappily, but it's over now, and you can look forward to something new. So.... ya feel like reviewing now? ;D ehehehe....

Oh, BTW - Since I don't really use Japanese words and phrases here anymore (because some jerk just had to get anal about it), I'm going to represent the Osakan dialect the way our dubbed anime has done it: Through southern accents. So try to picture it, even when the sentence looks completely normal, eheheh...

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch. 31 - I Can't Tell Where We Began and Us Ended

Naruto was rediscovering life's simple pleasures through the bundle of nerves hidden beneath his fingertips.

All that mattered to him was that she was warm and breathing, and that she smelled good.

_'And I thought, be still my heart_

_This could be a brand new start, with you_

_And it will be clear_

_If I wake up and you're still here with me in the morning'_

A sliver of sunlight shined through the curtain, the clock knowingly reading half-past eleven. There was almost no point in waking Hinata up, for she had already missed her chance to get to school on time. The room remained darkened, giving a sense of precious privacy to the two hapless teens, and giving Naruto the chance to _admire_ his sleepy neighbor.

He felt amazement knowing he had her in his arms. He felt amazement when he touched her. The sensation of her pulse beneath his fingers, the slight heave and relaxation of her chest; all a satisfaction. He knew he wouldn't get to feel like this again, he knew he wouldn't ever get this close again. To be able to be this close to a female, to be able to have this intimate human contact was truly something he wished to appreciate.

He admired her hair for its length and soft texture, its deep color.

He could lose his fingers in her hair.

He still wondered what this long, narrow raise on her scalp was that he was feeling on the back of her head. He wondered if it was significant. He wondered if Kiba knew she had such a thing.

He kissed her hair, where he was sure the raise was on her scalp.

He admired the untouched skin of the back of her neck. Her hair was so long and dark that it protected her neck from sunlight and free radicals. That skin was delicate and pure, making the back of her neck as alluring as a geisha's.

He smoothed his fingers over her shoulder before firmly seizing her. He felt assured to know that she couldn't go anywhere if he held her this tightly.

He bent down so his lips could touch winding pattern of her ear. He felt her twitch under his breath.

He kissed her lobe.

He kissed the curve of her jaw.

He kissed her cheek.

He kissed her cheek a second time.

Naruto couldn't help but think how wonderful it was to wake up to her beside him, how special it was for him to have her here. She was all he had now. She was his oasis, his lifeline, his last remaining memento of civilization. He only got to live in Tokyo for four and a half months, out of all that, he only lived two months of a normal life. She was all he had left of that normal life.

Before Adam and Eve were exiled from Eden, they truly did live in a paradise, for they only had each other. They could only have each other. They had been made for each other. Because they didn't have other distractions, they didn't have the choice to not be together.

True paradise is being with the one you love.

But a cheap paradise is simply being with someone.

Was this a true paradise? To have Hinata lying there beside him? Or was it cheap? Because soon she would have to leave him. Soon, she would have to make the choice Adam and Eve were never burdened with; whether to stay and be loyal, or leave him for dead with her none the wiser.

Naruto didn't have any choices left, no second chances in reach.

Then it became obvious. The answer was right there.

"I have to take her choice away... She has to be on my level, she has to feel the way I do." He dipped down, stuck his nose against her neck and inhaled her. She gave him strength that didn't exist, a hunger that only fueled his lifelong need for importance. Having her was a like alcohol; she numbed his rationale and gave him the most delicious sensation of power and arrogance. He sighed against her neck, "She can only choose me."

Naruto pulled Hinata closer to his chest, the sudden strength of his arms and hands pulling her out of her pleasant sleep. She moaned sleepily as she fought to pull away from him. He smirked and mimicked her sleepy moan, before leaning over to give her ear another kiss. He pulled the tender lobe between his teeth, giving her odd sensations. She stirred a bit more forcefully, deliberately stating that she was awake to whoever was holding her down and touching her.

Naruto thought he could make her feel good, even when he was inevitably feeding his own desire. When he teased her ear with his teeth, she squirmed. When he licked the shell, she shivered. When he nuzzled his face in her neck, she tried to pull away at the intruding face that was smothering itself against her. By then, Naruto was lying on top of her, his weight against her back, pushing her into the bed.

Shrillish, confused, angry sounds were rushing out her mouth into the mattress.

Naruto wasn't taking the hint.

She knocked her elbow into his ribs a few times to push him aside. He lifted his body half way off of her, only to descend upon her again when he saw her moist red face staring up at him.

His tongue, lips, and teeth were on her throat, sending uncomfortable messages to her brain and waves of heat to her belly.

"Wh-What're you d-doing?!" She cried accusingly, her voice caught up between yelling and gasping.

"We're sharing a bed," Naruto stated with surprising calm and confidence, "What do you expect me to do?"

"Well, this isn't a love hotel!" She grabbed fistful of his hair. "Don't be a pig!!" She tried to force him off, to peel him off of her, but he was heavy, he was fighting against her grip.

Naruto paused his ministrations. He scooted closer to Hinata's eye level, all the while keeping his legs on either side of her so she couldn't escape. The bed covering was getting in the way, so he threw it aside. Hinata wasn't sure what to do at this point. He was staring down at her with this unreadable expression. There was a sort of adoration to it, yet it felt fleeting, like his smile was just floating across his face. And there was nothing to be seen in his eyes; none of his warmth, none of his smile, no admiration nor lust. Nothing but flat blue eyes.

Naruto reached out and grabbed her wrists, tenderly fondling them in his rough fingers. Out of nowhere, Hinata felt like crying, yet she did not.

"You want to make it a love hotel?" He joked as he bent down and kissed her wrists, remembering what Jiraiya had told him about women's erogenous zones. The warm, wet teasings he left on her right wrist sent fuzzy feelings to her heart, as if cotton were floating in her blood stream, yet it was not enough to persuade her to sit back and take it.

She had stopped listening to her heart when she gave up on him. It gave her nothing but bad judgement. And if she were to lie here and take his illicit touches, because her heart was telling her that feeling good was all that matter, then that would be another bad decision she refused to add to her list.

But then his fingers stilled her, with gentle strokes brushed across her forehead, the most tender sensation. He combed his fingers through her bangs so he could see the skin of her brow, so he could bend down and kiss it. It was almost instinctive of him to think of Sakura as he kissed Hinata's forehead. He couldn't restrain such thoughts.

Hinata closed her eyes tightly, trying desperately to block out the reality of his lips. She had to stick to thinking, not instinct. She kept telling herself _'No,'_, _'No, no, no, no,'_ but his lips were still there.

He dragged lips down the bridge of her nose, then he kissed her chin. She squirmed beneath him, as his fingers massaged the flesh of her hips. He was toying with the hem of her shirt and cardigan, slowing tugging it up so as to reveal her fleshy tummy. She wasn't toned he noted, as his fingers sunk into her cushiony flesh, yet her body was delightfully taut. It was like Jiraiya said: the body of a healthy woman resembled a fresh plum.

"Stop it... get off of me," Her voice trembled in a fearful whisper.

He dipped his head and nipped at her collar bone before massaging the hollow of her clavicle with his tongue.

"But you feel so good," He murmured into her moistened skin.

Her stomach wrenched and turned at the combination of his words and persistent actions.

"N-no, I don't... I feel scared,"

He stopped and looked up at her. Pale eyes connected with his flat blue ones. It was a kick to the lungs. There was nothing in his eyes, nothing but utter nihility: the eyes of a broken person. It was like he needed this, like he had to feel something.

When he spoke, it put fright through her.

He sounded so insulted.

"You're really scared of me?"

He didn't sound like his usual self. The tired, strained inflection in his voice expressed his vulnerability. He was outraged as well for a deeper reason than she could understand. Two minutes had passed in the tense, breathless silence and she hadn't uttered a word.

Naruto needed a response, not silence.

He held her shoulders so as to lean in closer to her. She tried not to wince.

"Why??" He tossed out like a trap, almost accusing her like he felt she made bad judgement of him. Her unease was fairly apparent to him. Her discomfort sat on the edges of her face, yet she tried her best to hide it. This only encouraged him to keep at her, to prove himself to her, to insult her ignorance.

He was so sick of people being afraid of him. He couldn't respect her if she was going to continue to be a wimp.

"You have no good reason to be scared of me," He demanded, forcing her to agree with him. "You said you like how I make you feel! So why would it scare you now?!"

She trembled anxiously beneath him, tempted to fight against him again or to simply look away. But due to the same fear, she could not bring herself to avoid his unhappy eyes. She had to twice as polite as usual, even when she felt he didn't deserve it anymore.

"How does your dad make you feel?! Any better?!"

She didn't say anything.

"What about school?! Feel any better there?! That why you only have friends outside of the district?! Do they make you feel better too?! They make ya feel awesome?! Or do they just tell you what to do and who the fuck you should date!?"

"I'm sorry my friends didn't like you." She mumbled by accident. It was too late when she realized she had spoke aloud, as every muscle in her body tensed with anticipation for the worst.

All that came was a terse whisper, seemingly calm, as if he had heard this song before.

"And why not?"

His face became ashen.

"What do they know about me?" He bitterly muttered.

His thumbs absentmindedly brushed against the veins in her wrist, as if he were working his way around a new depression.

Then he said, "You like me." as a self-proclaimed statement, like a flag on a planet, like an anchor to port.

Hinata weakly shook her head.

"You. Like me."

"N-Naruto-kun..."

"You like me! Just say it!! You! Like! Me!!!" He cried out, startling her with the severity of his desperation.

He was begging her, but she couldn't say anything to satisfy him without lying.

This irked him. He wanted to blame her for ruining the moment, for stating that she was frightened, for refusing him. She could've enjoyed it, but she chose to ruin it instead.

"Well, who do you like then?! Your dad?!"

No." She mumbled, his ridicule hurting her.

"Then Kiba?! You like him?! Has he asked you out?!"

"No, he hasn't."

"But do ya like him?!"

"...I'm not sure."

"You're not---?! WHO DO YOU LIKE?!"

Silence hung heavily in the shadowy hotel room.

Her words put a damper on his impassioned state.

"You can't force me to choose you." She whispered softly with this look in her eyes as if she knew she should feel great shame--- and yet she didn't. And in Naruto's frantic brain, her words registered as a cold-hearted choice, her choice.

And he refused to accept it. He began to feel that the only he could be happy with her was if she didn't choose, if she didn't think for herself, that she would only think of his needs. And he had a lot of needs right now. He instinctively decided that she had to trust him, that she had to help things go his way. He was irritated and disappointed that she would take this position against him so firmly. _'It's not fair to me... She can't just go one-eighty on me and pretend our previous feelings never existed. I know she still likes me.'_

Naruto reached out for her. She shrunk away from his hand as he reached for the back of her head. His fingers brushed against the narrow raise that he had discovered only an hour before.

"How'd you get this?" He asked.

Her hand flew to the spot instinctively, as her cognitive mind raced to recall the forgotten wound.

"It's a scar..." She breathed, partly in awe, partly as a statement.

"How'd you get it?" He urged again.

But again, she couldn't respond. She winced as the memory made its way tentatively to the surface. She winced at the idea of even speaking it.

"Was it your dad?"

"No." She said.

"Classmates?"

Hinata thought about that time she got thrown down the stairs at her middle school. But she had only gotten bruises.

"No..."

"Who??"

"..." She shook her head.

"Hinata! That scar must be pretty old--- Now how'd you get it?!"

"We were just kids..."

"An accident??"

"...N-Not really."

This wasn't working. If she wouldn't tell him, then that meant she didn't trust him enough. He needed her to like him, to choose him. He gently lifted her wrist to his lips and kissed her pulse. The tears nearly welled to the surface again. She forcefully shoved down the yearning that had bubbled in her chest despite his persistent touches. She couldn't let him in. He wasn't allowed back in.

"Was it your cousin?" He suddenly suggested.

She flinched beneath him, and her muscled tensed and twitched.

_'That's it.'_ He thought in awe as she fought miserably to hide the pain on her face.

There was a rush of wind, before his scent suffocated her. He had thrown himself atop her, wrapping his desperate arms around her body, deliberately holding her down. He sought for her lips, with the questionable intention of cheering her up from bad memories.

But she couldn't keep her heart from crumbling all over again. She couldn't keep the tears from soaking her throat and dampening her face. She was swept up in the clutches of her insecurity.

His words were unbearable.

"I know you're lonely, but admit that you're happier with me---!"

It tore at her soul and devoured her whole.

"How can you think your cousin actually likes you after what he did to you?"

"You don't know what he did..."

"Hinata-chan, does your father love you?"

From her miserable lips came a sodden agreement that broke her heart.

"N--Noo..."

She began to cry.

She hated herself for crying. She hated herself for crying in front of him again. She tried to hide her face behind her hands, but could only cover her soggy eyes, for she could not suppress her gaping mouth with smooth lips tightly pressed against her teeth. He watched the way her throat quivered with every strained sob, the way her frustration was bottled up inside her chest; she was on the brink now, he knew it. And he knew it was his fault.

He could taste the saline on his tongue as the guilt weighed heavily in his chest.

_'Am I a liar? I don't make her feel good, I make her feel like shit...'_

Naruto cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

_'But I need her...'_

She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close, as if he were her only breath.

'_I want to try to make her feel good for once, I want to be the only one to keep her, and to make her smile. I need her to like me again.'_

The fear of loneliness fueled their passion, as bodies and lips smashed together and hands groped around, desperately wanting to be sure the other was real. With every inhale, every stroke of tongue, every sigh, every touch; Hinata grew softer and more pliable beneath him. He was easing her defenses away, and she was succumbing to his affections completely. The sweet flavor of her mouth invoked indiscriminate varieties of emotion.

His need warred against his morality. His fears clashed against his sanity. His desperation battled with his self-assurance. His guilt tore at his self-contentment.

He knew it came down to black and white decisions: have her or have nothing.

Besides; how many people are ever truly happy in a relationship? Naruto could accept hurting her a million times over if it gave him the chance to make her happy once.

"Don't leave me now, Okay? Don't leave me... please? Please?" He murmured into her ear as he clung to her, and she clung to him.

She was blinded by tears and her mind in a haze of pure emotion. There was no way she could think rationally.

"O-Okay... I won't..."

"Don't go home, okay? You're happy with me, stay with me."

"Y-Yes..."

"**Promise me**."

"I... I p-promise."

* * *

They both wanted to escape their pain, they both desired to obscure the treacherous reality with an illusion of perfection.

Naruto observed as houses and trees flew pass his window as the train sped along the tracks.

Hinata grabbed his arm and hugged it lovingly into her chest, and buried her face into his shoulder, seeking security in him.

He could feel her heart continue to slowly break, he felt every piece chip and fall away in her soul, but they both ignored it with desperately hopeful smiles.

Naruto knew it was important to him to keep the good feelings going. He felt it was important that they stick together as she promised.

He was going to try to make every day worth it with her. Otherwise, they wouldn't survive.

The burden in Naruto's heart grew heavier as he grabbed her hand reassuringly and wove his fingers in hers. Partly because he felt inconfident of their future, partly because he doubted this to work, because he still felt like a liar, because he knew his feet were getting cold.

But mostly because he was scared as hell.

He had to make this work for them.

There was no going back.

"Hinata-chan, you've got any grandparents?" Naruto asked sleepily against her head, as the smell of her hair comforted him into an anxiously calm state.

"I'm not sure..." She murmured sleepily back, her pale eyes fixated on their entwined fingers, "I assume they're dead. I've never heard of my grandparents, and I've never met them. Father talks so little about these things."

"So... your dad, sister, and... cousin. They're all you have?"

Hinata twisted her face in a sour pout, her eyes plagued by distress and confusion. They looked almost dewy. He wouldn't blame her this time if she still wanted to cry. He would hold her until she finally dried out.

He hoped she would do the same for him if the time came.

"...I guess they are, but... I have you now instead, don't I?"

He blinked again, as a particular word struck his brain like a bell.

_'I-Instead? ...Y-yeah... instead...'_

Words failed him now. He had brought this awkwardness upon himself, and the only way he could bring himself to answer her was a weak nod and a squeeze of her hand. But not out of reassurance for her, but for himself.

He thought her words would've made his heart swell with delight, but instead made it twist and shrink in the unforgiving fingers of his guilt.

"Naruto-kun? What about you? What's your family like?" She sighed.

He should have seen this question coming since he asked it. It was the dreaded question he often wanted to hear yet never really wanted to answer. So he kept dumb and silent, and shook his head, instantly dropping the conversation.

Suddenly it didn't feel right for him to have a turn.

Hours ago in the hotel, he wanted to be all-important to her, to be the prominence of her memories, to be the vitality in her blood. He wasn't sure if he regretted it, because he refused to let her go now.

But what his conscience was telling him, he wished to ignore.

_'I took her away from her family... I... replaced them.'_

* * *

They got off at _Maibara Station_ just a stop short of Kyoto. They sat together on the island of a bench, outnumbered by the masses of the newly renovated waiting room, and they were lucky they even had a seat, for several people were forced to stand.

The cozy contentment of a full stomach created a relaxed and pleasant version of Naruto, as he pressed his nose into Hinata's hair, making her giggle. He was avidly reliving his last bowl of noodles, while he tickled Hinata's ear with the flick of his finger. She cupped her mouth as if hoping to catch her laughter before it hit the ears of those around them.

There was a stylish, young couple of twenty-something-year-olds sitting across from them, and they were staring.

Hinata flushed at this and attempted to push Naruto off. The feel of her hand on his chest secretly excited him. He playfully groaned into her hair, effectively embarrassing her further.

"Naruto-kun, stop it." She laughed.

"Hm?" Naruto opened one eye and glanced in the direction she was referring to, and he saw the couple scrutinizing them. "Are they jealous?" He mused aloud.

Hinata stopped her pushing and blinked.

"Jealous?" She mimicked curiously.

The young woman across mopishly threw herself back into the cushions, and in a challenging gesture, grabbed her boyfriend's arm and draped it around her shoulders. She then established her dominance by tucking her head beneath her boyfriend's chin.

Neither Naruto nor Hinata understood the woman's attitude. It didn't stop their inside voices from laughing though, and despite Hinata's lack of interest in meeting the woman's challenge, Naruto went for it. He couldn't hold back his grin either, for he knew he would get to tease Hinata more and he would get to annoy these idiots at the same time.

"Oh, Hinata-chan," He amorously sighed, as he nuzzled into her hair. "I want to _kiss_ you so badly." He hovered his hand dangerously close to the hem of her skirt, before he swooped down and grabbed her free hand.

"Naruto-kun, we can't!" She squealed in flustered delight. "There's too many eyes!" She twisted her head away from him in a way that as adorable as it was effective. The couple across from them were now looking on in speechless irritation.

He caught her face in his hands and turned her towards him. He dipped down as if to kiss her lips, but would stop centimeters short before trying again, and every time stopping as if there was a force-field between them. By then, the couple got up, with the disgusted girlfriend dragging her bewildered boyfriend out of the room.

They payed no heed to them, the fun and amusement overtaken by their growing attraction.

"I really want to kiss you." He breathed wistfully against her reddened cheek.

She smiled.

"You'll just have to wait."

* * *

"Should we stay here, instead?" Naruto wondered aloud as he laid out on three empty seats, feeling full and bored.

Hinata was studying the map and timetables in hopes of creating a plan.

Since neither had an extended family, there was no place to go in which they could rely on free hospitality. And Hinata didn't know any of Hiashi's friends, if he had any, that would help them out. That left them with staying at hotels every night, but by then, the rest of Hinata's account would have been drained in two weeks, maybe three.

She was beginning to consider making a budget.

Naruto gave a snort.

"The romantic thing to do would be to keep hopping trains, sleeping in stations and parks, and living off of vending machine snacks." Naruto condescendingly joked, yet sounded so tired that she couldn't detect his sarcasm.

"We can't keep 'train-hopping'. That would be expensive and pointless. I suppose I wouldn't mind sleeping in a park every night, since the weather is getting warmer."

Naruto thought she was rambling.

"So where do you want to go?" He asked impatiently, "Think of a place you've always wanted to be, and we'll go there."

"I've always thought Matsue was a beautiful place." She mused to herself. Naruto tensed up, apprehension seizing his mind. He prayed to god she wouldn't choose Matsue.

_'C'mon! Are you trying to kill me?! ARE YOU?!'_

"What about you, Naruto-kun?"

"I honestly don't care. Just choose, please."

Hinata looked back at the map feeling somewhat disappointed in herself for not having a dream destination like he expected, and disappointed for being so slow and indecisive. When she hadn't made her choice fast enough, a thought struck Naruto that seemed obvious and he made the decision for them.

"Let's go to Osaka!"

* * *

They took the train again, on their way to Osaka, one of the most cramped cities of the known world. Naruto spent his time goofing off by openly practicing his _Osaka-ben_while occasionally sneaking a chance to stick his fingers into Hinata's sides, and every time he did that, she made a squeak and had to squirm away.

He was exaggerating the accent far too much.

"Howdy, beautiful. Ya wanna go someplace with a cool guy like me? I'll share my takoyaki wit' ya." He joked, grinning like a cat as he did so. There were practically sparkles floating around his face. Hinata looked away before she would melt from embarrassment.

"Please don't talk like that when we get there." She sighed with a worn-out sense of amusement.

He smiled even wider before he kissed her cheek. After that he turned to the window to leave her in peace, only to leave her flustered and indefinitely--- less than peaceful.

She hid her face for the remainder of the trip.

As soon as they had arrived, Naruto had begun an immediate and fervent march for the district of Naniwa, at the heart of Osaka. Hinata often had to plead him to slow down or to stop pulling so hard.

"Where are we going?!" She called out in exasperation, but he was so eager.

"I have some friends that live here. This old man, well, he's a carpenter! An architect! Him and his daughter and grandson live by here somewhere!"

"But can we ask them to let us stay?" Hinata prodded anxiously, unsure whether it was alright to suddenly drop by or not. "Maybe we should call them first, let them know we're in town!"

"I'd do that if I knew their number," He grumbled to himself," Anyways, it's not a big deal! We'll just knock on their door with the widest of smiles on our faces!" He laughed. "What choice do they have?"

* * *

A graying man with a ragged face stepped out onto his first floor balcony, as an unlit cigarette balanced clumsily between his lips. He cursed under his breath as his once nimble fingers sought for the lighter in his deep pockets.

Today was no different than any other for the aging architect.

He had awoken off the couch to the smell of rice and eggs, as his blueprints and sketches had lay scattered across the living room coffee table, white eraser shavings all about the place like lice and snow. Tsunami, his daughter, was already dressed for work at the real estate office. She would rush to Inari's room to awaken him, her skirt wrinkling as she did so.

Inari would sleep another three minutes before shrugging himself out of bed and into the bathroom. Mornings like this were growing more frequent with Inari's growth into puberty. He was beginning to take on that diffident, impudence many teens wore these days. Yet despite that, it felt as if he and Tsunami were working at light-speed. The sleep from the sixty-six-year-old man's eyes would not leave for the next five minutes, and just before he took his first step, his daughter and grandson were already out of the house.

Mortality would set in, if only for a little while, before Tazuna would sit down and eat his eggs.

After that: he'd work the phones with the company, give instruction to his workers, go out to the balcony for a smoke, go back inside, work the phones again, adjust his sketches, go out for a smoke, eat some leftovers, smoke again, work the phones more, and eat again. By the time he got fed up with the land-line socializing, he'd confine himself to the tranquility of his blueprints.

Somehow, as he got older, he seemed to lose the attention span needed to work with others. Especially on the days when he worked on-site, he seemed to smoke twice as much as he did at home, because every time he got to smoke was a chance to take a break from people.

Yes, life had changed little by little.

He was losing hair, muscle, promptness, and patience.

He just couldn't keep up anymore.

Not with his daughter.

Not with his grandson.

Not with anyone.

"Heyyy! Old maaaan!" rang a voice below, like a macaw mimicking a canary. Without looking, Tazuna had been ready to chew out whoever was screeching. The boy's voice hadn't registered in his mind. But as he glanced down through the reading glasses that sat on the end of his nose, he was started to see head of jagged, blonde hair.

"My, my..." Tazuna sighed ponderously, leaving Naruto to question if Tazuna was relieved or annoyed to see him right now. "...If it isn't the wannabe-Yakuza lord."

Woe darkened the boy's flat blue eyes, as a diluted expression of hurt tinged the edges of his face. Tazuna caught this sense of disenchantment from the boy, but did not assume what may have changed.

"C'mon, quit mocking me." He joked back uneasily.

Tazuna gave a snort as he sucked on the relaxing fumes.

_'His attitude hasn't changed,'_Naruto noted with an inward sigh of disappointment. He'd almost begun to regret seeing him. And to have called him a friend began to feel like a lie, that maybe friend was too quick to assume. _'Right, just because I tried to save him from Gato's ambush and tried to save Tsunami-san from killing herself at the same time, doesn't make us friends AT ALL! ...of course I was just a stupid kid at the time... As if anyone would've relied on me to win such a fight...'_

It wasn't until Tazuna had stamped out his cigarette against the concrete of the balcony that he noticed a head of long dark hair beside Naruto.

He blinked several times seemingly in disbelief as he grabbed his glasses and pulled them closer to his dark eyes. What he saw this time was a quiet young woman in a school uniform.

"Ne, Naruto... Who's your friend?"

Hinata hesitated at first but had no choice in the matter as Naruto pulled her close to introduce her.

"This is Hyuuga Hinata, my girlfriend!" He proudly stated, causing her to flush several shades of red.

Then as quickly as Tazuna's interest came, it went, and just at the mere label of 'my girlfriend'. The old man gave another snort as a wry smile blossomed forth.

"Oh really?" He commented in a bored drawl. He seemed to be looking down his nose at her. Because of this, Hinata couldn't look at him directly. What had become an enjoyable and peaceful smoke break turned into an unwanted interruption to Tazuna, as all he now saw were two teenage lovebird idiot kids. "So whaddya brats c'mere for? Thought you could crash here for the night, hm?" He dryly mocked. "Why don't ya two head to a love hotel? That way you don't have to sneak around _my_ home, waiting for the adults to leave."

Hinata could see that Naruto was beginning to get ideas from Tazuna's 'suggestion', and he nearly agreed.

"Alright---"

"A-Anou, wait!" She pulled herself from Naruto's side and addressed herself directly to Tazuna for the first time. She clasped her hands on her lap as she bent over in the most formal expression of respect the old man had ever received. She spoke gently and clearly; a voice he did not expect. "Hello, I am Hyuuga Hinata. It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time,Tazuna-san. I apologize for our sudden intrusion, but we'd be so grateful if you would allow us into your home, if only for a few days. We do not require much time in looking for a place of our own."

It took Tazuna several moment to recover. Every prenotion he had created in his head had flown right out of his skull. Maybe she was Naruto's girlfriend, but she wasn't the type he had expected at all.

"She's polite." Tazuna gaped, as he blinked several more times.

Naruto took this as an indirect insult.

"Yeah? What were ya expectin', old man?!"

* * *

They sat around the mess of blueprints and papers, as Tazuna slowly prepared the tea. There was a slight stink of cigarette smoke on the fabrics in the room, despite Tazuna's outdoor policy, but they didn't mind much. The silence in the room was nearly stifling as their minds raced to understand the situation before the tea was done and they would have to mingle once more.

Tazuna didn't mean to be an ornery, caustic, unimpressed, judgemental old man who had little interest in others--- but for him ---having preconceptions was a survival tactic, and he had a library of biased conclusions stored away in his brain for him to rely on.

At first Tazuna figured out that Hinata was a _Tokyo-jin_, by the way she had spoken. Then he had come to realize that she was still wearing her school uniform. Upon that he realized that school wasn't out yet for another week and a half. After all, Inari was currently at clubs.

Now that Tazuna knew Hinata was from Tokyo, he had to assume three things about her.

One: She had snuck off with Naruto for a good time, (just like any 'wild' Tokyo girl).

Two: She ran away for reasons unknown.

Three: They were eloping, hence 'we do not require much time in looking for a place of our own'.

Otherwise, just what the hell did they think they were doing in Osaka, when serious exams were starting? He wouldn't have been so surprised if it had only been Naruto who visited, and he wouldn't have felt as disappointed either. But by having this girl in the mix... it was an uncomfortable circumstance to acknowledge.

_'So many girls fall in love too easily these days.'_Tazuna thought remorsefully, with no offense intended towards Naruto. But just like any old-fashion person to jump the gun, Tazuna couldn't stop his Conservative mind from imagining things. Thoughts of the two of them sneaking off to love hotels every night turned to pregnancy scare scenes, to the however-young Hinata birthing mistakes, to a neglectful Naruto gambling for milk money with a gang of vicious thugs, to him losing a pinky to pay off his debt, to the polite Hinata forced to live the rest of her life caring for an unwanted child in the seclusion of their rundown apartment, so as not to be seen by the outside world--- to who the hell knows what else!

And for some reason, these imaginings made complete sense to him.

A loud shrill burst through his thoughts as the kettle whistled.

He set up the tea and walked out to greet them, his weary eyes instantly settling on Hinata's face before he subconsciously glanced down at her belly.

_'Well, she doesn't look pregnant.'_

Hinata gingerly picked up his blueprints off the table so he could set down the tray without harm to the paper. He thanked her for her thoughtfulness before reclining back in the chair adjacent to them. He let his shoulders sag from the weight his thoughts had put on him.

He thought to himself, with a bit of irony, _'Shit, these kids are going to wear me out,'_, because they hadn't even been here for more than twenty minutes, and yet he was ready to drop. What was tomorrow going to look like? _'Well, they're old enough and capable enough to have gotten here. I suppose I shouldn't expect to babysit them.'_ But then that turned to worry, _'But if no one watches them, what sort of shit will they get into?'_ The sudden responsibility of being the eldest crashed down on him, forcing him to take a stance backwards. _'Forget it, they can do whatever they want. Ain't my business.'_

"So... You kids c'mere seeking refuge from 'hometown societal shame'?" He joked decidedly, his way of breaking the ice.

Their eyes widened with some restraint.

Tazuna had meant it as a joke.

Tazuna hadn't known how right he was that time.

* * *

The front door creaked open with unspoken self-acknowledgment, as two pairs of feet crowded themselves into the genkan.

"Father, we're home!" Echoed a half-tender, half-distracted greeting from the hallway, as a hurried mixture of shoes collapsing on the ground and the rustle of grocery bags crowded the woman's senses. Inari heard the murmur of the television, recognizing the static-y cheers as one of a _puroresu_ match.

His mother, Tsunami, brushed past him as she headed to unload their food stock in the kitchen.

"Father, I'm making curry rice again tonight if that's alright. I know you wanted yellowtail, but the market was all out again by the time we got there." She called out as she made noise in the kitchen.

Inari tentatively clutched his leather messenger bag, his tennis racket strapped to his back. The thirteen-going-on-fourteen-year-old had the oddest feeling that it wasn't just his grandfather who was here. He could smell something heady and lightly feminine in the stale apartment air; and it wasn't his mother's perfume.

The slight frame of a young boy came into their view, earning the attention of Tazuna and their visitors.

With a hearty laugh, his grandfather placed one hand on his knee and leaned forward, grinning as he announced, "Welcome home Inari-chan! Look who came to visit!" , and swept his hand across his perimeter in mock-grandeur.

The first face Inari saw was Naruto's, as the blonde gaped at him with wonder.

"Wooow, Inari-chan! You've grown into quite the man, haven't ya??" He laughed in his ole familiar manner that caused his eyes to squint. It was that laugh that helped register in Inari's mind that the blonde before him was indeed the very same Naruto he had met when he was eight years old.

He was the very same hooligan as before, the very same daydreamer as before.

Inari couldn't detect the changes in Naruto that Tazuna could; only noted the physical changes, such as his height and maturity of his face. Everything else otherwise, was the same.

"Is that Uzumaki-kun??!" Tsunami exclaimed with pleasant surprise from the kitchen. She was right behind Inari in a matter of seconds. She grabbed the wrist of her only son, muttering to him about rudeness, and pulled him into the living room with her to openly greet their guests. "Naruto-kun, it's so wonderful to see you again! My, you've grown!" She bashfully laughed, feeling embarrassed for not realizing his presence earlier. But the good news for Naruto was to see her beaming. He was proud to admit the woman was very generous and open-hearted. Her hospitality was second to none in his book.

"The feeling is mutual, Tsunami-san."

"And he's brought along his _girlfriend_." Tazuna added smirkingly. Hinata took this as her cue to introduce herself. She stood from her seat on the couch, hands clasped in front of her lap, and bent forward, presenting herself in the same manner as she had done earlier for Tazuna.

"Hello, my name is Hyuuga Hinata. It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Tsunami-san."

Both Tsunami and Inari were taken aback by her representation, but only Tsunami openly showed her surprise. Her first thoughts that ran in a disjointed pattern of wonder and instant adoration, before she could pull herself together.

_'She's polite, and so well-spoken.'_

_'She's from Tokyo! Oh, but how did they meet?'_

_'Amazing... her hair is so long and dark. She's so fair... Is her skin naturally that fair?'_

_'My, my, my... Uzumaki-kun has a girlfriend now...'_

"The pleasure is all mine, Hyuuga-san! I just wish I knew we'd have friends over; I would've bought more curry!" She awkwardly chuckled, wishing she had been prepared for this. Tazuna read the signs on his daughter's face and couldn't stifle his amusement and cynicism, but he kept his comments to himself. Hinata knew better, she could tell she was right to have suggested calling them before arriving.

The dark-haired woman gave a girlish chuckle, as she patted Inari's back, both to chide and encourage him.

Even to this day, he wasn't very friendly with visitors.

"Hi." That was all he said. In a very deadpan, 'arms-length'-crafted tone, all he had to say was 'Hi', as if their appearance had nothing to do with him. Inari felt his mother roll her eyes to the sky, sharing her exasperation with God in another one of their silent conversations.

An exhausted sigh blew out her thinly curvy lips.

"He's just tired from practice." Tsunami sheepishly apologized. Their guests nodded in acceptance, despite Naruto's concern and Hinata's discomfort.

She could tell Inari was staring at her, staring as if to say she didn't belong here. She understood that she was the complete stranger here, but there was no reason for him to stare like that.

_'I'm Naruto-kun's girlfriend. I'm his girlfriend. I AM his girlfriend. Any friends of Naruto-kun is a friend of mine...'_

Hinata forced a kind smile onto her lips, in hopes of proving that she meant no harm, but her smile did not impress.

Inari's brow furrowed together as he squinted his eyes. _'What does she think she's doing?'_

"Are you smiling?" Inari asked demandingly, throwing the whole room off guard--- except for his grandfather, who was immune to the behavior of his grandson, and instead, found some amusement in it. Tsunami glared at Tazuna to hide his grin.

Naruto didn't understand the question at all. He turned to Hinata and waited for what she would say.

She helplessly blinked a couple times until the initial reminder of being polite pulled the corners of her lips into an awkward grin.

"A-Are I not?" She stumbled to say.

Inari disagreed.

"Give a real smile." He said.

Hinata forced her mouth muscles up and backwards into the biggest, closed-mouth smile she could muster.

She looked terrible.

Inari was getting irritated at how she forced it, how fake her smile was.

"No! A real smile!" He ordered.

"Inari-chan, you're being rude!" His mother scolded, his attitude helplessly trapping her into the clutches of public embarrassment. "Don't make such unreasonable requests upon our guest!"

Tazuna heaved a weary sigh as he leaned forward to hide his face in his hand.

"Unreasonable?" The black-haired boy mimicked, as he glanced between his mother and their 'guest'. "If she's our guest, she should've presented herself with a smile! How can she expect anyone to like her, if she can't give a genuine smile?!"

"Inari-chan... You can't always judge people by their smile." His mother lamented.

Inari heard what she said, and disagreed.

"I want to see a real smile."

Hinata faltered under her shyness, "I-I'm not sure... I..."

"Just think of something happy!"

The room stilled.

Naruto looked away to smothered his face in his palm, overwhelmed by Inari's stubbornness. His emotions of late were racing inside his chest: Regret, irritation, disappointment, disbelief, anxiety...

Regret for bringing Hinata here.

Irritation at Inari's attitude and irritation at Hinata's lack of ability to summon a nice smile.

Disappointment at her inability, disappointment at himself for hauling themselves into this stupid situation.

Disbelief at the stupidity of this situation.

Anxiety, because he wasn't sure if Hinata could give a real smile, if she could ever find that happy moment Inari told her to find.

Anxiety, because he doubted she had anything to be happy about.

Anxiety because he feared it would take a very long time for her to be truly happy.

"Whew, now that's a smile!" Tazuna proudly exclaimed off to the side. Naruto whipped his head around frantically, afraid he would miss what everyone was seeing.

A fresh light had entered the dull apartment, like the first dawn of spring.

Her eyes were closed. Her cheeks were stained a melon pink. Her skin glowed with the memory that danced beneath her eyelids. And she was completely relaxed!

Her dainty lips tickled and twitched against her teeth, giving the impression that there was laughter within her head.

Tazuna continued to praise her, all the while teasing his grandson.

"There, ya happy Inari-chan? Now ya can't ask her ask to smile anymore! Smiles don't get much better than that! Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Tsunami was equally pleased, and commented adoringly.

Hinata's smile melted into her body like sugar in tea, and spread through to her fingertips and the roots of her hair. Though the strength of her delighted face had faded away into shyness, as the memory had drifted back into the recesses of her mind, the purity of the emotion remained.

And like Inari had said about true smiles, she did take on a more pleasant countenance, one that would attract anyone to open up to her.

_'I can't believe it.'_

Hinata shyly turned to Naruto, aware that he was still staring. Her eyes connected with his for a brief second, drawing him out of his stupor as she glanced away.

In the midst of the stillness, Tsunami clapped her hands together and changed the subject.

"Well, it is late, and I am very hungry. Hyuuga-san? Would you mind helping me with dinner?"

"O-oh, not at all!" Hinata chuckled, as she excused herself from the boys. She was actually thankful for this opportunity to help Tsunami. Firstly, it gave her something to do, and it made her feel more welcome here.

Their voices drifted into the kitchen, creating an amiable atmosphere for themselves.

"Do you know how to make curry?"

"I think so."

* * *

Tsunami had set up Tazuna's room for them.

"He doesn't really use it anymore," She commented, explaining how he works himself to sleep. "The couch is fine for him, he says. I suppose it can't be helped." She stood by the doorway, smiling wistfully at her new guests.

Naruto laid out on his futon, head atop folded hands. He had been staring at the ceiling for quite some time.

"Oh, Hyuuga-san. I have some time tomorrow. We can go shopping, get you some extra clothes," She added, pointing out Hinata's days old school attire. Tsunami visibly paused as she balanced the next question on her tongue with much consideration. "A-Are... You two thinking about going to school here?" She looked to Naruto expectantly waiting for an answer. She felt Hinata was reasonable enough to make her own decisions, so she wasn't worried about whatever she chose to do. It was Naruto who was stubborn, Naruto who was a knucklehead. To count on him to do something good for himself was questionable by society and general moral standards. It wasn't to say he didn't have a good heart, she believed he did.

She just couldn't understand why they came all the way out here when school hadn't been officially let out.

When Naruto said nothing, Hinata replied for them.

"We're considering it, Tsunami-san."

Naruto gave a snort in the background, earning a look from Tsunami.

'_Still the same as ever. Just like my son.'_ She wearily admitted.

"Alright, well I must go," Tsunami smiled, as she patted Hinata's hand with the tender care of a friend and mother. "Please enjoy your stay. Good night."

"Good night, Tsunami-san."

* * *

Her smile stuck in his brain like sunspots blinding his eyes.

It left him feeling foolish and dumb.

_'Did I give her that smile?'_ He vaguely wondered, only to throw the very notion away. He had never seen her smile like that, even during their pleasant moments and playtime he had never seen a truer expression of self-content on her normally wan face.

Hinata stood in front of the small, circular mirror that hung on the wall across the room. She was dutifully working her fingers through matted strands of dark hair, as the crispy, greasy sensation of dirty roots left her feeling gross and shameful.

She wanted to take a shower before bed, but she had forgotten to ask Tsunami for use of service. She didn't have the gall to dig around for a shirt or robe to borrow and sneak into their shower as if she'd been living here for more than a year.

A frustrated, tiny whine hummed quietly in her throat, feeling at a lost of what to do now.

Naruto's eyes weren't helping her at all either.

She imagined she would sleep against him tonight.

She imagined she would put her head on his chest, as he wrapped only arm around her shoulder, allowing them to drift into fitful slumber.

She imagined what a horrible mess the top of her head must look, or what--- Hinata picked up a big strand of hair and pushed it to her nose for inspection--- It didn't smell too bad, but she still imagined it would smell to him.

Her attention span with her reflection was fading fast, and the fact that standing in the mirror wasn't going to make her feel and smell fresh didn't help with her increasing annoyance. Impatience and shame won out and she found herself tip-toeing to her futon.

She tucked herself in as timidly as a mouse, wanting to be as invisible as possible until she got her shower. Naruto idly traced the outline of her body beneath the blanket, his imaginary hand running over the flattened shape of her back.

He wasn't sure which way to feel. She managed to impress Tsunami ---not a hard feat--- and Tazuna ---which was a miracle! That much he was proud of and very pleased. He felt he could count on her to help change his image: She was a good girl, while he was Uzumaki Naruto (with definitions varying person to person). What he failed to do in etiquette and appearances, she could make up for, maybe even fix by being his girlfriend.

_'But how could she smile like that??'_

Naruto sat up in his futon. He grabbed the edge of Hinata's bedding and dragged her closer to him, so that their beds were together. Her eyes were wide beneath the blanket, as she tried to catch her heart back in her chest. She felt his presence drift over her, one hand placed across her so he could lean down beside her. He pulled her securely into his arms, and draped his blanket across them both. Hinata suddenly felt very hot with him so close, and under the extra coverings.

She suspected there was something on his mind again. Perhaps it would take months for the plague within his soul to be cleansed. Maybe it would take much longer.

"Hinata-chan..." He uttered with a muffled regret. He changed his mind, and decided to keep it to himself. Instead he asked, "So, you're fine with this? Being in Osaka?"

"It's fine." She said.

Unsatisfied and unassured by her plain reply, he pressed his nose into her shoulder, hoping subtle affection would turn her around to be more open. Was she mad?

"I'm sorry about Inari-chan," He chuckled sheepishly, "He's been like that for as long as I've known him. I thought he got better, but... I dunno what's going on with him now."

"Mm." She said.

"Tsunami-san is wonderful though, ain't she?"

"She is."

"Are you at a loss for words tonight?" He complained.

"I'm sorry."

"C'mon, don't be so tense! Everything's going to be great! We're young, we've ditched the parents---! Everyday it's you and me!"

"Mm-hm." She nodded. Hinata couldn't believe he was saying such things. She just closed her eyes and smiled along, unable to digest a word. This was all still very hard for her to do.

"I promise it'll be fun."

"Mm."

Naruto didn't think she was listening anymore.

"What did you see when you made that smile?"

"What do you mean?"

"There was something you saw that gave you relief; you were very happy. I've never seen you like that, I didn't even know you _could _look like that."

"I guess you're right. I had forgotten I had that smile, because I had forgotten that memory over time."

"So what were you seeing theeeen???"

"You're so nosy," She teased, "It was nothing really, just... the first time I was hugged by a boy."

"Kiba?"

"No, I don't know who it was."

"What?! Why is that such a precious moment for you?!"

"I... I don't know. He was really funny about it, so it makes me smile..."

Naruto's embrace grew tighter around her, yet not comfortably so. She could tell he was getting territorial over this as well.

"I'm not going to disappear you know." She whispered with embarrassed concern, as her breath bounced off and hit back against her nose.

"Just to think _any_'funny' guy can be precious in your memory..." Naruto scoffed grudgingly causing Hinata to sweatdrop, "How funny do I have to be to make you smile like that?"

A wry, partly annoyed smirk stretched across her lips in retaliation to her hidden amusement. Did he always feel this threatened? Where did his confidence go? _'He had so much of it...'_ She lamented with quiet disappointment. _'I suppose I can't complain, I never had much confidence to begin with myself, but for him... now--- I don't understand...'_

Hinata could tell he was still waiting for response, but instead she decided she wouldn't bother humoring him, nor answering him.

"I'm going to sleep." She declared, and with that, closed her eyes.

"Hey! ... At least gimme a goodnight kiss!"

* * *

Tsunami stopped by her son's room last, before she headed to the living room where her father slept.

All these thoughts and questions had been spinning and growing rapidly in her brain; she needed to talk about it, yet she hadn't imagined asking Tazuna if he knew anything, for she imagined they were all on the same level of confusion.

His blueprints had been rolled up and his sketches stacked to the side. She was surprised to see the coffee table again.

Tazuna chuckled knowingly at her expression.

"Look long. It won't look like this again come tomorrow." He joked.

A vague smile passed over her lips as she moved to sit by him. Tazuna watched and waited for his daughter to speak. He imagined she had a lot to say before she finally decided to sleep.

The first question that came to mind was the most obvious one.

"Father? What are they doing here?"

"Running away? Eloping? God only knows."

"But they're still children..."

"They are but children." He solemnly cemented.

"Running away to Osaka was always Uzumaki-kun's thing. I never would have imagined he'd take someone along like this... I can't be sure if it's permanent either. Should we contact her parents?"

"What for??" Tazuna blanched, as an incredulous laugh stopped halfway in his throat. The very suggestion itself was overwhelming!

"You think she's here of her own free will, then?" She asked skeptically, somehow unable to believe it.

Wearily, the old man sighed.

"If so, then that means she is just as much a hooligan as he is. Or if not... then perhaps she has only just become rebellious."

"But Uzumaki-kun's not... He's not really a bad influence, Father..." Tsunami hesitated to state, unsure of her own confidence in that opinion. "...He's just..."

"Misguided?" Tazuna answered, knowing her attachment to that word, "At his age he can't afford to be 'misguided' anymore. He should've been on the straight and narrow years ago."

"He's never really had a role model, you know... not like Inari had with Kaiza."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah... But he always says he can't admire a corpse." Tazuna grunted grumpily.

"There's been something about that statement that's struck me odd for so long," Tsunami admitted.

"I know. He's practically following in his father's footsteps, or vainly hoping to fill his shoes, yet he has no idea. And he says he can't admire a corpse... Hn, it's super ironic."

Determination replaced the pensiveness on Tsunami's face as she banished her concerns and resolved a new recourse.

"I'll leave worry to the future. For now, I'll help them out as much as I can." Tsunami gladly decided. Yet despite her confident looks, she still held an ounce of doubt within her, for Tazuna noted her subtle habit of continuously tucking aside strands of hair.

Tsunami kissed her father on the forehead, and with that, rushed off to bed as every muscle in her body screamed at her for rest.

Tazuna shrugged himself further into the couch, grumbling to himself 'Good luck' for his daughter before, in time, sleep had taken hold of him once again.

* * *

Adventurous fingers derived nervous laughter from her belly, lips pressed against hers to stifle her volume and catch her sounds.

It had been a long day, and bed time meant cuddle and fondle time for Naruto.

"Ssstop! Hee-hee! N-Naruto-kun---!Ssstop, w-we're n-not alone! Ha-ha-ha!"

"Of course we are. The door is closed."

"N-Naruto-kun...! Ah!"

His fingers had grazed over a sensitive spot behind her thigh, just below her butt. He grinned victoriously as he basked in her flustered reaction. She was weak against his persistent affections. As he hovered over her, her body in his arms and his waist between her legs, he dared to caress that sensitive spot over and over again. She turned her flushed face to the side and pressed her palm to her mouth.

"Don't---" She whimpered in a last attempt.

"You're enjoying it though." Naruto smirked, swelling with pride. With that said, Hinata relaxed back down, knowing she could not deny fact. But every stroke against her thigh shot lightning through her body, causing her muscles to tense and her back to arch.

There was a protest dancing on the tip of her tongue.

"H-how... C-Could you c-call me your girl-f-frieeend?" She moaned.

"Aren't you?"

"B-but you... Mm--- Y-You didn't ask me out."

"But we're together."

"You s-still didn't--- Ah---! N-No---Y-You didn't ask---"

"You really want to be formal about this?"

"W-We're not official this way..." Hinata stared up at him with adoring fragility, hoping he'd understand her point. The heat swimming in her blush-stained face only helped to intensify the affect. Naruto couldn't pull his eyes away, his willpower had been sapped by her stare.

"But... We're still doing _this stuff_ together. What difference does it make?"

"I don't want to feel like we're lying."

"We're not."

"Naruto-kun, ask me. Make me your girlfriend, please?"

Naruto paused to think about it. He looked skeptical.

"Um... Well, what do I get out it if I ask you?"

"I get to be your girlfriend!"

"But you are my girlfriend."

"You have to ask me out first! Then I get to be your girlfriend!"

"But... I thought you _wanted_to be my girlfriend, Hinata-chan!"

She couldn't believe his denseness, or how he could be so stubborn when it was so simple.

"Naruto-kun?! Will you ask me out or not?!"

"I still don't see why I have to..." He sighed dumbly.

"...?!?!" She wanted to shout at him, but no words could come out. Instead she pushed him off, back onto his own bed, and curled into her own with nothing but an angry blush painted across her face.

"Wha?? H-Hinata-chan? ...What'd I do??"

"It's what your not doing, " She grumbled beneath her blanket. Not quite hearing her, Naruto busied himself by sneaking closer to her, his arm hovering closer and closer to her waist. Then she said, "If you don't ask me, I'm going back to Tokyo."

That stopped him. Naruto was frozen over her in an awkward position. "You're not going to do that." He said, giving a terse laugh. In his mind, he was deciding between himself whether to complete the attack and scoop her into his arms or if he should sink back into his bed and leave her alone for the night.

"I will, if that's what it will take to get you to take me seriously."

"Why're you ruining the fun? We were having fu---"

"I'm going back to Tokyo, then." She stated bitterly as she shrugged herself further in her futon.

"You can't. You promised."

"Then why are you so scared to ask me?? You're so scared to be alone, but you won't ask me out?! How badly do you need me?! I don't even ask you if you love me!"

Naruto withdrew his floating arm and sank back down in his futon. All thoughts and frivolousness had been wiped clean from his mind, leaving him with a new burden.

"I don't even ask you..." She continued to sigh, until the warmth of his hand stopped her voice. His fingers sought for hers, then wove his into hers. The distinctness that was a male's touch sent hot shivers up her arm, the sensation of sweet intimacy tugged at her heart strings.

"Alright." He said, finally conceding. He almost sounded defeated. Hinata couldn't tell whether he was giving up because he wanted to, or giving up because he felt stuck.

"Don't ask me because you feel forced." She sighed.

"You are forcing me. But I don't want you to leave." Naruto took a moment to pause before taking the leap. He couldn't help but feel the need to say goodbye to an old love with pink hair, before he committed himself to another. It felt like ages passed before he spoke again. Hinata was getting anxious. "...Alright."

"You already said that."

"Yeah..."

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah... Um... So... W-Will... Y-You go out with me?"

Finally he has said the words she had waited to hear for weeks, however it wasn't as satisfying as she had hoped. It felt as if all her previous work was for nought because she still had to prompt him to ask. She thought it would have meant more if he had asked her out of the blue, but their current situation did not allow for that sort of 'movie romance'.

He was so dense.

"...Took you long enough to ask." She sleepily sighed.

* * *

Beams of morning light split through the blinds, as the sun's waking fingers goaded the two teens to open their eyes and embrace the new day.

The door then burst open with a boom of a friendly voice, "Breakfast is ready! There's toast, eggs, rice, miso--- Uzumaki-kun, I've got some cup ramen if you'd prefer." Yet by the end of her tirade, neither teen had fully heard what she said, and were only beginning to awaken. Naruto groaned and stretched irritably at Tsunami's 'loud' voice, while Hinata lightly swatted his chest knowing he was yawning with his mouth wide open.

"Oh, come on you two! I had more energy at your age. And I'm not even that old yet."

"Well, don't you know that each generation is shaping to be more tired than the last?" Naruto through out lazily with his fingers in his hair.

"Is that so?" Tsunami blinked as if taking him seriously, but Naruto could tell she was being sarcastic. She had mastered that hidden tone he normally associated as Tazuna's--- but, like father, like daughter. At least the warmth of her personality softened the harsh tone, rendering it harmless and unable to cause insult. That was probably why Naruto was so easy to like Tsunami over most adults he knew. The rest of them didn't even try to be nice.

"Alright kiddies, up, up, up! I've set out towels for you as well; Hinata you may take a shower first. You guys want to eat first or shower first?"

"I'll take a shower first... if that's alright." Hinata mumbled to herself as she excused herself from Naruto's side. Naruto watched her leave, as his eyes drifted up to the expectant expression of Tazuna's only daughter.

Naruto hung his head, feeling exasperated from the sudden rush of morning.

"Alright, I'll eat first."

* * *

Naruto swore he was still sleeping. His body felt heavy, but his feet felt light, like they were floating across the cheap carpeting.

_'I'm reliving an old memory... I'm not really here...'_

It felt as if when he was twelve. Tsunami had found him sleeping on a bench in a subway station and she brought him home with her. At the time, he had come to Osaka looking for one of Gato's men. Sasuke got beaten badly, so Naruto had made it his mission to topple Gato's position in power. That was how he had gotten himself sucked into their mess --- a deeply embedded tangle of corruption and machiavellism that exploded into violence and mourning --- many people had been wondering at the time how a mere twelve-year-old could have gotten involved in such a clusterfuck; they made it sound like some sort of sin, as if he had helped in the destruction. Maybe he did... maybe he couldn't help getting involved.

Or maybe they didn't mean him.

Naruto sat down at the table, with Inari to his right. The black-haired boy was staring at his eggs with puffy, half-lidded eyes. Suddenly his joke from earlier came back to mock him, and he felt old just thinking about it.

And still he had not caught up to his reality.

Just a couple days ago he had been in Tokyo, 'innocently' doing his best to live a life. He had a fluctuating popularity at school, and two jobs: One with two nice people ---Ayame and Teuchi--- and the other with too many people --- The Elephant Cafe--- in which he had found a niche in two older co-workers, whom seemed to like him less and less as the weeks rolled on.

He had never realized the darkness Hiro had kept inside until it had been too late.

Naruto forgotten how Ryoji would get on his nerves or get on his case about shit. But he wasn't sure whether to pray that Aomori delivered Ryoji to the hospital in time or not. He wasn't sure if that meant he was praying to god or if he was praying to Aomori. And who had a better grip on peoples' lives? God or men?

It always seemed like men to Naruto.

Just a day or two ago, he swore all his secrets were flying out of his grasp, that his stay had come to the brink where his heart would be bared to all --- scrutinized by public opinion --- with him as the whore, and the world as the voyeur in the closet. She made him feel that --- Hiro did --- she ripped out his heart, threw him naked on the floor, and took a shit on his trust for all to see.

Just a couple days ago he had been a schoolboy, now he was murderer running.

Just a day or two ago, she attacked him, with a firestorm of collateral damage ripping in her wake. _'Ryoji... And the restaurant will probably get closed down... employees will have to search for work elsewhere allover again.'_

This made him feel leaden and guilty. It was Teuchi who ranted at him about the economy once, urged him to be aware of the precious value of work.

Just a day or two ago it seemed that Hinata had diverted her interest to Kiba. She had been ignoring him and she had been hurt by him.

A day or two ago, she had been fine, she had been clear-headed, because she had given up on him: She had been on the right track to getting her friends and family back.

Yesterday morning he had taken that away from her.

Yesterday morning he begged to her run with him, without giving her a reason why.

Yesterday they had arrived in Osaka, as a couple.

And just a day or two ago Naruto still wouldn't have chosen her.

None of this felt very real to him yet. And none of it felt right either.

But all he knew was that he still wanted her.

He needed her.

"Alright, it fits!" Tsunami proudly interjected as Hinata made her way to the table.

Naruto looked up from his food, as steam from both rice and ramen clouded over his bleary sight until shapes and figures started to make sense again. Then through the veil, he finally recognized her face beneath all that hair.

_'Her bangs are really long now...'_He realized, abruptly, quietly noting the way they hung over her lashes. But he was just as surprised to realize that she was wearing one of Tsunami's ole clothes: A pair of khaki clam-diggers, and a loose-fitting foil-bubble cami. The white of the top contrasted prettily against her damp, dark hair. He had begun to feel sad knowing that she would be leaving him soon with Tsunami.

_'What'm I going to do while she's away?!'_He groused wimpishly. He felt he didn't get to be around her enough since they got here... and now the idea of her fitting into mature women's clothes was exciting him.

"Um, where's Tazuna-san?" Hinata timidly asked, sitting down.

"Still sleeping." Tsunami laughed. As if on cue, a loud snore echoed from the living room.

"Why'd you give her your clothes, Mom?" Inari butted in, as he eyed Hinata's look disapprovingly.

"So we can go shopping today, Inari-chan. Geez, should I have asked your permission if she could wear my clothes?" Tsunami bent down and roughly pinched her son's cheek, earning a fussy pout from the boy.

Naruto wanted to say something to compliment Hinata, but felt too awkward to speak his opinion. They were going shopping, so he didn't want to imply that Hinata should start dressing like Tsunami. No, not at all! He would offer to escort her into the dressing rooms if he could, while he threw brassiere after brassiere and tight shorts after tight shirts over the door! He would have her alternate between cute and sexy on a daily basis!

And he would be the only one to see what style and color her panties were!!

Out of nowhere, it happened: Naruto giggled. And it wasn't like the kid-like boyish giggle that bubbles out just before one bursts into chuckling. No. It was much more subtle than that, and only one with a trained _ear_ could detect that sort of giggle.

That was The Giggle of the Sagely Pervert.

Naruto would kick himself so hard if he knew he had just sounded like Jiraiya. And after years of loathing---! Wasted.

But Naruto couldn't help his 'amorous' daydreams. He could recall what-of-hers he felt in exaggerated detail. Being at that hotel alone with her was almost an unbearable dream. He couldn't resist whisking her away to another one.

Hinata got up and helped Tsunami with the dishes. Inari had left the table some time ago to get cleaned up and dressed for the day.

Then Tsunami and Hinata were already on their way out the door, while Inari stood beside Naruto and listened to his mother's instructions.

Naruto hadn't noticed the swift lapse of time at all.

"Inari-chan, you can take Uzumaki-kun with you to the arcade."

"Alright, Mom."

The door shut, and Tazuna began to snore louder, startling Naruto out of his reveries.

"So you wanna go?" Inari asked expectantly.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked dumbly, like a lost idiot.

"You wanna go to the arcade, stupid?" He bit out more impatiently. Naruto swore Inari had gotten a little nicer after that battle with Gato five years ago. What was with the 'attitude-times-ten' now?

"Uh... yeah, sure." Naruto got up and followed Inari out of the kitchen into the hallway. There wasn't much else he could do on his own or with Inari Osaka, so he began to warm up to the idea of playing games to pass the time.

He hoped the girls wouldn't be gone too long.

* * *

The local open-air shopping arcade was buzzing with life and noise. Cigarette smoke and cheap fastfood stuck to her senses, as her fingers mesmerized the texture of the cashmere fabric she was eyeing listlessly. Tsunami's voice would drift every to often over the clearance racks as she continually made visual comments to strike a conversation.

She was having a blast!

"I don't have too many friends 'round here, so this is nice," She wistfully sighed. Her hand touched upon a cotton summer dress, full-length and with mushroom sleeves. "Ohh, this is wonderful! I'm so happy spring is here!" She giggled, hugging the dress to her breast with adoration and glee.

Hinata was surprised such a demure-looking woman could be so energetic over the simplest things. It made her think of her friends.

"Ne, Hyuuga-san... How did you and Naruto-kun meet?"

She visibly paused to think of an answer. The answer was as easy as it was complicated. She decided to be plain about it, and remove the decorative details.

"We shared the same homeroom."

"Ah, I see. So... Naruto-kun must've moved out to Tokyo then?"

"Yes, he did. Not too long ago either, I believe."

"So you haven't known him long then, huh?"

"M-mm..." Hinata shook her head.

Tsunami felt bad about the withdrawn look in the younger's eyes, but a great idea then lit up Tsunami's face, along with a smile.

"How did you two get together? High school romances are so cute, I bet you two have a wonderful love story! Especially since I thought Naruto-kun would never get over her! You must mean so much to him!" Tsunami ended her rant with a dreamy sigh, as she crossed her hands over her heart. She hadn't realized the blank expression that sat uncomfortably on the younger girl's face, nor would she realize the blankness that had settled within her heart.

"Her?" Hinata muttered as if she were learning a new word. She rolled the word around her brain and on her tongue, as if deciphering its foreign flavor.

"Ah! Never mind it, she was just a friend of Naruto's--- I'd like to hear your story more."

Hinata nodded in acceptance, and smiled politely.

"Forgive me Tsunami-san, but... I'm not sure where to begin."

"Aww, she's so shy."

_**

* * *

**_

"Finish Him!"

Inari pressed the final combination to win, causing Naruto's character crashed to the virtual ground with a pain-filled cry, announcing his death and defeat.

_**"Player two wins!"**_

Naruto pushed himself away from the machine in detached disgust, as if it had existed to mock him.

"I say we have lunch." Naruto declared, turning to the younger boy who kept his eyes to the screen as it asked if they wanted to play again. Inari had been far away ever since they left the house.

And then aloof, he asked, "Why are you dating her?"

"HUH??"

"Don't shout like an old man," The younger grumbled, "Why are you dating her?"

Naruto pulled himself together and lead the way out of the arcade, all the while pretending to be sagely stroking an imaginary beard.

"I think she's a _gravure idol_." He joked with a smirk. When Inari said nothing, he glanced around. The lad looked really pissed for not being taken seriously. "What, you don't believe me?" Naruto continued, earning a punch to the arm.

"Why're you dating her??!" Inari abruptly shouted, as the anger and force of his words sent a hot wind through Naruto.

"What's your deal today, Inari-chan?!"

"What ever happened to Sakura-san?! I thought you said you loved her!"

"Wha---" 'What the hell' he wanted to say. "A-Are you disappointed??"

"What are you doing with _another_ girl, and _not_with Sakura-san?"

"And what makes you think I'd _be_with Sakura-chan?"

"Because you told me you were the best!" Inari threw back at him with unnamed disappointment. "You said 'the best deserved the best'!"

Naruto remembered saying that, but he had been gloating then, to look cool. He had been showing off.

He had been lying.

"Inari... Some things change, and some things don't---"

"But you said you love her!" Inari shouted once more. He was getting pretty stubborn over this. Naruto was getting pissed off at being reminded of one of his greatest failures.

"I do love her! But I'm not the best! And the best **do **deserve the best! But I'm with Hinata-chan because she's a super nice girl! I'm lucky to have ANY girl like me, d'ya get it?! --- And don't make me repeat myself!"

Naruto could tell Inari was unimpressed. The blonde was so irritated.

"So you've settled." Inari described it, oh-so-dispassionately.

Naruto tsked.

"Get off my back, brat. She's within my league... that's not 'settling'."

"That's settling, stupid."

* * *

Hinata sat alone in a dressing stall, half dressed in a pair of boot cut jeans. Tsunami had went about the store in search for a top to match.

The face of her cell phone stared at her blankly, as if asking 'what are you doing here?'.

_'I'm hoping someone left me a text, or voice mail.'_ She replied, only to recieve a negative answer in turn.

No one had yet to call her. No one had yet to text her.

_'Perhaps then... Naruto-kun was right.'_

"Hyuuga-san!" Tsunami cried beyond the door, "I just remembered I have to drop off some mail for my father! And then we have to hurry to the fish market before the yellowtail is gone again! C'mon, let's pay for your stuff quick!"

* * *

The boys sat out against a local convenience store in utter boredom.

Naruto had taken on Inari's grumpy disposition ever since he had been reminded of his old love interest, with a sneaking depression creeping close behind.

The hiss of an opened can pulled Naruto out of his thoughts. Part of him was surprised to see how easily Inari held the _Happoshu_ beer can, as if he had done this so many times before, and part of him was not so surprised.

It's not like every kid that wasn't him were pure and perfect people.

"Maybe you should have the _Kodomo no nomimono_ instead." He teased, as he took a sip of his own beer. _'Yeah... this is the way to relax.' _Naruto inwardly remarked, with the biting bubbles trickling down his esophagus.

"It's not a big deal. Gramps lets me drink with him if mom's not around."

"Ah, I see. No wonder, the can looks natural in your hand."

Inari shrugged.

"So what do you plan to do here in Naniwa?"

Naruto leaned his head back, and with an exasperated laugh, replied "No clue."

"Gonna fool around town with your surrogate girlfriend?" Inari said, somewhat mockingly.

"Definitely." Yet Naruto smiled proudly. Inari gave a snort, causing the blonde to glare knowingly. "What?" He asked, soon learning the thoughts running through Inari's not-so-transparent adolescent mind. "Wh-HEY! I didn't choose a complete loser! Hinata-chan is... cute and... soft. A-And she smells nice!"

_'She's a fool,' _Inari thought. "Was she cool back in Tokyo?" He asked.

"..." Naruto's awkward silence was enough to answer his immature question. There was nothing Naruto could think to say in his or her defense. But Inari knew.

"What a dumb pair." The black-haired boy sighed in boredom.

"Whatever, kid."

"Have you two done it yet?"

"Have you, brat?"

* * *

The evening was near, the sky an anemic gradient of blue to pinkish-yellow.

Naruto had spent the majority of his day with Inari, both boys having taken refuge in the younger's bedroom. Inari sat by the computer, chatting with friends, while Naruto sat on the floor playing the boy's PlayStation. The klackety-klack of Inari hitting the keys filled the otherwise quiet room.

Naruto felt somehow strange.

_'This controller was much larger before. I feel like my eyes have been switched out for an old man's. I can't see where the path ends and the backgrounds begin. How can game graphics suck so quickly?'_

Though, despite his complaints, he still beat every boss and monster in record timing.

_'I could never beat that guy before. The speeds seem to have change.'_ He thought.

His eyes and brain were stuck on the screen, he couldn't pull himself away. It wasn't so much that the game was still addicting, but rather he needed to understand this strangeness. Like when he had woken up, he didn't truly believe he was here, he continued to feel as if he didn't belong. He felt like a stranger in his own body. Everything else was familiar but himself.

A new life entered the home beyond Inari's door, along with their voices.

The ladies were back.

Tsunami came to their door as Tazuna helped Hinata with the groceries and bags in the kitchen. The most tickling sensation of nostalgia hit Tsunami in the belly, giving her a silly new smile that made her son suspicious of her.

It was the sight of two boy hanging out together that reminded her of the early days.

"Alright, you two have fun. I'll call you when dinner is ready." She smirked, before closing the door. She didn't realize that Naruto had been reacting to her appearance. He had gotten halfway to his feet when she left. Naruto turned back and put the game on pause before he rushed out into the hallway.

He knew this meant she was here.

* * *

He stood the kitchen doorway, watching Hinata cut and prepare the fish as Tsunami tended to the miso.

His eyes focused on how the knife fit in her girlish hand, how her fingers gripped firmly yet gently around the wood. He watched the way she brought the blade down on the fish, with such swiftness and confidence. She walked to the waist basket and removed the head, with slippery fish blood on her fingertips.

Naruto couldn't help but smile. _'The only time you see blood on her hands, and she happens to be cooking.'_

Hinata caught his smile as she turned back around, causing heat to the rush to her face at his openness.

Tazuna came in from the living room, wanting to be around all the delicious smells. He felt rather embarrassed and amused to find Naruto propped up against the doorway, gawking.

"So which one're you ogling?" The old man teased, effectively embarrassing the blonde.

Hinata took this as her chance, and hastily hopped to the decapitated fish. Her face still burned as if she had been sitting in the hot springs, and she felt she wasn't going to cool down anytime soon.

"Don't be stupid." Naruto groaned.

Tsunami caught onto their visitors and turned herself around.

"N-Naruto?! Don't be staring now! Go play or something, entertain yourself." She chided, feeling Hinata's embarrassment. The young girl flushed even darker at that, but Naruto just smiled.

"But, Tsunami-san, I'm not a child anymore." He laughed with a goofy smirk.

"Maybe that's why you shouldn't be staring." Hinata remarked quietly. She picked up her head and threw a look over her shoulder. Her eyes held such vulnerability that, along with her reddened cheeks, made it unbearable for Naruto to silently endure. But Hinata kept her eyes on him, and hardened her stare. She pleaded with him to leave. His eyes were only tormenting her. And considering his previous nature, all those times they were alone together, she couldn't help but question if he was a man of willpower or not. He seemed to do whatever he wanted, without a care to who he made uncomfortable or not. And to think that sexual thoughts were going through his head as he watched her was beyond mortifying.

Maybe she wouldn't mind his murky musings if they _were_ the only ones here, but they weren't, and this wasn't their home. Anywhere private she would tend to his needs and help manifest his thoughts, but otherwise not here. And never with friends.

Naruto finally got the hint and U-turned out of the kitchen, with Tazuna laughing behind him.

"So you're really not a child anymore, eh? Gya-ha-ha! Got control of your hormones there, boy?? Gya-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"Shut up, old man!"

* * *

Dinner went by with relative ease. Only a couple of outbursts were emitted from the boys.

Naruto wanted to sit by Hinata, but Tsunami wouldn't let him after seeing the way he had been staring earlier. When Naruto opted to sit across from Hinata, Tazuna had gestured to Inari to take that spot, leaving Naruto with no option but to sit across from Tsunami.

Naruto got pissed after that, he thought they were all making fun of him.

"It's for her sake." Tazuna dumbly grinned, with a bottle of sake deliberately in hand.

"Geez, you guys are actin' like she needs a bodyguard." The blonde pouted, feeling out-casted.

Inari tried to tune out their petty conversations, but the more he ignored them, the more he intrigued, and somehow irritated.

_'All she does is blush and look meek. What's this girl really about?'_That's what Inari kept thinking about with little intention on investigation.

He began to think of Hinata as a mysterious girlfriend: She spoke little and she expressed little. For her to be with a loudmouth like Naruto was confounding. So far they barely showed any chemistry at the table, and she didn't even try to talk to Naruto. She spoke more with Tazuna and Tsunami than she did with Naruto.

Was she ashamed or something? She wouldn't even return a simple smile when Naruto smiled at her.

_'Maybe she doesn't even like him.'_

"Hinata-chaaaan, c'mooon! Smile for me!"

Inari waited expectantly for the slightest positive response, whether it be a giggle or an unrestrained quirk of her lips.

Nothing. All she did was flush and mumble a refusal.

Inari was bored with this.

_'What a dumb pair.'_

* * *

What felt like wet coils of heat swimming and stirring in his loins, was the excitement he felt being alone with Hinata once again. He hadn't gotten a chance to be with her all day.

And now here she was, some six feet away, rifling through her shopping for a nightgown to wear.

Naruto pushed himself off his futon and crept up behind her. He hovered over, leaned in close, pressed his nose against her spine, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Are you going to change here?" He murmured soothingly against her back, feeling her shiver, "You know you can."

"Don't start talking about crazy ideas..."

"Crazy? You should be flattered," He proceeded to tuck his fingers beneath her shirt and fondled the flesh of her stomach, while his other hands ran down the side of her thigh. She began to tremble more. Naruto grinned victoriously. "Are you turned on?"

Irritation flashed with embarrassment, as sudden disgust overcame her like a hot wet tongue invading her ear. She pulled herself away from him, but not too quickly less she hurt his feelings.

"What is wrong with you? You're getting worse!" She accused with enough hurt to alarm him.

"What?? What'd ya mean?!"

"You're completely shameless now."

"Huh?! W-What, you mean like... an old man or something??"

"I don't know... I suppose." She mumbled uncomfortably before turning away from him.

This news was devastating for him.

"...What am I supposed to do then?"

"...You could try controlling yourself."

"Does that mean you weren't turned on?"

"..."

* * *

He was told to control himself.

Naruto laid out on his back, with hands behind his head and his eyes to the ceiling. He could not sleep so easily this night, not with Hinata so close beside him, not with her sleeping defenseless.

But he was told to control himself.

How many times had Sakura thought him an animal, that he needed control? How many times had adults complained about his energy, that he needed to calm down?

Now here was Hinata, his first and perhaps only girlfriend ever, and he couldn't keep his blood from racing to his second brain. All he could think about was touching her, holding her, and exploring her. He wanted to discover her parts, he wanted to be the first to land on her moon and the first to stick his flag. He wanted to know that he had her when she was pure, so that when she was forced to move on after him, all that mattered was that she was his first.

He needed something, to have something that was solely his before the storm came and stole her away.

His imagination as of now was a mix of pleasant romantic fantasy and raunchy hentai clips that he had picked up during his years in Jiraiya's stay.

That man hadn't excercised control once since Tsunade left for Tokyo, it was like he had given up. Then he became a slob.

Naruto didn't want to become a slob.

But he couldn't bring himself to sexer--- _exer_cise control.

The more time he spent alone with Hinata, the more his anxieties and desperation ran his brain into the gutter like an ant under thumb.

Would she understand if he told her this? If he explained his problem, would she comply? Or would she shut him out out of respect for herself?

"But desire is not disrespectful... it's... desire." He muttered blind in his confusion and frustrations. He reached out for her shoulder and sank down closer to her without tugging or moving her. She drifted into wakefulness at the acknowledgement of his hand and body warmth. Part of her swooned with happiness that he would hold onto her so often, that even spooning was better than good for him. But part of her couldn't prevent feeling exhausted by him as well.

It seemed like all he ever did was touch out of need. That was what every touch was like between them. She knew she was guilty of clinging before, but... Why did he choose _now_ to cling back?

Why did he have to choose now to cling back?

"I'm not going anywhe-ere..." Hinata delicately yawned.

"It's not that."

"What is it then?"

"I have to tell you... I can't. I-I can't control myself."

"And why not?"

"Do you understand what I'd be doing if I tried to control myself? It'd be like caging my heart, imagine that."

"You're feelings are from your heart then?"

"Yes!"

"And not your crotch?"

"Well I need my heart to circulate the blood to my crotch, so it's a bit of both. S'only natural."

Hinata couldn't stop the giggles from slipping out between her teeth.

"Ah?? I can't believe I laughed at that!" She whined, her face pink with amusement and adoration.

"You haven't laughed in a while..." Naruto pulled her closer and snuggled his nose into her cheek, deriving more giggles to rumble in her closed, pursed-lipped smile.

"You haven't either..." She sighed with wistful nostalgia.

"You were gone the whole day. Today should've been our day, our first day together here."

"You're right."

"So tomorrow we'll do something."

"Like what?"

"I dunno, We'll just make it up as we go."

"But I promised Tsunami-san I'd help her around the house."

"Why?!"

"Naruto-kun... We don't live here. The least we could do is a bit of chores."

"..." Naruto wasn't happy at all with that prospect. "You know, you just sucked all the lovey-dovey stuff out the room by saying that."

"Talk to my lawyer."

"Does he live by here? We can mooch off of him instead!"

"You could be funnier."

"I'm beginning to think you only like funny guys. How lame. That's like saying you're only with me because I can make you chuckle."

"I'm with you because I have to be."

"Don't make it sound like it was forced." Naruto winced.

"...I like you, then."

"Whoo-hoo! She likes me!" He giddily exclaimed with a glomp.

And despite Hinata's embarrassed cries of protest, "Shhh! Everybody's asleep!"

"Heh-heh, I don't care.", Naruto held her close to his chest.

* * *

She loved it when he held her hand as they wandered through the congested city streets, she adored how his lips immediately met hers when the doors of the elevator would close, she enjoyed the sight of his small smile.

_I never thought too often about romance, nor about boyfriends, yet I had always hoped I'd be with someone in the end. That out there existed a kind person who loved me, that I belonged to someone that I admired._

He seemed happier having her around, and yet not happy enough. The exuberance in which he had introduced himself with had been dampened like a flame drowning in melted wax, and the intensity of his grin faded like a chalkboard equation smeared by thousands of hands.

But he still forced a smile and a laugh, even when he meant it.

"We're on our way to the fifth floor! I'm going to pray to the _Billiken_!" He announced like a child looking forward to candy. Hinata couldn't contain a wistful wince from gracing her face as she observed his tamed excitement.

His blue eyes remained dulled and devoid of shine. Disenchantment would never return his youthful passion.

_This boy, who became my boyfriend, is a lesser form than the one I had admired._

Hinata smiled to herself, pleased at the fact that this was now their fifth date. Their first, they had simply gone out to eat. Naruto of course chose ramen as their dinner. However he did make it up to her with a slice of strawberry shortcake and a side of ice cream. Their second date they watched a movie. They didn't get to actually watch the movie. Naruto's attention span had easily turned to Hinata in the dark seclusion of the theatre, and Hinata had to do all she could to deter his mischievous ideas. Her lower body hasn't felt the same since, and his cheek hasn't fully healed since. By their third date Naruto had been in a riotous mood since she had 'accidently' slapped him, and he picked fights any way he could. Hinata had called off their date short after his tantrum in the restaurant. He had thought the waiter was 'hitting on my girlfriend!'. After that he had sulked in bed, thinking Hinata hated him. Their fourth date, it had rained and they stayed inside, in hopes to reconcile their feelings once again.

This was her boyfriend.

_He is jealous, paranoid, depressed and weary. Yet he still tries not to show it._

As soon at the elevator had stopped, and the door dinged, Naruto flashed her a winning smile before gently pulling her into the Observation Deck of the _Tsutenkaku Tower_.

The Billiken resided here, known as the God of Happiness or 'The God of Things as They Ought to Be'.

"It's just a silly doll an art teacher dreamed up..." Hinata murmured to herself, all the while reserving an automatic apology for the Billiken, just in case it really was a god of luck.

But did Naruto really need to see this so-called god? Or was this just for fun?

_Have I been too ignorant? I never witnessed his fall from grace, never imagined he wasn't invincible. His smiled had me fooled. He acted so strong and simple, I thought he was better than me, he made me feel so unfit. I wanted to be like him._

_I wanted him to accept me, when no one else would._

Hinata stood off to the side as Naruto made his donation to the Billiken.

_Maybe it's like they say... 'It always has something to do with your father'._

Naruto pressed his thumbs against the worn soles of the impish Buddha-like doll, and with his eye tightly shut, he proceeded to make his wish. It was moments like these when he could not carry his shield anymore and he made himself vulnerable to the most superficial things.

_I don't believe I admire him anymore, but perhaps that's a good thing. Perhaps I had been admiring him for all the wrong reasons._

_At least... Now, without the illusion of idolatry, I can learn to love him for who he is... and not who I thought he was._

He hung his head, his eyes still closed shut, and his shoulder heavily sagged. Perhaps he was taking a moment of silence for himself, perhaps he was determining the value of his wishmaking. Distrust, fear, and a prepared disappointment danced across his deeply concentrated face, before he could finally pull himself away from the statue.

Something was definitely disturbing him.

_This boy, my someone, is not who I had originally pictured in my younger days as the man whose love had saved me._

_This boy is meant to be saved by my love._

_Can I do it? Can I save him? From demons and loneliness? It is possible with us?_

Naruto grinned up at her, his blue eyes hidden behind overly-cheerful folds of skin as he grasped her hand. The returned contact sent an odd chill through her, a vivid sensation of empathy.

She leaned her head against him, her eyes aching to restrain tears. Her heart was so overwhelmed all of a sudden, attacked by a surge of emotion. She clung his arm to her chest, making his heart jump excitedly out of his ribcage.

"H-Hinata-chan?" He called warily, but she would not answer. Her lips parted open, but no words came out. She dipped her head down in embarrassment, but he could see her face was clearly ashen.

He had to correct this.

* * *

He lead them to the closest restroom, and hid themselves within the furthest stall. She hadn't the chance to question or protest as he grasped her face in his larger hands and caught her lips in a familiar embrace.

She had given up the policy of restraint. She let him overtake her. She allowed him release and allowed him full expression.

_This is the only way he can communicate to me. What I had mistaken as need and desire is in fact insecurity and passion. He can't speak to me about his fears, but I'm proud that he confides in me anyway._

_His mouth is pouring so much emotion into me, my heart can't stand it. He forces me to tears every time, and I know he wants to cry too. But he doesn't._

_My feeble-hearted boyfriend is a proud failure._

"Hinata-chan..." Naruto choked out, as his mind sought for comprehension. His heart was erratic, and his face tingled cold and warm; so flushed.

"I'm so lucky." Hinata breathed contentedly, his head in her arms. He blinked at her in confusion.

_The circumstances may have been strange and our consummation imperfect... But I feel so lucky._

Hinata threw herself onto him, catching his utterance of surprise in her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing her tongue onto him in the way he had done to her so often. This prompted him to hold her closer. He grasped her thighs and hoisted her up. Her legs automatically wrapped themselves around him.

She was now on top.

Their tongues laved one another, swapping saliva and natural flavor. She forced his head back, deriving a contented groan from the depths of his chest. He stumbled backwards into the stall door, the sudden weight of her making him feel top-heavy, but he didn't care about that.

_'Hinata-chan... Th-This... s-so good. So good.'_

The restroom door squeaked open, followed by the sounds of a baby crying and cooing mother, and her four-year-old daughter who continued to scold the baby.

"Mama, he's jus' fakin' it! Mama!?"

"Hush now, Sayaka-chan. Would you like to smell your brother to see if he's faking it?"

"No."

The woman proceeded to change her child, unaware of the impassioned teenagers hidden in the other stall.

They had instantly silenced their voices and made stealth of their enamored actions. Naruto held her against him, his fingers pressed possessively around her waist. Her breasts swelled against him with every heated breath, as her lower front rubbed against his naval. His sight clouded over with immense sensation. Now overcome with carnality, he became blind to everything but his libido.

The baby cried louder and the daughter complained more loudly.

A pocket of air became lodged in Hinata's throat as Naruto's hands found grasp of her rear. Her knee-length skirt slid down and gathered at her belly, exposing her panty-covered crotch to the open air.

"N-Naruto-ku---?" She murmured before she could finish.

He forced her hips down, sending surges of lascivious pleasure through their lower bodies as she hit his bulge.

This was the first time she ever felt something like this; hard, swollen and begging... It scared her out of her mind.

She tried to plead again with muted words, but as he forced her hips up and down, enthusiastically grinding her crotch against his hardness, she could do nothing but supress her cries.

"There. See how happy your brother is, Sayaka-chan?" The mother teased blandly.

_'Gawd, please just leave already--! Aa!'_

His movements stopped abruptly, and the hardness that had been so desperately crushed against her twitched with finality. Moistness then took over, like a damp rag had been pressed against her groin.

The fading perdendo of the mother and her daughter's feet announced their departure with much relief, and at the same time, a tinge of humiliation.

Hinata dropped back down to her feet, her most private area felt weird now that she had her legs closed again. She stared up into his face, but still he would not look at her. Was he so spent that opening his eyes was a difficulty? Or had he become self-conscious realizing what he had done?

"Naruto-kun..."

His cheeks grew darker. Frowning, he turned his face away, reluctantly telling her to go.

He could not admit his embarrassment, but he could not hide it either.

Hinata stumbled past him and ran out of the restroom, leaving him alone to deal with his soiled pants.

* * *

She got worried after the first twenty minutes when he did not reappear, but she had decided not to check up on him either for fear she would upset him. She leaned against the railing of the Observatory Deck, hoping the sunset would calm the unfamiliar sensations between her legs.

_'It's been forty minutes already... Where is he?'_

She bent down to rest her chin on her and closed her eyes. All she could see was the face he made when he came prematurely. Hinata crossed her legs, and pressed her thighs against each other. This was either to preserve or remove the sensations he had left her with. She could not yet decide whether she enjoyed this feeling or not. In some ways it made her feel like she had been given new skin. In other way she felt completely exposed, as if anyone could guess what she had done.

Of course nobody knew what she had done with her boyfriend, and she fought to tell herself not to be paranoid, that these were simply virginal reactions to an experience of exciting indecency.

A warm hand rested atop her fingers, followed by a mumbled apology.

"...I'm sorry."

"..." Hinata acknowledged his apology, though she wasn't so sure what to say. It wasn't like she was mad at him.

Naruto rested beside her against the rail and affectionately pressed his nose into her shoulder like a sad puppy dog. She couldn't help but feel really lucky.

"...I love you." She whispered under her breath. His eyes flew open and grew so wide.

"What?"

Hinata took a moment to pause, as if she were deciding between herself the sincerity of her words and they were really worth repeating. Her feelings had not changed yet, so she answered him again.

"I love you."

The warm hand that had been loosely resting atop hers was now squeezing tightly, much like his clenched jaw and stiffened shoulders. His blue eyes, which have lost all romance in life, stared at her hard in wavering disbelief. His face construed into a reluctant grimace that almost seemed teary and painful, as his eyes screwed tightly shut once again. He took the hand he had been gripping, cradled it, then pressed the back against his lips.

This was the only way he could communicate to her.

The sky darkened, as the sun descended into the mouth of the horizon, obscured by the tree tops and buildings. The redness that had been washed over them faded away, and left them with a feeling of utter intimacy, as if everyone in the observatory deck had faded away too.

Moments like these, that don't seem complicated, truly leave him at a loss for words.

_

* * *

_

"I don't even ask you if you love me."

That's what she had said just before they officially became a couple.

Even after confessing to him, she still didn't ask.

And even after confessing, he couldn't begin to mouth the words that she deserved. However, words could only matter so much to her, for she had people who loved her, no matter how few the amount.

Someday she would have to leave him, and by that day, he hoped those same people would still love her.

Naruto stood beneath Tazuna's balcony, waiting for his girlfriend to return before they headed back out again. Originally they had returned to get more money, but Hinata said she wanted to change as well.

He felt high and sick all at the same time. He was excited to see what she would look like, and felt anxious when he realized that this was for him. His stomach was doing flip-flops while her words rolled around in his head.

He almosted wanted to stop this. He had been nothing but obnoxious all week. How could she have seen past all that? How could she love him after the peer pressure-inspired bullcrap he pulled on her back in Tokyo?

Had she forgotten? Had she forgiven him? Or was this because of what he said in the hotel? Did she still believe all that? Or had she truly chosen him over her friends and family?

For him, Hinata was better than nothing. So for her, was he better than them?

If she did not prefer him over them, it must be that she loved him more.

"It's another elope story..." Naruto wearily sighed, his head hung, burdened by disbelief. _'It can't continue like this, I... I lied. She has to know. It's not too late. She can go back. It's only been eight days, she should go back... I lied, she has to know...'_

"Hey! Naruto!" Tazuna shouted from atop. "I jus' wanna warn ya: Your girlfriend knows how to clean 'erself up. Sure you can handle yerself all the way to _Sennichi-Mae Dori_?" He teased, coughing low and hoarsely at the end.

In a fit of paranoid humiliation, Naruto's face lit up an angry red at the man's perverted insinuations.

"What makes you think we're going to _Sennichi-Mae Dori_, old man?!"

_

* * *

_

'Shit, we're in Sennichi-Mae Dori...'

There is nothing red-light about Sennichi-Mae Dori, but its line of Love Hotels is what makes the Namba District more popular than others. That, and it is home to the _Hotel U's_, a kinky, well-decorated, well-'equipped' Love Hotel, along with it's sister branch _Hotel U's Annex_, both of which hotels are legendary for their famous 'Basket Chair Room'.

Anyone looking for a good lay or hotel room are to head to Namba.

And already Naruto and Hinata are residing in Naniwa, which has blended into Namba, so they'd be doing their local business a favor.

Unexpectedly, the love hotel was the last thing Naruto wanted to do right now.

But he couldn't tell her. He didn't want her to think there was something wrong.

Naruto struggled not to feel this way, like he was drowning in a hot sea of emotion as he frantically sought for shore. Sometimes the shore would slip from his fingers and he would have to swim again.

They sat next to each other on the bed, surrounded by low lighting and silence. The famous basket chair hung from the ceiling silently behind them, like a third wheel nagging, _"When're ya gonna do her? Are ya gonna do her on me? Ya can do her on me. I'm a lot of fun!"_

Naruto's hands, which had been firmly attached to his knees, increased their grip. Hinata caught sign of his distress and placed her cool hand atop his clammy one.

He flinched.

"Naruto-kun...?"

_"Hey! Hey, I'm waiting!"_ The chair shouted.

"Are... you nervous?" Hinata inquired without judgment.

_"I'm clean too! Laundry-fresh, stain-free!"_

"M-Maybe just a little..." He admitted, looking away.

"..."

He could feel her concern grow. He felt ashamed when she said nothing, as if he had let her down. If he couldn't do anything or if he didn't begin for her, then there was absolutely no reason for them to be here.

_'But even if we don't do it, we'll have to spend the night. The room is locked until we pay...'_And Hinata had somehow convinced him that 'Free Time' was the best deal for their money. _'Cute of her to think I even __**have**__ that kind of staying power! Shit!'_

_"If you're having trouble, there's DVDs."_ The chair was mocking him. Hell, the whole room was.

_"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! WAS THE BATHROOM STALL SERIOUSLY A BETTER LOCATION THAN __**US**__?!"_

His joints were getting sore now as he continuously clenched and unclenched his grip on his knees. And surely enough if he were to remove his hands, he would find large sweat spots on his jeans where his palms had been.

_'This is so stupid. I should be able to now... but I can't.'_

Naruto flinched at the absence of Hinata's hand when she withdrew, and flinched once more when she moved to caress his cheek. The anxiety was like ice coursing through his veins, forcing out sweat and body heat through his pores to envelope him further in a slick film of guilt. Evidence of that guilt was beginning to bead across his brow.

Hinata simply thought he was really, really nervous.

She sidled herself closer to him and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

He did not respond well, instead he seemed to shrink like a dried out flower.

"Naruto-kun?"

_"Do her! Do her! Do her! Do her!"_

_"C'mon, touch her! Just touch her!"_

_"She's waiting! Are ya gonna make 'er feel ugly?!"_

_"Do her! Now!"_

"I... don't think we should." Naruto finally explained, blurting out.

_"Oh, you coward."_ The chair muttered distantly.

Everything about his words made no sense to Hinata. He'd been nothing but spoony since they left the hotel in Nagoya! Not to believe she had him pegged, but she had expected he would've jumped her by the time they opened the hotel room door. And not to be too self-confident, but she knew he would have.

The only possible reasons behind his current unenthusiasm that she could find would either be that he either had enough after their bathroom 'session', or he had been disappointed in her by it.

_'Maybe he's still embarrassed. Maybe he's no longer attracted.'_

Naruto thought she would leave when she stood from the bed. He eyed her nervously from the corner of his stare.

She did clean up nicely tonight, better than any time he could ever remember. It didn't attract him when she copied a look straight from the magazines (and she thought he didn't notice). And he never liked a plain girl, like when he first met her.

But tonight, with her dark hair slightly curled at the end and her pale face delicately pink with blush, he recognized that her simple appearance needn't much enhancement like other girls. She was pure.

He noticed that her blush had darkened, and the barest semblance of sheepishness rested upon her soft features. She walked out then and turned to stand before him, her face reddening further with the intentions that she kept secret. Long bangs, which needed trimming, hung over her eyes like a slumped awning, cradling her face with wispy fingers. She caught him with a beguiling look, her eyes slightly hooded. Her right hand, which had been rested over heart, trailed down slowly to her naval. Her crotchet top was not shy as she, for through the woven flowers he could see her skin and where her full-length, cotton-thin skirt hung lazily off the flare of her hips.

She strode up to him, her fingers fisted nervously in her skirt. He stared at her quizzically, anxiously, ready to voice a question. Instead he yelped in surprise when she grabbed hold of his shoulders and sat atop his lap. Her face burned as she gathered up her skirt. The fruits of her labor was his speechless reaction: How his mouth hung agape and his eyes glued to her lace-covered crotch. (Although she assumed that was his reaction, as she used her skirt to shield her blood-shot face).

This was her biggest reason to go back to the apartment and change: Sexy panties. All for her perverted boyfriend.

The room that had silenced at his admission now screamed at him to touch her, to hold her, to do something. Not to sit there staring like a lump.

_**"SHE'S WAITING!!!"**_

Nothing. He didn't move, he didn't speak. His lower body didn't even react against his will as it had always done before.

With a steadying breath, Hinata gingerly pressed herself against him, hoping he would react.

"J-Just like... e-earlier. R-Remem-mber..?" She said so sweetly, until her vulnerability forced his name to shake in her throat. "N-Naruto-kun??"

Naruto tensed up.

Humiliated by his silence, "I-I'm s-sorry... I w-was too f-forward...", Hinata crawled off his lap and walked away. She sat at the edge of the bed, her back to him, as her face threatened to melt in hot tears.

Fear released its grip on Naruto, allowing him to breathe again. He collasped back on the bed, unable to suppress his grateful sigh of relief before sadness overtook him again.

"Hinata-chan?" He asked in a distracted tone, clearly burdened by something else than what he was going to ask, "Why did we pay for 'Free Time'? What made you think we'd be here that long?"

"B-Because it's a fixed price... a-and... Th-That gi-gives us... a-all the t-time we n-need to be t-together... B-But, o-obviously you're n-not th-that interested anymore..."

"..." Naruto winced at the dejection in her voice, but he figured sooner or later he was going to make her cry. "I would feel so much better if you were gone..." He muttered to the cieling.

Her fingers dug bitterly into the bed covers, as she forced a sharp whisper, "...Why?"

"Because I lied. What the hell do I know about your cousin? I only met him once. You said you guys got better, you said that scar on your head wasn't a big deal. I can't imagine how he could still hate you. I bet he loves you to death. And your sister too. You're a very lucky person, Hinata. And your friends: maybe you _do_just hang with them every once in a while, but that doesn't mean they're not real friends. They hate me enough, so I'm sure that means you're very precious to them. I was so upset when you ditched me New Years Eve. I thought you didn't have any friends, but when they showed up, you left with them. I thought I hated people like you, I mean...You act like a fuckin' emo when it comes to your dad, but... in Nagoya... I took advantage of that... That way you couldn't leave me for anyone else again."

"...Do you hate me still?"

"I don't hate you. I realize that I'm **always** going to feel like _shit_ because I have no family, and because all my friends are gone. But I'm going to feel so much worse if you don't go back to Tokyo."

"You asked me to stay."

"I don't want to ruin your life further..."

"Naruto-kun... Y-You're s-so f-full of crap." She criticized wryly, surprising him as she uttered a giggle-like sob or a sob-like giggle. He wasn't sure what kind of sound that was. It was bittersweet, a mixture of forgiveness and ridicule, embodied in an ordinary girl with a susceptible heart and tears for every occasion.

She tip-toed back to him, as she swiped her tears away like a cat grooming. But she could not look him in the face, nor let him see hers.

This was as close as she could get, her body which had trusted him so, refused her now of his company and his touch. Pride was her defense mechanism, and the stigma of rejection kept her away from him. She would not try to seduce him again, she would see if he would listen first. She would see if he would understand. When she was sure her tears had subsided, she spoke with detached despondance, as if the source of her woe had been an ancient tragedy.

"They haven't called me."

"What?"

"M-My family... They never called. I've been gone, p-practically missing, for eight days... I-I know th-that it was I who abandoned th-them... but I never t-told them s-so... N-Never left a n-note. Naruto-kun, I-I think someone would've wondered. Neji-niisan would've called. He always did. Even for the littlest things he would call."

"What about your friends?"

Her voice wavered, thickened by tears and remorse.

"It's too late."

She was used to disownment from her father, but this was devastating. Naruto never noticed the way her pain and insecurities had been slowly eating away at her at night, even when he held her, she still checked her phone in hopes for a message, even an accidental one. And every morning she took a shower, she spent crying silently to herself knowing that they must have stopped caring.

She never had the chance to make up with them, only Kiba, and even he hadn't called her.

"M-Maybe they've th-thought I've d-died... M-Mayb-b-be th-they're g-glad I'm g-gone... You s-said y-you didn't want t-to ruin my l-life f-further, b-but... It's too late f-for that. Y-You...You thought you lied... B-But you were right. They don't care about me. I-I... I'm alone, just like you."

"Hinata-chan..."

"Please don't feel bad for wanting to keep me! Please don't regret all that we've done, or you'll have ruined everything---!"

"Hinata-chan, it's not too late! S-So it's been eight days! Maybe your family knows you've run away! Maybe they're expecting you to return!"

"They'll hate me if I go back!"

"At least you have something to go back to." He assured critically, as saying she would betray him if she did not agree.

Painfully she whispered his name, overcome as he gave her new humiliation. "Why would you break up with me in a Love Hotel?"

* * *

Star - Whoo, next is **the lemon**! Sorry but I don't feel like doing culture notes anymore. QoQ;;; Please review. DON'T KILL ME!!!


	32. Don't Sleep

Star - **Um... I changed my mind. Again. There is no lemon. Sorry... again.** So... have fun with this chapter, don't think I'm too crazy, lololol.

By the way, there's this beeeautiful song that came out in 2006, and I've had it in mind ever since I came up with this arc (it's evolved alot, but otherwise this basic part I had in mind like... two years now... dammit). So whether lyrics are cheesy or not, I dun' care because I loves this song, nyeheheh. XP

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch. 32 - Don't Sleep

_'Don't tell me 'You're done for'_

_I don't need to hear 'You're done for' _

_You can tell me what you are running from_

_I need you more than you need you...'_

Her gentle eyes bore through him patiently, almost expectantly. Her relaxed posture across the bed exuded with a lifetime's supply of understanding, that had once filled him with comfort like hot tea, but now seemed to be aimed at him like a million arrows.

Was there such thing as hostile affection?

Naruto kept his eyes to the television, unable to release himself from certain embarrassment as the hentai played. He had put it in as a distraction, but it obviously didn't work, and Hinata only made it worse with her prescence pressuring him to acknowledge her. It was as if she was waiting for this whole 'break-up' thing to blow over.

She didn't believe him? Shouldn't she be angry? What was she waiting for? What was she expecting him to do? How could she lay there so calmly when there was fantastical animated porn on the television set?

Burdened by her stare, he glanced back to the reclined figure. Her eyes caught his instantly. There was an intensity and a detachedness about her, as if she was half-asleep, aroused and heartbroken all at the same time.

_"Aa, aa, aa! More, more! Aan!"_

_"Nnn! S-So tight!"_

_"More!"_

Her lips parted slightly as if to speak, causing his to part as well in empathy. She gave a quiet, exasperated sigh, and turned her face aside, breaking their connection. His heart slumped in disappointment as if he had been lead on.

"Naruto-kun, just change your mind already. This video is making me uncomfortable." She admitted uneasily, her face flushed as she listlessly massaged at her collarbone. Like a fish on a line, his heart tugged towards her in helpless attraction, his eyes zoomed in on her bit of bare skin. She shifted her legs back and forth idly, causing her skirt to ride up and slide past her knees. Her dark, sheer pantyhose hugged at her legs, giving a mature, sensual appearance about her.

"I-It's making me a little uncomfortable too..." He muttered dumbly.

Realizing that she was swiftly reeling him in, he fought to remove the hook.

He couldn't allow himself to give in so easily. But the way she looked at him made it really difficult, and the video wasn't helping at all.

He felt Hinata shift herself closer to him. In the back of his mind, he imagined a python slithering steathily before iniating the attack on her prey. Hinata's cool fingertips brushed against his hand, startling him. She caressed the top of his hot fingers in slow, soothing strokes, as if she were consoling the hand of a child. He melted slightly at this, his cheeks turning pink in spite of his position against her. Her hand then changed direction and started on a languorous climb up his arm, sending little chills through him as she scraped her nails along the skin, leaving goosebumps in her wake.

He didn't trust himself. And he definitely didn't trust her. So Naruto tore himself from her side and ran to opposite side of the room, his face flushed either in irritation or arousal.

"I will not change my mind! You cannot seduce me, Hinata-chan!" He retorted indignantly, as he pointed a finger at her which made him look very childish. In the back of her mind, she thought it was cute, but kind of annoying too.

In playful defiance, she lifted one knee up and lazily dragged her skirt down to her belly, baring her leg to him entirely. He could see the garter of her pantyhose. Her expression never changed, and she never removed her captivating stare from him.

"Naruto-kun..." She called out so softly, so femininely.

"No!" Naruto covered his eyes, "I see no evil!"

Hinata scowled at his behavior, taking it to offense. With an inward sigh, she lowered her feet to the floor and got up from the bed.

_'I can see you're really really running  
Can I ask you where you gonna run to  
And you think you're really really funny  
Well I don't think you're funny as you do'_

Naruto sensed her approach. He increased his grip on his face, and forced his wall back into place. Hinata could see he was sweating slightly around the neck, she could smell it off of him. It didn't necessarily stink like B.O., instead it seemed to increase the power of his scent.

Ironic how powerless he let himself appear. If he wasn't so stubborn, he could be the one staring her down. He could be the man he always wanted to be.

Throwing sexual charms to the side, Hinata stopped short of him and looked into his covered face with a look of concern. He felt her worry and tried to ignore it as well, knowing that he would be tricked into looking her in the eyes. He couldn't look, he didn't trust himself, not when she stood so close he could smell her shampoo.

_'Oh shit...'_ Naruto grimaced after a mental image of Hinata in the shower had pranced across his eyes.

When her hands brushed across his waist, he thought his heart would fly out of his chest. She got so close to him, she pulled him in and laid her head against his chest, with her arms wrapped around him.

_'A--- A hug??'_

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata murmured in a mix of teary adoration and annoyance, "Hug me, and I'll hug you tighter."

He couldn't believe it. How could she be this crafty? How could she be this charming? Where did all this come from?? Was it because she said she loved him?

_'What an ultimatum.'_ He thought, wondering how he could possibly refuse.

He took his hands away from his eyes, and placed them gingerly on her upper back. And as she promised, she hugged him tighter. Endeared by this, he pulled her closer to give her a real hug. She squeezed back tighter, sandwiching her face in his chest. She could feel his heart beat faster. She could smell his moisture and his scent. His body heat wrapped around her like his arms and held her, telling her she belonged with him.

His mind swam in a cloud the resembled her breath, her scent, her voice. All his words and arguments could not defend him, he was surrounded by her.

_'I like the way you make me feel.'_

_'I have you instead.'_

_'I'm not going anywhere.'_

_'I love you.'_

She infected him with free-flowing compassion. Her feelings were inescapable.

"Naruto-kun?" She called sleepily as she propped her chin on his chest so she could look into his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I still love you." She whispered meekly, as if delivering precious cargo.

"You're so stubborn." He sighed breathlessly as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"So are you." She giggled, as she hugged him tighter and pressed her forehead playfully against his. Victory rang brightly in her heart, even though her lover sank in defeat.

She would help him realize that he just because she had succeeded didn't mean he lost. He needn't lose pride over this.

_'We all feel like we're breaking sometime  
But I won't give you up tonight...'  
_

* * *

They laid on the bed. He held her in his arms, but did nothing more. Fear kept her outside. She remained diligently outside his wall, allowing him time to understand his thoughts.

He couldn't tell if what he did now would be right or wrong. Was giving her up now wrong? Was keeping her wrong? What if she did go back to Tokyo but was refused from her home? She **would **have nothing then. But what if she went back and was embraced? There was a good chance of that, it didn't hurt for her to try.

"What if you just go home for a day?" Naruto murmured to the cieling. "If you're worst fears are realized, I'll be here."

"What if it's not as easy at that?" She whispered with hidden distress. The vagueness of her question threw him off.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"What if they won't let me go?" She muttered, turning her face to his chest. He hugged her closer in concern, yet he was confused by what feared her.

"Hinata-chan... I thought... you were worried---"

Hinata cried passionately, "I still want to be able to see you! I need you around!"

She hugged herself closer to him, burying her face into his chest almost possessively. Naruto never imagined he'd hear those words, but there they were, derived easily out of a girl whose trust was unconditional. He wondered if he could believe those words. It didn't seem possible she loved him. She hadn't a good reason to based off of their relationship. What did she like about him? What was he to her?

"Hinata-chan, who you do love?"

"You."

"Who have you loved previously?" He asked wincing, as if talking about this gave him great pains.

"I haven't loved anyone like I love you."

"Then how do you know it's love?? You have nothing to compare your feelings to!"

"Did you love previously?" She asked so small. She thought of what Tsunami said. She wondered if he'd ever tell her. He tensed beneath her and forced himself to relax. That only made his discomfort more obvious to her, but he remained mum. He really didn't want to have to talk about Sakura right now. Just thinking about it hurt too much.

"Hinata-chan... who you do like?" He asked gravely.

"I like you." Hinata thought that was the easiest answer ever and she was quite annoyed he had to ask it again, especially after she just said she still loved him. Why couldn't he trust it?

"Other than me." Naruto exuded in exasperation. He found this all very draining, and thought his question was the easiest to answer as well. He had hoped Hinata would start thinking seriously. But she was silent. "Don't you still like your family? Your cousin, your friends?"

"What's the point if they don't like me back?" She remarked in the smallest voice.

"But don't you??"

"Yes. I still love my cousin and sister... and my friends." She let the tears slip out as she thought about those who cared for her and put up with her when she was helpless and weak.

"So isn't it worth going back to them?"

She was silent again, and restless. Her body seemed desperate to melt into his skin so that they could be conjoined. Her hands gripped at his shirt as if resisting the urge to knock some sense into him. And her face tossed and turned against his chest, giving him the impression that she was resisting a temper tantrum. He thought it was kind of cute how uptight she had gotten because of him.

"... Why can't you go back with me then? Why did you run?" She mumbled in timid annoyance. She hated how he indecisive he was forcing her to be and she hated the drama that came from it. She had made her decision, yet he had to nit-pick at it with reason. He never bothered to think things through before, so why did she? And why did he? She thought she had gotten use to him by now, she had accomodated herself to his personality and needs that she had adopted some of his thinking; such as going with feeling. Every time he touched her, kissed her, pinned her against the wall and tasted her--- it was all from going with feeling. And she grew to admire that. She was a worry wart. She wanted to start doing things because she felt like it, she didn't want to analyze all the time anymore. Analyzing never made her feel any safer. It was a totally pointless way of living.

But she didn't realize how stupid Naruto felt after an automatic reaction. He knew he was too easily provoked and he hated it. He knew he wasn't the most intelligent guy and he hated saying whatever came to mind. He knew he had no sense of discipline and every time he did something he liked or because he thought he would like it, he hated feeling shitty about it after some time had passed. He wished he had a better sense of foresight, he wished he had a better relationship with his conscience.

He wished he could have avoided his current situation without finally annihilating his pride.

"There's... no way I can go back to Tokyo." He sighed in a defeatist manner.

"Why??"

"Because I hate it there." He half-lied.

"I didn't ask before... m-maybe I was scared b-but... Why were you cut?" Hinata reached out for wrist and pulled his arm close to her eyes. The wound had closed, leaving behind a thick, dark scab. It looked like the earth when farmers sowed it.

Naruto secretly enjoyed the tender attention Hinata gave to his arm. He teetered between appreciation for her concern and remorse for having been inflicted in the first place.

"Apparently I deserved it."

"That's not so apparent to me, Naruto-kun. I don't see how anyone could have deserved it."

_'Of course you don't...' _He thought sadly.

"Then the last thing I want to do is change your outlook." He sighed behind closed eyes.

* * *

The hanging basket chair creaked softly in the distance. His eyes flew to it instinctively as if he had heard his name. The hotel room was strangely quiet.

From the chair hung a pair of legs as pale as the moon, her skirt long forgotten on the floor. Naruto wondered what happened to her pantyhose, or why she had removed her skirt. He crawled to the end of the bed and grasped the chair, hauling himself up to meet her.

"How'd you get here? I thought you were by my side." He commented with a gently albeit wry smirk.

She didn't look at him. Her face seemed to be stained with shame, her bottom lip sunken inward in a reluctant pout. Her dark hair spilled over the red cushion in intricate waves all around, as if she laid in a patch of a dark vines and flowers. Her reddened cheeks glistened moist under the cieling spotlights, and her milky skin glowed beneath her crotchet jumper.

He wondered what happened. She hadn't been too upset last he knew. Maybe she had given more thought to her situation?

"Hey..." He called out reassuringly, caressing her ankle between strong hands. She flinched at the contact and pulled her legs away from him. She curled into the chair cushion like an embittered child who had locked themselves into their room.

"When are you going to love me like you love her?" She murmured bluntly.

"Huh? Her??" Naruto felt like the ground beneath his feet had been out from beneath him. He had to keep still and watch his breathing less he fell. Had become so transparent to her? How did she know there was another in his heart? He knew they never talked about this before. She might have asked a couple hours ago, but he never gave any affirmation. But maybe he was transparent after all. Maybe was the most obvious assumption any girl could make about their uncommitted lover. But that didn't stop this moment from being any less terrorizing.

"Naruto-kun... I want to feel your love. Love me like you love her."

Her voice swarmed around him like poisonous wasps that invaded his wall and tore at his inner stabilty with needle-like thorns. Hinata knew then? How did she know? He never told her! And he wasn't trying to hide Sakura from her as if she were the mistress and Sakura-chan was his wife--- it wasn't like that! He never had Sakura! He kept Sakura from Hinata because he didn't want to fill her with doubt. He wanted her to find her own reasons ot be happy with him, not to be disturbed by another woman! If anything he might not see Sakura again--- He wasn't going back home anytime soon. If he had talked about Sakura to Hinata, didn't she know this? Why was she getting so depressed? Sakura had nothing to do with their relationship.

"..." Naruto tried to speak, to explain himself, but came up with nothing more than a sigh after he had inhaled so deeply. His face and ears burned under her hot gaze, and his blood ran cold with guilt. Maybe she was upset he never told her. He had been thinking about her a lot, half the time he had missed her, but it had nothing to do with their relationship.

"Naruto-kun, you're lying to yourself."

"What are you talking about?!"

"Your feelings have everything to do with us. Our relationship wouldn't be the way it is if you had been more forthright with me." Her voice seemed to take on a deeper tone and she seemed to sank into the cushions and her face obscured behind her knees. "You act like I don't deserve to know anything."

"..." Naruto couldn't speak, couldn't even croak. Just how was she getting all this?! "And what do you know then?!" He blurted with such a force made the room spin. His voice boomed against the wall like large fists. Wind stirred violently in his ears. They popped erratically from the pressure. The walls then parted into jigsaw pieces that bloomed into butterflies. They took off in a whirlwind pattern, leaving nothing behind, the room became a black void, and he thought his heart would stop.

His body jerked forward, and his eyes flew open.

The dim cieling spotlights were the first to greet him.

The room was as it ought to be and Hinata laid asleep at his side, just like he remembered.

_

* * *

_

The rain would not stop. It paraded atop the tiles of the roadside shrine like stray bullets. The sounds deafened his little ears and the cold swept through his bones. Half an inch of water covered the dirt road and his sandaled feet. The rice paddies across the way flowed over the roadside and he thought he would get caught in the flood.

_Typhoon season was not fun in Konohamura._

_His throat and chest were sore from sprinting a great distance, and his breath like steam in the early autumn air._

_His soft little fingers clung to the altar of the Jizo, silently praying that he would be found, yet begging that he would be taken away._

_He did not understand his situation. He did not believe he should have lived._

_"Take me to the Sanzu River, Ojizo-sama." The young boy surrendered with loyal regard, as if it had become his duty. _

_Swift, slippery patter of feet thumped off in the distance, growing steadily nearer. The rain's voice overpowered the sound, yet he heard. It was like the flap of bird's wing._

_She appeared before him, an angel who had been snagged from the clouds and dragged to earth by the torrent of water. Her navy blue zip-up hung heavily against her lithe form, with sodden jeans which chilled her and made her skin itch. Her pink hair hugged at her face like a suspicous pair of arms, and her mouth hung open delicately to catch her breath._

_"Why have I found you here?" She panted in that bossy tone of hers. She swept her choppy bangs from her eyes as she stepped into the shrine. She took refuge on the other side of the Jizo, stiffly clutching at her knees to appear strong while she regained heat._

_She never looked at him. He wondered why she never looked at him._

_"The Jizo is taking me to the Sanzu River." He replied matter-of-factly, almost proudly for some reason. He made it sound as if the Jizo and he were going on a special trip to the Underworld, one that wasn't permanent._

_Sakura scoffed._

_"Why, are ya dying?" She quipped sarcastically._

_"Maybe I was meant to..." Naruto murmured thoughtfully. He thought his throat would gather tears when he spoke about it, but it didn't happen. It felt as if he had forgotten, but he hadn't._

_"Yeah, well I'm here because of my parents!" Sakura began hotly through frowning lips, presenting her reason to Naruto as if she was the most qualified to be in the Jizo's prescence. "They were fighting again! Mother's upset at Daddy for working. She says such awful things to him! Today she said 'Go to Tokyo then! Sleep around while I'm stuck cleaning your house and feeding your daughter! Then when you return, I'll go to Tokyo and I'll sleep around!' Father yelled back at her. And when I ran to his side, Mother got angry. She called me such names--- Oh, I hate her! Adults are such idiots! I hope they never find me! I hope Daddy will take me away from her! I hate her!"_

_It's difficult being six, when you want to win every game you play, when all you want to be is smart, and wanted, and perfect. At six you think the world revolves around you. At six you expect it to. You expect to be understood, to be heard. You expect your parents to hear your thoughts and abide by your wishes. You're at an age when you're beginning to learn. You develop a sense of self, and therefore perspective. You may not be emotionally equipped yet to understand other's feelings, but you understand your own without the ability of articulation and you just expect everyone to get you. It's difficult to feel all grown up when you've barely grown into new shoes._

_It's moreso difficult when you learn that the past six years of your life have not what been what you thought they had been._

_"This is where I was found." Naruto breathed indifferently as he flexed his frozen toes. "They're not my real parents. They found me here in a hosp'tal blanket. They wouldn' tell me who my real parents were. I don't know if they left me here to be protected by Ojizo-sama, or if they expected Ojizo-sama to take me away."_

_Why did they leave him? Jizo were deities, protectors of were often erected in the name of a dead baby or unborn fetus. They were meant to lead the deceased innocent across the Sanzu River. _

_Did this mean they expected him to die? Was that what they wanted, what they had hoped for? Had they hoped he would be protected? Had they left him here, that just in case he would die, he would be lead safely to the Underworld? Had they not wanted him?_

_"Naruto, you're birthday is coming up, isn't it?" Sakura mused thoughfully to the sky, her rage forgotten in the rain._

_"Un." Naruto affirmed with a tired nod._

_His birthday was in a month. It would be his first birthday to celebrate without real parents._

* * *

His face was wet when he awoke. He immediately found Hinata's soft eyes gently regarding him. She wiped away the tears from his cheeks, frowning as she did so.

"Have you been having bad dreams?" She murmured somberly.

He grabbed at her shoulders and pulled her to his chest. He held her so close in hopes that this feeling of security would never leave, in hopes that she would tattooed onto his heart. If he could remember her and keep the way she made him feel, if he could recreate the blanket every time he felt lonely--- then he would gladly give her up. She did not need to be burdened by his pain. She didn't need to know his darkness.

* * *

His finger traced leisurely over the path of her scar, as she laid her head against his chest. Neither wished to close their eyes. Midnight was in their midst and the thought of sunrise grew more urgent. They hadn't talked about what they would do when morning came and they would have to leave. Naruto knew he would stay, it was on Hinata to make a plan.

He wondered how she could have gotten such a scar on her scalp. She said it wasn't really an accident or that it was sort of an accident. How old were they when Neji gave her this mark?

"Do you remember?" Naruto murmured beneath his breath.

She shook her head, choosing to be mute. She didn't feel like talking about it. She doubted she could face Neji easily if she chose to remember.

Naruto brought a free hand up to back of his head and felt around for scars. They had healed well, his calloused fingers could barely detect a thing from just blind feel, but he knew if he shaved his head, he would see a slew mishapen tissue. How many times had his opponents knocked him upside the head with an aluminum bat? How many times had they beaten him into the pavement? Or how about that time behind the family restaurant with the beer bottles? It had been a war of broken glass, no flesh was spared. And Naruto bet he had a mark of some kind from when Kiba beat the back of his head with a tennis racket.

But Hinata, she had only one wound and it was prominent to the touch. She would be truly pure if she didn't have this secret scar.

"What do you think... things would be like, if we had met differently?" She sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"I wish I had the chance to grow up with you. I wish... th-that I had known you first."

_

* * *

_

"Perhaps it could have been like this." echoed Hinata's voice from beyond his eyelids.

_There, beyond his reach stood the house he grew up in. He stood on the little dirt road that wound up to meet it. Sparse trails of trampled green covered the left side like the hairs of a trees were beginning to bloom. Naruto thought it must be March. Then he remembered it was March right now, the trees must look the same as in the real world._

_Naruto saw himself as a little boy, about six, with the biggest smile on his face, his big blue eyes glinting with the sunlight. The image grew like moss over a fresh rock. The grass crept along the horizon, the sky stretched and more trees dotted the faded landscape. The dirt road went round the right side of his house to another house that he never saw there before. It was roughly the same architecture, but still bigger and much cleaner looking. A younger Hinata in a lavender dress sat on her engawa, kicking her little legs merrily. Her cheeks were rosy and she had the warmest smile he ever saw. Then came along her younger sister, who was still a baby. She was giggling loudly as Hinata's mother chased after her. She was laughing too. Neji appeared in the picture soon too, along with his parents and Hinata's father. He was smiling. Despite his stern face, he was smiling, alongside his brother._

_The young Hinata pushed herself off the engawa and ran to Naruto's house. They played Hide-and-Go-Seek, 'Shinobi', Red Hands, Tag. Naruto grabbed some nets from inside and dragged Hinata to his favorite pond where they caught frogs until the fireflies came out. Off to the side came a familiar voice calling their names. It was Hinata's mother telling them it was time for supper. Naruto could feel his chest swell, his face burning pleasantly warm at the image of little Naruto sitting on a cushion beside Hinata, as her mother set out the food for them. He looked on at all the smiling faces, he regarded him highly as well._

_A family. A big, happy family. That was all he ever wanted._

_The image changed to that of Middle School shoe locker room. It was the first day of school and their first time wearing uniforms. Hinata found him, and walked up to him shyly as she tugged at the hem of her skirt. She commented about his uniform. He asked her if he looked alright. She seemed reluctant to approach him, but she finally did. He hadn't buttoned his uniform jacket, so she tried to see what would look good. Buttoned half-way? All the way? One button on top? One button in the middle? Two buttons on the bottom? She became fixated on his second button, the one closest to his heart. He asked her if she was okay, as her face began to take on new color, and it wasn't until then that she realized how tall he gotten over the years. In the back of her head she wished she could tear it off and keep it, before he decided to give his second button away, but she chose against it and told him he looked like a punk without his jacket opened, but he looked good._

_That made him laugh. Perhaps mostly because he didn't understand what to take from such a confusing comment. Their relationship at school was often exaggerated. As the months rolled on, her feelings for him grew, yet he had remained unchanged towards her. Everyone could tell they were close, and he never pursued any other girls. He flirted whenever he could, but he seemed too friendly to be romantic. No one knew his feelings._

_The rose curtain that had hung over their childhood had become feeble and moth-eaten, revealing their relationship for what it truly was and what it had become; no different than the real world._

_It was Graduation day at their High School. The trees at his house were budding, just like they always had come March. Naruto stood amongst his classmates in the gynasium where their principal gave speech. He glanced all around for sight of Hinata, but she was not to be found._

_She was in a bathroom stall, crying. She told herself how wonderful Naruto was, how he had so many friends and admirers, how he had found his place in the world, how he didn't need her. She regretted loving him, not because he didn't acknowledge her feelings, not because it hurt to love. Because of her feelings, they had grown apart. They had remained as close as ever, but with her desire to be closer and their relationship unchanged, a rift had been opened. She regretted ever letting it happen. She hated herself for pushing him away. Now they would never see eachother again._

_Ever since he moved out first year, they hadn't seen eachother as often. She often went out to visit him, mostly because she wanted to, partly because it was better for them both. She wished she could tell him everything that he was missing: That her parents were getting a divorce, that they were fighting for custody of Hanabi, that Hiashi was sending her to Seoul for her University studies. She tried to convince herself it'd be alright because she'd get to live with her cousin Neji, but the loss she would soon endure outweighed any compensation they could give her._

_'Why haven't things changed?', she mourned, her head hung in her pale hands._

_Naruto wondered if it hurt to be God, when all you saw from a peep-hole was your children's tears? Who would want to be omniscient after that? People think you have all the power to fix things, but you don't._

_You're just as homeless and helpless as the rest of us._

_"I don't know what to do."_

* * *

That dream left Naruto with such negative feelings. They stirred in his stomach like undigestable rotten meat. They say dreams have a solution, while nightmares just scare you into consciousness. How he wished he could have fixed that ending before he awoke. Was life so cruel that even dreams had to become nightmares?

Naruto glanced down past his chin. Hinata was asleep at his chest, just as he remembered. The scent of her shampoo remained unchanged as it wafted to his nostrils and found sanctuary in his sinuses. This calmed him down some, but still his stomach churned.

What if things had been like that? What he hadn't been able to fix things with her? What if nothing good was salvagable?

Why was she the only one that cared about him more than he did himself?

Naruto hugged her closer, initially waking her from her slumber. He wondered if she dreamt about another time too.

Hinata pushed herself up halfway to meet his eyes, and there was that look again.

"Naruto-kun?" She mumbled sleepily, yet he did not respond. He was caught up in his thoughts again, she could feel him staring past her.

He wondered, What made her think she needed him? Why did she love him? How could she possibly feel better with him than those that knew her best and truly loved her? How could she give them up like that?

She life here may not be as pristine as it began in the dream, but she had friends and family, while he did not. She had a life to tend to that --- thanks to him --- was filled with fragile relationships.

"I don't know what to do." He admitted, his chest twisting at the words.

Compelled by his admission, Hinata did what she learned best from him: try to heal with fervent affection.

Their lips met for what seemed like millionth time. He wondered how he could give up this sweet taste.

She sighed in her throat and whimpered inside his mouth, and he wondered how he could say goodbye to such beautiful sounds.

Her hands wandered his chest, searched for his flesh. They caressed his face and clung to his hair, and he knew it'd take years for him to forget her clumsy, timid, careful hands. The way she touched him... The way she touched him was... It was unlike... No one else could possibly... Not like her... _'I can't think... God she feels good, so good... too good...'_

His fingers slid beneath her crotchet jumper. He grasped her waist, kneading and squeezing her sides, making her squeak and moan. He pressed at her lower back, allowing them both the highly satisfying sensation of full body contact. He stroked her stomach langurously in his palms, memorizing the rise and fall of her breath in the contraction of her ticklish flesh.

She tugged his hair as he licked her throat. He counted every vertebrae of her trachea, loosely laughed at the vibration of her voicebox which tickled him, and he savored the pulse of her heartbeat against his tongue.

She was going a hundred miles an hour.

What did it mean to find someone that made you feel this way, secure and so calm, like a hug that did not need arms? What did it mean when you appreciated someone you hardly knew, someone you hardly understood? What was this feeling? What was this hopeless, happy, sapping feeling?

Naruto flipped her on her back. He secured her legs around his waist so they could not part, and he grasped the hem of her crotchet jumper. He slipped it off of her. She turned her bashful face to the side, her bottom lip sunken in embarrassment at her exposure. Her dark hair spilled over beneath her in intricate waves like dark vines and flowers--- The image of the dream haunted him and he feared she was mad again.

Naruto covered his body over hers. He pulled her hand way from her lips and grasped her face. He turned her to face him. He kissed her. His heart swelled painfully at her taste he feared it'd break. He kissed her nose, her eyes, her cheeks. He kissed her ears and licked the hollow of her throat.

Her clumsy, loving fingers found the back of his head. She clung to him, holding him there so he could never leave and never stop loving her. Her strapless bra slipped off her breasts. His hand quickly grasped hold of her freed flesh, deriving a mewl of shock to fly out her lips. His arm tingled in excitement, the swell flesh beneath his palm was enough to alarm him. Naruto shot upright. He stared down at her.

Hinata didn't like the way he gaped at her. She didn't fight the instinct to cover herself, but as soon as her arms flew to her chest, he grapped her wrists and pulled them away. She nearly began to cry, she tried not to. But why was he staring at her so?!

"Impossible..." He breathed quietly, dumbly impressed.

The tears came without reason. She could not hear him, she could not think about anything other than being so exposed. She didn't think it was possible he trying to get a better view of her heart. But perhaps it was that exposure that scared her as well.

Naruto released her wrists with the intention to inspect her 'impossible' breasts. Why did he say 'impossible'? But as soon as he let her go, her hands flew back to her cover herself. He had to catch her wrists again and pull them away. It soon turned into a wrestle and a game. Naruto had to tickle her sides her sides to distract her hands. He won in the end as he cupped her abundant flesh. She cried out in an indignant whine that trailed off at the end, causing him to laugh at her defeat. She tried to remove his hands from her chest, but she was a puddle of heat beneath him.

Naruto tried to make a determination of her breasts as if he were writing an observational paper for science class, as if that was the only way he could understand these improbably miracles of hers.

_'Hinata's tits are... full, but... not too firm...'_ He tested the shape with the squeeze of his fingers and pressure of his palms. She whined quietly, helplessly waiting this examination out. He was in awe of the way she sank beneath his fingertips, the way swelled against him like the water-balloons of his past. He basked in her mewls, absorbed her hitched sighs and her rapid breathing. He played with her twins, studied the elasticity of her skin and consistency of the shape. It was different than water-balloons. She was_... 'Like dough.'_ He cupped the outer curves of her flesh to better observe her nipples.

"Naruto-kun, s-stop..." Hinata could barely speak, her voice was reduced to nothing but breath. And even then, she could barely breathe. He noticed then that she was red from the neck up. Her eyes were blurred with tears and muddled emotions.

He stopped as she said, but he wondered why she could like a doll who had been damaged.

"Hinata-chan..."

"I hate my breasts." Spoke the insecurity that she could no longer cage. Her face flushed hot when she couldn't take those words back.

"Why??" Naruto sounded so surprised. She wasn't sure whether to feel relieved that he disagreed or whether to continue wallowing in humiliation. How could he expect her to answer? What would his reaction be? Would he think her more stupid or what?

Hinata shook her head, but the words came anyways.

"Th-They're... Really... **Big**."

"I know, I can barely fit my hands around them!" Naruto laughed with amusement and admiration, but his words only proved to embarrass her more.

"Don't laugh at me! I know... th-that I-I'm a freak..!"

"Wha--?? I didn't say that! And that's not---!"

"I-I haven't been able to swim in class since my second year... I d-didn't want everyone to see me in a swimsuit... I still don't..." She murmured despondantly to herself. Her admission inspired many questions as well inspired his imagination.

_'Second year... that's.... She would have been fourteen... Holy shit.'_ Naruto sweated slightly at this revelation. _'I swear Sakura-chan stopped growing by second year... even then she didn't change much---'_ Naruto grabbed the back of Hinata's bra. He struggled to undo it, but he managed to release her from its lacy prison. He nearly tore it off her however, the hook nearly bent the fish-eye out of place.

Hinata covered her eyes this time rather than her breasts. She knew he would only tickle her or fight her if she tried to cover herself. And she didn't want to remind him too much of her insecurities if she covered herself. Still, his behavior around this was very embarrassing for her.

"Don't... say anything please." Hinata whined weakly, hiding behind her hands. She could vaguely remember the last reactions she got about her bust size. It might as well be a painful memory, deserving of blocking. But long as she did not see the look of absolute stupefaction on his face --- wide eyes dilated, mouth hung open, face positively flushed... pants shrinking by the second --- she could live this moment down easily enough.

But out of all the things he could have said, as they ran through his brain like coked-up track horses _'SHE'S A SIZE G?!?!'_, he managed to blurt out perhaps the most stupid but kindest sentence.

"You could be a Gravure Model."

Hinata grabbed the pillow beside her head. She made the gesture to throw it at his face, but she caved in under her humiliation and covered her face with it instead. She wished she knew what to say to that.

Guilt seeped in with awareness, sobering Naruto to recognize Hinata's silent suffering. It wasn't fair of him to tease her like this. He wasn't exactly confident of his looks either. His martial training with Jiraiya and years of brawling may have given him some muscle, but otherwise he wasn't scuptled like an athlete. If he had stuck with Jiraiya's training he probably would be well-built by now, maybe even more sinewy and strong than Lee. But then three years of general inactivity and menial labor at construction sites, which involved a lot of lifting, didn't exactly him a well-proportioned distribution of muscle. His abdomen may be somewhat toned and his arms strong, but that was it. And ever since he lost his home, he hadn't had a decent meal. He was healthy as a kid, but by adolescence when it mattered most, his development had been stunted. Worse that he was an ectomorph, now people would see him as skinny. His stomach sank at the memory when Hiro had stolen his clothes, causing the police to arrest him for 'indecency'. Oh, what they must have thought of him. Not some kid, but _'Who is that skinny guy that's getting arrested?'_. And even then, Naruto wouldn't mind being 'skinny' if he had a great body otherwise. He was wrecked with scars. He was known to heal fast, but he didn't heal well. And he couldn't ignore the mark the rested across his belly, nor would any one else be able to if they saw it.

Hinata saw it once. But she never asked about it. The police officers saw it too, and Mizumi. Naruto sank further within himself, guilty for exposing Hinata like this, when he himself couldn't bear it. He kept that to himself however. He felt despairingly pathetic if he were to ever admit he feared taking his shirt off. He would lie his head off if anyone asked.

He wished he could tell her what he thought about her breasts.

Naruto bent down, his mouth open and tongue resting against his bottom lip. Hesitantly he darted out at her tip, leaving a wet film over her aerola as she flinched and squirmed beneath him. Anxiety had a way of taking complete control of a person.

She had a mellow flavor, salty-sweet with feminine sweat. She cried, bucked, kicked and squirmed at his sloppy ministrations, although careful. He wasn't sure whether to stop or continue, if she was enjoying this or not. She shivered beneath him, his hardened crotch painfully apparent to both him and her. He could try to hold back now, but what would be the point? He needed consent! He needed her consent now!

"Y-You n-need r-re-lease?" She shivered from beneath the pillow. He hated how obvious he was and he was reluctant to agree. He hated that she would ask that as well, as if his erection was a problem in need of curing. He might have used her to get off before, but it wasn't meant to be that way, and it wasn't meant to be that way **now**.

He knew how things ought to be. He ought to love her as much as she loved him. He ought to give her his all when making love. He ought to feel pain and she to feel pleasure only. He ought not to be forced to run and make her run. He ought to be in Tokyo with her and be her boyfriend by honorable means. His relationship with Hinata ought to be based on respect and understanding, not on feelings of desperation and fear that the void will never be filled. Things ought to be perfect and just.

But things will never be that way will they?

The belief of what things ought to be was a deceptive dream; a cruel joke if you prayed too hard.

* * *

The ache in his jeans was like a warning compared to the pain that shot through his skull. Naruto awoke face-first in the carpet, his sense of direction distorted by the assumption that the laws of gravity had been inverted. He patted the ground in search of a familiar soft body. He kicked his feet up in search for ground, causing him to slip off the bed. His sense of direction returned with his recognization of space and time, and with that the images of another time came back with such vividity he questioned if it was real.

He soon found that he had ejaculated again, as a heavy dampness rested against his tip.

"Had... That been a wet dream then...??" He complained with an incredulous whine. He closed his eyes to recall those images and feelings. In the dream he had been more frustrated at the way they were consummating. Now he was more frustrating at not being able to.

"I was THIS close too..."

Deciding he really didn't like the smell of the carpet, he pushed himself back up to standing. He turned back towards the bed to where Hinata lie, but what he saw was not what he expected.

She was naked, and sleeping pleasantly. Her crotchet top layed beneath her head, where she rested more on the mattress than she did her pillow. Her bra layed on the floor along with the rest of the pillows, and the bed sheets had been shoved to the foot of the bed, with one crooked sheet twisted around her ankle.

A sleepy moan leaked from her lips as she turned to him, and he couldn't repress a sound. And the only way he could describe it was a sound. Perhaps it was a gasp of surprise, but he felt himself smiling and he wasn't sure if that meant he was amused or if he was happy. Part of him felt relieved, really relieved!

"Maybe it had been real after all..." He was excited to acknowledge his virginity was a thing of the past. He was especially excited he wouldn't have to go through the drama he went through in his dream before finally doing the dirty deed. But the relief was soon swept away by a more alarming prospect, "But if we did it... Why don't I fuckin' remember it??"

Trepidation's fingers ran like needles along his neck before digging into his scalp, releasing from him a cold sweat. It pushed down on him, it demanded that he fall. His upper body was like lead, it weighed down on him, forced him to stumble on his way to the bed. He swayed, then he made it to her side. He crept over to her like a cat, one hand extended to test her existence. He barely grazed the top of her shoulder, he was afraid he would break her. When she did not crack nor give way, he fully rested his hand onto her shoulder.

She was warm, just as warm as he remembered, and just as soft as in the dream. But maybe it hadn't been a dream.

Naruto glanced down at her crotch. The sparse curls of dark hair were matted against her mons, moist and sticky with a substance he should personally recognize.

"I hate this." He abruptly decided. He traced lazy circles along the edge of her navel, wordlessly musing to himself about how cute her belly-button was, how pleasant she seemed asleep. He remorsed that he could not recall the sex, that it had happened without his decision, that he could not take it back.

She was no longer innocent. That was all he could think about. She had been taken, she had been soiled. By him, and he did not even remember it. She might as well have been fucked by a stranger.

Naruto blinked and withdrew his hand. He thought he saw something change. The cave of her navel was growing more and more shallow! Naruto palmed her stomach with the childlike notion that he could pushed it back in. She became distended.

"Hinata-chan---!??" Naruto glanced at her face for a second--- it was wan ---when he looked back he thought he had been kicked right between the eyes.

Her belly was full and large, like that of a mother-to-be. Pale brown marks burst outward from her protruding navel, she looked as if she would burst any second. The color drained from her face, and blood drained from her cervix. The being within her thrashed violently at she died, and he screamed.

* * *

"N-NARUTO-KUN!?"

His eyes snapped up at her voice. She stared at him from the edge of the bed, her healthy flesh flushed pale from fear. He grabbed his throat instinctively. It felt sharp and dry, it hurt to take in air.

Then he realized: Hinata is alive. She was living, breathing, moving... crying.

His face was wet again. Had he been crying too? Had she been crying for him?

"Have you been having bad dreams?" She murmured carefully. Just the mere utterance of those words sent him backwards. It became obvious to her he had been by looking at his face; pale, sweaty, ashen and his eyes haunted. He became fixated with her flat stomach. He could not forget what he saw, and he could not believe it hadn't been real.

But here she was, fully clothed and untouched. Yet he couldn't remember which world that had been. Had nothing happened then? Had he been dreaming the whole time?

He couldn't believe that so easily. He knew what he saw. He watched Hinata die. She had been pregnant... and she had been dying. The baby too had...

Hinata stepped off the bed, mindful in her approach to her cursed lover who had suddenly began to cry. His red, irritated eyes disturbed her, her heart twisted into itself. She could not bear the sight, this was not the Naruto she knew.

There was nothing she could do when he flinched away from her hand. He pushed himself away from her. There was nothing she could to do calm him down, to get him to believe this was the real world, their true reality.

There was nothing she could do to get him back to bed.

He refused to sleep.

* * *

Hinata wouldn't go back to sleep without him. They did not pass the time with porn as they had before, and they did not lie down, not even for a second. Naruto sat at the edge of the bed, his face buried in his hands. She stood by the desk in the corner, and read the diary book provided by the hotel.

There were several entries here: some sweet, some dirty, some irrelevent, and some saddening.

_"Recently not one single good thing has happened to me. The sex is lousy too. I don't even masturbate. Ahhhhh... I hate being a nineteen year old in this kind of shape. I want to meet someone I can be happy with. All my friends have boyfriends. I've got to find someone!"_

_"U-chan, we've been going out for one year now. I hope we'll spend many happy years together in the future. I love you."_

_"Of all the hotels I've been to, I've never found one I liked so well as this. It's easy to check in, even for a woman alone. Of course the rooms are clean too. It's not so cheap, but the rooms are nice so it's worth it. I owe a lot to this hotel. I've come here about twenty times with my boyfriend and when we have a fight, I come here alone to get out of our house." _There was a little scrawl under the writing that had been hurriedly crossed out, but she could see that it said _"Should I break up with him?"_

Hinata found these notes rather fascinating, at any other time she could dwell more deeply on these people's words, but her heart and her attention was currently devoted to Naruto. She wished she could help him better. She couldn't understand why he was having nightmares like this.

_"He was arrested by the police right in front of my eyes. Do you know how hard being arrested was on him? Do you know how terrible that must have made him feel? And do you know how hard it is on me to be alone, and how much harder it must be on him? Can you imagine how much more terrible his suffering must be, even than mine? No matter how hard you try to imagine it, you can never understand unless you go through it yourself. But now I am trying all the time to imagine just a little bit of what he must be feeling. He's going to be away for at least five years. That's a long time. Everyone is telling me not to wait for him. Five years certainly is a long time all right. Maybe I won't be able to wait, but what other choice do I have?"_

Naruto choked down a cry, the bitter sound catching her attention. His jaw was clenched so hard, she could see he tried keep silent as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down in search of direction.

_'When will it get better?'_ She hated feeling so useless.

_

* * *

_

"I CAN'T TRUST ANYBODY!!!"

_The chair crashed through window._

_"I cannot protect Sasuke from this, Naruto!! You have to understand---!!"_

_"LIAR!! TRAITOR!!"_

_The 'interrogation' table tumbled clunkily to the side, with all paper and recovered evidence discarded off in its descent._

_"Naruto, that's enough!!"_

_The young blonde threw his bounded wrists against the corner of a door frame, a hate-filled effort to remove the hand-cuffs that Kakashi-sensei often called a 'mandatory procedure'._

_"I HATE THIS!!" __**WHAM!**__ "I HATE ALL OF THIS!" __**WHAM!**__ "I HATE EVERYONE!!" __**WHAM!!**_

_Anko came in from the side and grabbed hold of the hand-cuff chain with one hand, while she wrapped one arm around his shoulders. He kicked, shoved, and screamed. He cursed at the top of his lungs. Anko dragged him down to the floor and held him close so he couldn't fight her. Spit sputtered from his snarled lips as he gnashed and screamed._

_"I HATE YOU FOR KILLING HAKU!! I HATE FOR LYING TO ME WHEN I NEEDED HELP!! I HATE YOU FOR PRETENDING TO BE MY FRIEND!! I RELIED ON YOU, YOU FUCKIN' JOKE!! SMUG PRICK!!"_

_Naruto growled and swore against Anko's python-like grip, his lips bleeding cut from his teeth._

_Kakashi was hardly a man of weak constitutions. His aloof attitude was not a mask. But never before did he feel compelled to run from a situation than he did now. He stood verbally cut, accused by someone he owed too much, disowned by someone he cared about but did not know how to show it. His burden damaged him, and the suffering of his misfortunate friend tore at his determination to keep an obligation. _

_Yet, what obligation was this when there was an even greater obligation to be honored by the child? What sordid obligation was this when it only proved to alienate him more rather than save him from shame?_

_What promise was this when everyone knew what he needed to know?_

_Kakashi didn't want to lie anymore if it only caused damage. Kakashi resented the man for leaving him with this burden of a promise, for leaving everyone to deal with the aftermath that had solely been his doing._

_"I HATE YOUUU!!"_

_This mere child of fourteen should not be allowed to feel these things._

_He should have had a better life, he could have. But this was the one he was given._

_The moment he was born it had been too late for him._

* * *

Hinata knelt down at his feet, her chest aching with bottled tears as she took his hands into hers. He kept his head down, so she couldn't see his eyes. In a passing second he thought he should be able to open up to her, that she deserved at least that much. Her patience was unwavering. The curl of her cool fingers around his told him she wouldn't abandon him.

He wondered if she would still be this kind if she didn't love him.

Hinata leaned in close enough that she could smell the clammy sweat and saline on his skin. She rested her cheek against his so she could speak to him with the utmost intimacy, that even if she mouthed her words he could hear her.

"What are you scared of?"

"..."

"Naruto-kun?"

"... I can't fail anymore..."

"What do you mean?"

He could only shake his head at first. Then he spoke with the sort of voice you hear from an old widower or war veteran, "E-Everything I do turns to shit... I-I've tried to change things all my life..." Grief swept away his voice once again.

She reached for him and hugged him to her. He buried his face in her bosom, surrounding himself in her reassuring scent. He wrapped needy arms around and pulled her close. He held her as if it were the last thing he would get to do.

Maybe it was.

"The last thing I need is something really bad happening to you." He murmured between them. She raked her nails through hair, paying extra attention to the back of his neck and how the hairs flared upright at the slightest touch. She continued this as if it would save her from thinking, as if it would stave off the morning light.

The clock on the dresser read 4:07 A.M.

Hinata's strokings increased in urgency, her anxiety was easily read.

They held eachother like that, until their muscles ached to relax and they were forced back onto the bed. But they did not sleep. They cherished their time together until there was nothing left to cherish.

* * *

Star - Yeah... so... that's it. No lemon. Next chapter! Let's see what happens when Hinata goes home!!! (gasp) I think I failed this chapter. Q_Q (cry)

BTW, the Diary entries I used are from real Love Hotel Diary Entires, only the one about the woman who keeps having fights with her boyfriend was altered. And by altered, I meant cropped and then I added the 'should I break up with him?' thing. XP teheheh


	33. Doing the Right Thing part I

Star - I'm actually least concern about reviews right now, and more focused on getting out as much chapters as possible since I'm about a year and a half behind. Seriously I've uploaded about five chapters per year since I've moved or whatever, ish not good. The only thing I've been looking for when it came to reviews were the usual reviewers. I miss my regulars QoQ, But I guess life gets in the way. I should know that; I haven't been updating very well ever since the Hiro arc. (sweatdrops)

Alright, onwards! (wow, now that I'm older, I have practically nothing to say compared to when I first started writing this XD Gahaha, I'm such a loser, otl.)

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch. 33 - Doing the Right Thing pt.I

She held onto him like he was the last floating plank of wood in a burning sea.

The din of traffic of the Shin-Osaka train station floated all around them like extras on a movie set--- her romantic clinging didn't help either. Narutocouldn't bring himself to hug her back, he was afraid she'd become even more discouraged or change her mind altogether. It had been hell discussing it with her, it had been nearly impossible to get her here. He wished she could suck it up, he wished she could be strong for him for once. This wasn't exactly easy for him either.

First off, this was a spontaneous decision, giving them no chance to emotionally prepare themselves. Secondly, He was scared for her because he was unable to go with her, because he wouldn't know what was happening. He was scared she would get rejected, he was scared he would never get to see her again. He couldn't decide what was worse: Never seeing her again although she would be better off, or being able to have her but then forced to protect her?

He couldn't even begin to think of it, he would have to wait until tomorrow.

The train pulled in with a screech and a sigh, startling Hinata for her attention. Naruto placed his hands on her hips, and her arms tightened around his neck.

"C'mon, Hinata." He quietly berated, but she shook her head and anchored all her strength into her arms. "You have to go... now."

"You can't force me to go alone." She whispered.

"We talked about this."

"I haven't agreed."

"You're still going."

"No."

"Hinata!"

"Let's wait another day!"

"You're the one who complained about being forsaken! You should dying to see them again! But you can't even call them to see if they've forgotten you, you want them to call you instead!!"

"..." Hinata hung her head, as her face and chest burned hot with shame from his accusation. Oh how easily he could cut her down with her own flaws, the bitter game of names that lovers play, but it's only because they care. And there was so much more he could say to her right now. He could tell her she was being self-centered. He could ridicule her for being a wimp. He could pour out all his stress on her, about how she was making him feel queasy because she refused to act strong, about how this whole thing was making his heart break because he was scared for her, that because of her he would always feel this guilty. But didn't say any of this, he kept it to himself because he didn't want to make her feel like shit anymore, because he didn't want to stress her out.

He had hoped she had the maturity and strength to go without complaint. Why was she being such a wimp about this?

Naruto nudged her towards the train. She merely took a quarter step back at the mild push, appearing like a child who had leaden their feet.

"Don't be immature now." He criticized in a low warning tone. Yet she refused to respond. Half of the platform were already seated inside, waiting for departure. Naruto couldn't let her miss this train, she would never leave if she missed it.

So he grabbed her shoulders and walked her backwards to the train. He was pushing her much too fast, she could not dig her heels into the concrete to stop him. She rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She tried to push him back. She had no idea how much worse she was making this for him. He wanted to yell at her, he wanted to punch the wall, he wanted to shed his skin, he wanted to bash his head into the ground until he couldn't understand his thoughts, he wanted to reach into his chest and turn off the emotions in his heart, he wanted to crawl into bed and wait until this whole thing was over--- WHY COULDN'T SHE UNDERSTAND THIS?!?!

Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her off her feet. She knew she couldn't kick him, not that she wanted to. Her heart pounded rapidly for recognition. He heard it, his heart resonated with the same speed, the same fear. She felt the tears well up in her throat as she realized he understood her. She could have resented him for acting so cold, but that meant nothing now because he was feeling just as badly as she was and she knew that now. She feared him because he could read her, because she had made herself transparent to him, and because her true heart was exposed. She was shamed that he saw her selfishness, and her weakness.

Naruto sat her down by the window, he knelt down in front of her. She couldn't look at him now, she couldn't let him see her shame. But he grabbed her face and forced her to listen.

"You have to stay one night---"

"No..."

"You have to see your family first---"

"Naruto-kun..!"

"Hinata. Go home. Talk to them. Sleep in your room. Then call me, tell me if you plan to stay or not---"

"You have to come back then." She murmured inconfidently, her voice weepy and wavering.

"You can't mention me."

"Why?!"

"Just don't! And don't think of me when you're with them! This is about you and your family... don't make me a factor in your decision."

Hinata thought her heart had stopped. Why was he talking about this so seriously? Why the tone of finality? Why was he asking her to stay home, away from him? Why was he asking her to omit him from her life?

"Y--- You're still breaking up with me... aren't you?"

Naruto turned his face aside. His silence tore right through her. And as the train breathed off the tracked, she thought she never felt this lonely before.

The male train attendant appeared from the car ahead. Naruto took this as his signal to get off the train.

But before he could abandon her a broken girl, he bent down and in a hushed voice said, "I'll be here if it's all gone to hell."

He hoped that instilled some confidence in her that she would never be completely alone.

* * *

In the end, it was he who had the easier part. He had options she did not have. He could go back to Tazuna's apartment and sleep the day away for Hinata's answer. He could leave for the day, go out of town himself or simply wander around Osaka until trouble found him.

It hardly mattered what he did.

He would find no enjoyment in it.

Naruto reached the apartment complex, he felt Tazuna's curious gaze fall on him from the balcony. Obviously he was wondering why Hinatawasn't with him.

Narutoentered the stairwell with each step up growing more and more uncertain. He tied to put his words together for when Tsunami would ask, but as soon as he strung two words together they faded into the fog of his turmoil. Even his breath escaped him, it was as if he were climbing into the stratosphere.

He reached their apartment number, slipped quietly inside and headed for the bedroom where he and Hinata used to sleep. A vague presence stopped him however and a careful set of eyes changed his plans. Naruto knew Tazuna wanted to talk. Naruto felt he could almost resent a friend for holding so much concern. As much as he wanted to be cared for, he hated it because their concern always made him feel guilty.

He wondered when he would stop feeling this heavy-hearted.

* * *

Tazuna lit up the fifth cigarette from his pack, and let the wispy grey phantoms trail over the balcony and become one with the rest of the urban pollutants.

Naruto spoke right away.

"I told her to see her family."

"I see," Tazuna nodded as sat in the smell of nicotine. He hadn't the desire to smoke yet, he only needed its familiar scent. "That's good. You did the right thing, Naruto."

The boy hung his head with mistrustful dissatisfaction. His neck and shoulders ached terribly, he was ready to drop yet he was lucid enough to stay awake.

"You really think so?" Naruto scoffed wryly.

"Out of school, outta touch with home... Not to insult yer character, Naruto, but she's too young to be made homeless."

"I know... But then aren't I too?"

"..." Tazuna took a moment to think about that. Yes, it was pitying he was seventeen and a vagrant at the same time. But there was a difference between Naruto and Hinata. "...You're used to it."

"Shitty old man," The young vagrant exhaled beneath his breath. "... I gave her a choice. I told her I'd wait for her if it'd all gone wrong at home. I didn't get to break it off with her."

Tazuna snorted gruffly at this new fact for he had thought Naruto _did _break it off with Hinata. However, he let it slide and asked, "Are you afraid of losing her?"

"I've grown used to having her around I suppose... So, of course I'm afraid. But when it's for her and her best interests... I can give her up just as easily," He stated with a righteous determination that made Tazuna nostalgic. "As you said, I'm used to it."

"Get yer shit together. Then you won't be alone." Tazuna chuckled low to himself as he stamped out his cigarette.

"Yeah, as if I haven't been trying."

* * *

Inari saw her at the square. She was always here. And because she always came here, he spent most of his time here too, watching her.

He thought she was perfect.

She wasn't aware of him.

They had been classmates for the past three years, so she knew his name, but that was all she knew. They talked on occasion, but who she was at school was different than who she was outside. Around Inari she was cordial, friendly, but indifferent. Outside of school she was loud, adventurous and blatantly sexually active; the type of girl that could make a man out of him.

He didn't bother to talk to her out here, didn't bother to give himself pep talk as he watched her day by day. She had a boyfriend already, something of a boy-toy, but he was no threat to Inari and his feelings. Inari didn't care whether she was taken or not.

Inari fantasized about kissing her, about holding her hand and touching her dark hair. He fantasized about her quirky smile.

"Here he comes." Inari muttered dully to himself as the same scene unfolded for the umpteenth time. The taller boy was a second year in Senior High School; a well-built basketball player. He strolled into the square like he owned the place, his big hands stuffed lazily his chequered _Ecko_ knock-off jacket, while his gold _Nikes_ caught the eyes of those he passed by. The boy was a slave to _Amerikaji_, and it only helped to make him look like an loser from Los Angeles.

Too bad he was actually a good looking dude.

Too bad, because long as he was big and good looking, no one cared how much of a loser he was.

Inariwatched her run up to embrace the older boy, the emphatic accents in her speech expressed her excitement in being with him again. She could be so dorky when she was happy. And for the umpteenth time, he told himself how they didn't look good together at all. She was way too pretty to be with that retard.

He watched them leave the square hand in hand.

He was going to approach her once and for all.

Just because Narutodidn't get with the one he loved didn't mean Inari couldn't get with his infatuation.

* * *

Hinata locked herself away in the train car bathroom. She refused to see the fleeting scenery, refused to hear what stops they had arrived at. She refused to acknowledge how much closer she was getting to Tokyo.

Why did it feel like it'd been ages since she left home? Why did she feel like she was visiting a stranger's old life? Why did this all feel like a trap, as if she were a convict being delivered to her father?

She was scared to death, no... She was scared to be alive.

What did Naruto expect her to do? Talk to them? Stay the night, sleep in her own room? He wanted her to stay, that was the bottom line. He said he'd take her back, but he really wanted her gone. She thought he had been lying last night when he tried to break up with her. She thought she had officially won him over.

How could she have been so mistaken?

Hinata slumped against the sink as her brittle heart slowly sank away.

_'I failed... I couldn't make him love me...'_

_**Ban ban ban**_, came a knock on the bathroom door, _**ban ban ban**_.

Hinata stilled. She waited for the passenger to leave.

_**Ban ban ban**_

Guess that wasn't happening.

_**Ban ban ban**_, continued the knocking, and then came a voice.

"Hey, are you alright in there?"

"..."

"If you're not well, I could help you. I'm a medical intern."

"I'm fine. I don't need medical help."

"Well, since you're not dead and you don't need medical help... May I use the bathroom, please?" The intern asked sheepishly.

Hinata hadn't felt this embarrassed since Hanabi said she had 'pregnant breasts'.

_

* * *

_

Hayami Yu's _"Love Light"_ crackled through the antique stereo system of the discount store. The innocence of the lyrics went unappreciated by the younger customers for nostalgia could not be stirred within them, and instead seemed to give a sense of lost love.

Inariwandered through the store indifferently, waiting for his chance to get alone with her while he kept note of their movements through the sound of their voices.

She was checking out the cosmetics.

"What d'ya think about this one Tatsuki-sempai?" She asked after sampling the lip gloss. She pursed her lips out to him and he kissed her.

That was so deliberate of her.

"It's minty." The basketball player smirked, and she grabbed his jacket and ushered him into a longer kiss.

"She can't really like him." Inari muttered contemptuously beneath his breath, as his fingers curled into an involuntary fists.

_'...Let me, let me be the one you love_

_Let me be the one you need_

_I'm like a flower_

_Let me share your joy and pain_

_I'm like a flower...'_

* * *

Hinata sat sulked against the window, her head turned down so she couldn't watch the world pass by. She could feel every second of her freedom slipping, she knew her return home would be an unwelcoming one. Of course, if they did shun her then that meant she could return to Naruto's arms and be with him forever. He would keep her from pain, and she would keep him from pain. They would have fun and be happy together. She would love him.

And then someday, he'll love her back.

Tears slipped out and gathered on her lashes because she knew that would never happen. He said harsh things, he said wonderful things, he could be aloof, he could be clingy and affectionate, he could be dark and he could be fun... He was complicated. He was unpredictable.

He was able to let her go. He was able to tell her to go home and to stay away from him. He didn't need her anymore, not like he did in Nagoya, he had changed again. So unpredictable.

How could she tell if he loved her without having to hear it, when he was shape-shifting every time she turned her back??

It wasn't fair! Why can't he show her who he really is?! Why can't he share what's in his heart??! And why did he leave Tokyo the way he did?

_Naruto took one last look at his arm before releasing a shaky sigh. He turned around, with his bleeding arm held out away from his body._

_Her eyes widened significantly._

_Blood trickled out his wound and splashed onto the tatami._

_His face was the most miserable she had ever seen, his eyes caught in a haze of despair._

_"Wh--- Wh-What happened...?"_

_---_

_"I didn't ask before... m-maybe I was scared b-but... Why were you cut?" Hinata reached out for wrist and pulled his arm close to her eyes. _

_The wound had closed, leaving behind a thick, dark scab. It looked like the earth when farmers sowed it._

_Naruto secretly enjoyed the tender attention Hinata gave to his arm. _

_He teetered between appreciation for her concern and remorse for having been inflicted in the first place._

_"Apparently I deserved it."_

She hated to admit it, but he did have a violent streak. She saw how he could get, even though that had been one fight. After that, all she ever saw was him a victim of an unnamed violence. But their classmates would talk about his behavior, even Kiba would tell her how he was bad news.

But what did that mean? What did he do, other than act on anger? What did they know that she didn't?? How was it that she didn't pick up anything from the time that she spent with him?!

She knew he was alone. He was unhappy. He was burdened with regret and resentment. He stood up for himself, whether it was with his fists or his words. He was misfortunate.

How did he deserve to be cut open like that? Who attacked him and why? What did he do to them??

_'I'm so stupid... Why am I asking all these questions now? Why had I pushed my curiosity aside? Because he refused to open up? Because I was afraid to bother him? Because he had charmed me, and continued to charm me? Why am I so stupid?!'_

"Excuse me," came a friendly feminine voice. "You sure you're alright now?"

Hinata simply nodded, not wanting to show her pathetic face to the young intern. She could only imagine how red and puffy her eyes must look. She couldn't even muster a smile to reassure the stranger. The last thing she needed was someone giving her a check-up on the train in hopes of fixing her or something like that.

Unfortunately for Hinata, she sat alone and the medical intern took it upon herself to sit beside her and lean in close for inspection.

The intern noticed Hinata flinch and didn't take this as a good sign. She was practically trembling.

"I-I'm f-fine... r-really..." Hinata nearly bit her tongue for insubordination. Stuttering always gave her away.

The young woman leaned over and placed her hand against Hinata's forehead.

"I-I don't have a f-fever!" Hinata blurted indignantly.

"You feel pretty warm to me. Lemme see your face, please." The intern spoke gently in a very orderly manner. Seemed like she had the voice to be a doctor already.

Hinata didn't consent, but she didn't fight either as the young woman pulled her upright. Hinata kept her gaze downwards however.

"Look at me, please." The intern ordered. With a sigh, Hinata curved her eyes upward and the color she saw startled her.

Green. Clear green. Just like tea.

* * *

Inari followed them into the record store. Inari followed them into them into the sweets shoppe. He followed them to the subway station and rode the same car, keeping his distance so she wouldn't see him. He followed them out and finally... to a Love Hotel.

So already she was having sex.

How long has she been going here? How many times has she done it with her sempai? Did they get creative together? Did she turn around for him, lay still like a doll, or was she only pleasuring him? Did she have his flavor memorized? Did she bathe him with her body? Did she cry for more?

Lead sank in his stomach, and sweat swam between his curled fingers.

His body tingled, he was bristling. His nerves ached to act on impulse, his mind pregnant with contemptuous ideas.

Tatsuki opened the glass door for his little girlfriend.

Inari bum-rushed the boyfriend and shoved him. The older boy's face slammed into the edge of the glass door.

There was blood.

He lay slumped on the ground.

She rushed out, her wide eyes full of panic. She looked at Inari, perplexed and betrayed by his action.

"Inari-chan?? What did you do?!"

Inari-chan. That's what she called him. Like he was her little brother. Like he was her underclassmen.

* * *

The medical intern was lovely young girl, her age too. Warm pale skin, bright green eyes, slim athletic figure... and of all things, she had pink hair, just like a cherry blossom. No wonder she was named Sakura.

"Yeah, that was pretty unoriginal of my mother. My father wanted to name me Hinata because he loves sunflowers. I could've been a Spring field of Sunflowers, heh-heh." The young intern chuckled ironically.

"N-No way!" Hinata's cry caught the intern's attention, "M-My name is Hinata! B-But it's 'Sunny P-Place', n-not 'Sunflower' nor 'T-Towards the Sun'."

"What's your last name?"

"H-Hyuuga."

"What?" Sakura exclaimed with a laugh, "Just like _Hinata 120%_? That's hilarious! Which of your parents decided that? Ha-ha-ha!"

"M-my mother ch-chose the name... But I don't know what her purpose had been."

Sakura's buoyant personality sobered into earnest concern.

"I'm sorry... Did she pass recently? Was that why you were crying?"

"No, th-that was d-different..." Hinata admitted reluctantly.

* * *

"Shut up," He spat. "Stop calling me Inari-chan. I'm older than you by two weeks!! I'm no kid to you! You think you because you hang with older girls that you're a woman?! You take pride in fucking high school boys?! 'Cause puberty hit early, you think you can throw yourself at anyone of your choosing?! That doesn't make you more desirable, that makes you a slut!!"

She was silent. A single tear fell from her left eye, then another descended from her right. She hesitated towards her 'boyfriend', afraid that Inari would ridicule her more, but Tatsuki was unconscious. She trembled as she moved towards him, her throat dry and tight as she forced to suppress the tears.

She bent down to Tatsuki, and turned him over. Three tears fell involuntarily from widened eyes as she saw his face.

There was a long diagonal cut, from the right-side of his forehead to the center of his bottom lip which was now split open.

She didn't know what to do about this. Would he had a scar now?

"You're not nice, Inari..." She murmured aside, "You used to be nice."

* * *

"Why were you crying then?" Sakura leaned in closer to Hinata, expressing her interest. Hinata could smell the tangy perfume off of her, it was light a scent; citrus and melon. For a brief second, Hinata wondered if Naruto would like a girl like Sakura. She was very attractive, she smelled good, she was clearly doing something right to be a medical intern at seventeen, and the way she held herself showed that she was a strong young woman, stable and sure.

Everything she was not, everything she had never been.

Hinata knew she was breaking her own heart all over again by thinking these things, and she turned away from Sakura to suppress the urge to break down for the third time that day. She reminded herself that she wouldn't have to worry about Naruto falling for someone else, because he would never fall for her, even if they were together for years.

"I'm so stupid---!!" Hinata cried tersely in her throat, her teeth clenched with all the frustration in her abused heart. "I th-thought it was possible... t-to m-make him l-love me. But I... I-I s-screwed everything u-up to be with him... O-Only to be sent back home!!"

"Hinata-chan..." The pink intern exhaled, her own heart twisting in empathy. She didn't expect this at all.

_"Five minutes to Hamamatsu. Five minutes to Hamamatsu."_ came the announcement as the train began to slow. There were seven more stops until Tokyo.

Hinata sunk down and huddled into herself to cry, her voice dry and weak, but full of hurt and shame.

"H-h..... d-doesn't love me..."

* * *

It'd been three hours already since she left.

Naruto lifted his wrist off his eyes and winced under the hazy sunlight.

He had gotten out of the apartment a couple hours ago and rested on a park bench. He thought the park would help him relax, but he couldn't keep his mind off of Hinata. He wondered if she had made it home yet, if she had a safe trip and all. He could imagine she must be feeling pretty lonely, but all of that would be forgotten as soon as she surrounded herself with people that cared about her.

Naruto couldn't let go of his nightmares so easily. The images were less vivid now, but he remembered the facts of them.

Hinata hated him because he never told her about Sakura. She wanted to be loved too, she felt like she had taken for granted, used; as a surrogate for him to channel what he felt for Sakura.

Then there was the 'wet dream'. They nearly did it, but he refused to take her without loving her or feeling like he loved her. He hated himself by the end of that dream, he could see the result of his actions; she had been submissive under him. She said _"Do you need release?"_, she would do anything to make him comfortable, she forgot herself too easily.

Then he 'woke up' and found her naked and pleased. She had retained the afterglow and he felt greatly betrayed by her bliss for he had not taken part in it. Yet she had been taken. And she became bloated, swollen, pregnant with a child that logically would have been his. She died, the baby died, and that was the end of that.

No, of course that wasn't the end of that. Whose to say that couldn't happen in real life? Whose to say she won't hate for him for harboring an unrequited love, for taking her for granted and dumbing down her feelings? Whose to say he won't take advantage of her when she asks if he needs release? Whose to say she won't become another victim of careless sex and get pregnant?

"Everything I touch turns to shit..." He grumbled bitterly. "I can't do anything right, it's better that she's gone. It would've only been a matter of time before I ruined her completely."

* * *

"I-I don't understand what to do... H-He makes me want to give up on him again. I-It doesn't s-seem logical t-to return to him w-when h-he d-doesn't even w-want me. He begged me to s-stay once and I did... f-for as long as he could s-stand me... I was only his girlfriend for eight days... H-He didn't even want to a-ask me out! I could tell he didn't, he wouldn't even try! But I made him! ... I-I don't understand w-why I'm not good e-enough f-for him... I took care of him. I looked after him when he was hurt. I just wanted him to be happy, I wanted him to rely on me... Th-There's b-been days where... he was funny and affectionate... and he wanted to be around me... Then he would change."

"Change how?"

"He would change his feelings. Th-There'd be days... that he wished I wasn't there. M-Maybe I do care for him too much..."

"That's nonsense, Hinata-chan. There's no such thing as 'too much' if you love him."

"I just don't know what to do... I don't know if I _should_ go back..."

_"Five minutes to Shizuoka. Five minutes to Shizuoka."_

* * *

Narutostared into the skies with his head craned back while he tried to determine the shape of god. It was about time they had a talk.

"..."

It seemed like he had been on hold his whole life.

The empty, unresponsive, never-ending MOH was the soundtrack of his life.

* * *

The beer can was large and cold in her hands. Hinata hadn't expected Sakura to purchase these from the snacks pushcart, as for one thing they were both seventeen, and for another thing Sakura was a medical intern. Maybe she really wasn't as responsible as she appeared.

The beer however had been Sakura's idea of lightening the mood. Suppose alcohol _is_ the classic response to nursing a broken heart.

Sakura leaned over and tapped her can against Hinata's, before she spoke in a low, serious tone.

"You can't let his mood swings get in your way. Guys always act in ways that contradict their true feelings because they're trying to protect themselves. They don't like to be held accountable if they can't sacrifice themselves in a chivalrous ways; Guys **always** want to look cool. They take advantage of a moment any way they can just to come out on top. Perhaps your man is killing himself _trying_to save face." Sakura paused and took a swig. Hinata wondered what had gotten into Sakura to act this way.

"I-I don't know about that... I-I s-suppose he is trying to s-save face, but... He shouldn't have to hide from me---"

"Then that makes you special to him."

"Wh-What?" Hinata wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or downright frustrated.

"It makes you special to him because he's afraid that your view of him will change. He wants to be cool no matter what."

"...I c--- I c-can't believe that..." Hinata sighed wearily. Subconsciously she took a sip from the beer and winced instantly at the strange flavor. But it did kind of made her feel better and she couldn't stop herself from taking another sip.

"Why? Is he just a prick?"

"N-No!! Uhm... H-He's... complicated."

"He's protecting himself, I'm telling you."

"Th-That means then... th-that he's...?"

"Guys are insecure. Some are worse than us. Worse enough to deliberately hurt the ones they care about **because** they care about them."

"That's... That sounds so absurd!" Hinata laughed unexpectedly, as Sakura nodded sagely to herself, her face somewhat flushed from the alcohol.

"That's love for ya." She muttered gruffly, putting the can to her lips.

"S-So how do you know all this to be true?" Hinata smiled wryly as she sat back in her seat, somehow feeling at ease.

"Lifelong experience." Sakura stated dully with ruddy cheeks.

"You've had 'lifelong experience?" Hinata smirked at this, as a wistful sigh exhaled from Sakura's lips.

"_He _was my lifelong experience."

* * *

"Father, is Inari-chan back yet?" asked Tsunami as she wiped her wet hands in her apron. The look of concern on her face made the simple action a nervous one. Tazuna could only shrug. "Has Naruto-kun and Hinata-san returned yet?"

"No." Tazuna grumbled vaguely.

"What?"

"Naruto's got a funny story to explain that."

"W-What do you mean??" Tsunami dropped her apron and placed her hands on her hips. The sound of those words put a real bad taste in her mouth, and the last thing she could appreciate was her father's desert dry humor.

"He'll tell you when he gets back."

"And when will that be? Where are they by the way? What is Inari doing??"

"Naruto was here. Then he went back out."

"Why just Naruto-kun? Where is Hinata-san??"

Tazunawas silent as he stared at his blueprints, his mind mostly focused on his work. However he became frustrated with his erred adjustments and threw down his eraser.

"This is so irritating." grumbled the ornery Tazuna.

"Father---"

"She went back home... Hinata-san. Naruto kind of broke it off with her."

Tsunami's hands dropped at her sides.

* * *

Five. Hinata counted five full cans of _Sapporo _beer. She barely got through half, and Sakura had five.

"Haruno-san, where are you stopping?" Hinata asked carefully through the noise in Sakura's buzzed brain.

"Y---" Sakura blinked. The name had been on the tip of her tongue, then it melted away. Oh, there it was. "Yokohama."

"That's just one stop before Shinagawa." Hinata noted sadly to herself. _'We won't be leaving together...'_

"Yuh-huh. That's where... my internship is."

"Will it be alright if you go in with five cans in you??"

"I go in tomorrow... It's no problem. I'm just getting a room today."

"I see..." Hinata eased back into her seat, somber in the knowledge that her time with Sakura would be short. She continued to nurse her beer thoughtfully, the hoppy flavor no longer an unpleasant stranger on her tongue that usually preferred sweet things. She thought about the things Sakura told her, about how guys become angry when they're scared and cold when they're really concerned. As absurd as all that sounded, Hinata kind of understood.

Those reactions may seem contradictory and deceiving, but they are in fact the most sincere because they are raw. Raw emotions. And Naruto was definitely full of them. He wasn't exactly the most articulate person she ever met, she couldn't blame him now for his overwhelming behavior.

Now she wished he would've talked her to.

Hinata heard Sakura sniffle and towards her. She was caught off guard by the weepy drunk that sat before her. Her pretty green eyes were now pretty red with tears, and her face puffy.

Oh how the tables have turned.

Hinata didn't even have to get drunk to cry, but Sakura... she held a strong front. Something Hinata had misplaced long ago.

"I loved that motherfucker." Sakura muttered irritably, causing Hinata to blush tenfold. "He kept breaking my heart, and you know what I couldn't do?!" The empty can crinkled in Sakura's impassioned grip.

"...W-What?"

"I couldn't stop loving him! I tried once to forget him, just like you had tried, but I had been lying to myself. I begged him to stay, and he wouldn't! I said I would run with him, and he made me stay!" Sakura wiped at the stray tears that had leaked from her eyes, her voice miserable with love. "...That bastard, that stupid bastard..."

Hinata looked on, incredulous at the story she was hearing. How was it possible? She was just like her! Except for all the drunken swearing.

"Hinata-chan, listen to me okay??"

_"Five minutes to Yokohama. Five minutes to Yokohama._"

"O-Okay."

With that, Sakura pointed her pretty finger at Hinata, her heartbroken eyes hardened with what she knew.

"Don't give up on him. Don't ever give up. Make that your policy okay? Don't. Ever. Fuckin'. Give up. You love him! Therefore, he deserves **you**!"

* * *

Naruto hadn't moved once from the bench.

He was still waiting for god to pick up his call.

* * *

Star - Sorry this was so short. But my beta told me to upload it. I asked beta if it could a little longer, and beta said no. I'm disappointed with myself. I'm sorry if you were disappointed too.

Critiques appreciated so I can make a better next chapter. I'm close to slacking off these days.


	34. Doing the Right Thing part II

Star - I hope you guys noticed my canon event references and parallel-ness of it in my story. (big grin) Cuz there's more of it, always more of it. XP mwehehehehehehe yayz.

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch. 34 - Doing the Right Thing pt. II: Where Are Your Friends?

The wheels wheezed a sigh. A parting silence filled Hinata's consciousness as Haruno Sakura, the seventeen-year-old medical intern, sidled down the aisle with her pull luggage dragging behind her.

It had been too short, Hinata thought. Her time with Sakura had been too short, they barely had the chance to chat frivolously like young girls often do.

Hinata realized all the question she never got to ask, but desired to.

Where was Sakura from? What senior high school did she attend? Would she be in Yokohama for the whole month off? What did she like to eat? What were her hobbies, how did she spend her Sundays? What was her cell phone number? What kind of friends did she have? What was her social life like?

Hinata bet Sakura was the center her groups' world. She bet Sakura lit up the room with just the glance of her green, green eyes.

And what kind of guy did she fall for? Why did he only break her heart? And... Why was Sakura so sure that giving up was not an option?

What about self-preservation? How do you keep strong and sane when you're heartstrings are being toyed and tangled constantly? How do you keep giving your heart back to the one you love when all they do is drop it on the ground?

"Perhaps... I should model myself after Haruno-san..." Hinata mused fondly, almost eagerly as she imagined a brighter version of herself as strong and lovely as Sakura.

The doors closed and the train pushed itself up off its belly, heaving another readying sigh for the next trip.

Hinata was jumbled, somber mess of troubles and nerves for she was alone again.

In some strange way, she felt like a soldier shoved off to imminent and silent danger, with only his words as her guiding stars.

_"...Go home. Talk to them. Sleep in your room. Then call me, tell me if you plan to stay or not..."_

And she knew; this was her mission to complete, her solitary burden.

She felt terrible for the way she acted only a few hours ago.

"I'm sorry I had been so stubborn, Naruto-kun..." She wished he could hear her. "I'll be strong for you. I'll do this right."

* * *

He was thirteen, going on fourteen. He was a first year Junior High student. He was average height for his age, he brought home average grades, and he had an average amount of friendships in the classroom.

Black hair and black eyes made him... average, in appearance.

He was interested in girls. He had no experience with their species. They were an abusive, sentimental type; vicious crybabies and timid martyrs all of them. There was not a girl he could compare to his mother, his beautiful, strong-willed mother with more brains and quips than a room of politicans could handle.

Inari had no idea why he had been infatuated with the closet slut. Perhaps it was her parading around that made him jealous. She feigned adulthood while he did not. She made him feel immature, her free behavior mocked his own conservative nature and he would not have it. He wanted her to acknowledge him as an equal, as her superior, as an adult.

Instead she called him Inari-chan, like he were her little brother, her _kohai_.

She was a stupid girl. That's what Inari decided. She was shallow and gross, and her own behavior would lead her to future humiliation.

But another fact remained, leeringly, mockingly. It gnawed at him, it latched it sucker-like mouth onto him and chewed his skin slowly; She did not choose him. She chose the older boy. She never chose him. She never, ever chose him.

He hadn't even been a consideration.

And he felt betrayed by Naruto's failure with Sakura. Perhaps it was empathetic of him to feel betrayed. Perhaps it was immature.

* * *

Everyone recognized the sound of the Noise Trucks if they did not see them first. Some blasted the National Anthem, while others blasted looped recordings of hateful propaganda.

The Uyoku Dantai sounded like cats being murdered through a meat grinder.

_"Our peaceable demonstrations have been ignored! So we stand again today!"_, shouted a scrawny middle-aged man through a crackling megaphone as he stood in front of a parked black _Uyoku Dantai_ van. A white cloth headband was tied proudly to his forehead, with the Japanese Rising Sun adorning the center.

Men like him existed to hate and shout. Men like him were ignored by the common passerby, despite their noisy and fearsome presence and their unrelenting, organized efforts.

Men like him were xenophobic Nationalists with nothing better to do with their time. They once held an annoying yet noble position in their nation's history, but now--- with their Okinawa 'occupied', their world modernized and their black-haired children bleaching themselves blonde, red, blue, and pink --- they were a group of disruptive has-beens.

Naruto ambled through the shopping crowds, his hands stuffed in his pants pockets as his eyes trailed over the straight-lined patterns the airplanes made across the skies. The world felt a little smaller somehow, in a pleasant way, as if seeing those planes showed him a way, showed him that he was not so far from people after all. He could be on that plane, let it take him away, and wherever it landed he would call it home. That plane could have held Hinata, it could have landed here and she'd be with him in seconds. He could take that plane and see her in seconds. It wasn't so impossible, it'd be so much quicker than a train.

His soul relaxed with these thoughts in mind, the cool spring air mingling with his tattered heartstrings. He thought about arriving in Tokyo by plane. He thought about how he could escape so easily by plane. He imagined the police spotting him in the park with Hinata in his arms. They shouted 'After him!' and ambushed him like crashing waves of the sea. They chased him all the way to his secret jet which he swiftly boarded and took off in it, the force of the winds from the liftoff blew the officers all away. He looked out the window and saw Hinata below, staring up at him with watery eyes, her small hands clasped at her bosom. He grinned at her and let her know that he would return soon.

"A jet... yeah, that'd be nice... No sneaking around, just landing and leaving whenever I felt like it. I could live in the air where no one could catch me. And come back down when Hinata told me it was safe."

_"Protest the unlawful act of occupation! Protect true Japan from the American dogs! Extreme Nationalism is the only way to preserve our way of life!"_

Between Naruto's daydreams and the disturbance of the 'peaceable' protesters, an insolent voice called out.

"Who da fuck would embrace that way of life?", glared a late-twenty-something-year-old young man dressed in cheap retailer clothes with a bad dye-job. Yet the lucidity in his crisp black eyes made up for his less-than-impressive appearance.

_"Pride is essential! The Americans took away our military and left us to accept vulnerability! They force us to be ashamed!"_, roared the scrawny old man through his outdated megaphone.

"You wish for fanaticism! Fanaticism is what humiliated Japan, and you humiliate yourself every time you idiots c'mere bitchin' and ravin'!"

_"It's people like you that Japan has no use for! You are too ashamed to be proud! You disown the Emperor through your indifference!"_

"I revere our Emperor. I don' worship him like a Billiken doll! Your da worthless people here! Ya'll drive around in modified American vehicles, screamin' slander while being protected by the constitution the Americans gave us! Git yer head checked, asshole!"

The cheap-looking young man with the indomitable stare walked off, leaving the nationalist in a coiled up state of furor.

Without meaning to, or even trying, Naruto caught the attention of the embittered nationalist. Whether it was a true right-wing nationalist or just any ornery old-fashioned grump with a distaste for bleached-haired youth, Naruto's appearance was a curse he could not deter.

"Oi, you stupid fuck! You wanna keep staring like that, you stupid brat!? Can you understand a single fucking word I'm saying, you stupid shit!?"

Naruto couldn't believe the mouth on this guy. Nationalists are supposed to be an educated breed of jerks. Seemed that when this one got pissed, all his eloquent words became worthless.

"I understand you, retard! I'm a natural born citizen, idiot!!"

"What the fuck you do to your hair then?! What the fuck you do?!", the scrawny nationalist approached Naruto, his veiny hands wrapped tightly around the megaphone's handle. "What's that godforsaken hair-color, huh?!" He paused and took a good look a Naruto. A small crowd was forming around them all with wary, curious eyes. The man's thin lips pressed together and formed a frown that set in deeper and deeper with his scrutiny. He seemed perplexed now. "Are you wearing blue contacts, boy?" He asked, becoming increasingly sickened by Naruto's appearance.

"My eyes are blue." Naruto firmly stated, his answer translating into defiance and heresy in the nationalist's mind.

"Intolerable prick! You would disown your own race?!"

"Motherfucker, I was born this way!!"

Like a coil, the nationalist's rage sprang wild and loose as he lifted the megaphone in his hand and swung it down on Naruto's blonde head. The crowd gaped and gasped in worry at the unexpected violence. No one could discern which way this situation would go as they waited and hoped for police intervention.

Naruto's head ached and tingled with pain, his head bent downwards in shock from the blow. A shadowy voice rumbled in the depths of his being, a dark sensation breathed and riggled in the pit of his stomach.

He felt hate.

But what would he do about it, he wondered. What could he do about it?

"It's pieces of shit like you that's ruinin' this country! Old Japan has no use for your pathetic kind!"

"This isn't Old Japan..." Naruto growled venomously in his throat. He was quite tired of hearing his lack of worth to his country, the loaded insults to his appearance, to the prejudiced statements about his character. He knew he couldn't avoid discrimination, and when he couldn't changed their minds he utilized his anger against them. He soon learned that people hated him all the same. Didn't matter if he was kind and friendly, or rebellious and violent. They didn't give him much of a choice, he had to choose what to be in order to survive, and he choose to rebel. It wasn't for the sake of his pride, it was for his sanity. He was full of rage. He had to fight, to cause some harm just make him feel better. Payback. It was always payback.

But now things were different. He was a little older, still a minor, but not young enough to get away with the 'didn't know any better' excuse. How was he going to handle this situation? Could he get payback? Could he release his rage on this man?

_'One left hook to the jaw would be fair.'_ Naruto thought decisively in his vindictiveness. _'... or five.'_

_"Stupid kid..."_, the Nationalist spoke through the megaphone, _"Dye your fuckin' hair."_

_**WHAM!!**_

The onlookers blanched as the skinny, mean man slid down the side of the van, then crumpled to the ground.

Naruto had slammed his fist into his mouth and sent the xenophobe into the black van where he hit his head. He lay there moaning, the sudden silence bringing the attention of the other Uyoku Dantai members in their parked vans.

There would be hell to pay if Naruto didn't get out of there fast. And so he did.

He jogged off, luckily feeling satisfied with delivering one punch.

But those words of the nationalist would eat at him again later.

They always did.

* * *

Hinata pressed a nervous hand to her chest. She followed the flow of evening traffic out the train and onto the platform. She let her feet take through the terminal into the station tunnel. The parade of commuters and electronic voices of the neon ads and monitors surrounded her like an oncoming wave, one after another, she stilled herself against the rising emotions and relaxed when they passed. Her throat clutched so tight with locked air, she could barely find her way, her senses were clogged with the need for direction.

Where was she? Was this home after all?

She nearly sank down to her knees, the emotions rising higher and higher, they swallowed her up and pushed her back.

"I'm really here..." She whimpered anxiously, her mind swaying across the fetch of imaginary waves. She wanted to cry right at the moment. For no reason at all she wanted to cry. Her head hurt so much, the lights were strange and the people busy, too busy to live, they had to work to maintain their existence. They couldn't live without food, so they had to make money. They couldn't afford a family to they had to feign a purpose. No one had time to breathe. Their lives were reprehensibly simplified; they swam through their horrors and regrets, commuting between failure and love, life and death, hunger and contentment. They swam between the sharks with only one held breath, and that precious breath had to last the whole day or they would falter and get swept aside from their goal.

She remembered how claustrophobic this place made her feel. She realized everyone's fears and struggles, they pinned her down and demanded she fall in line.

She couldn't comply. Frivolity existed. Happiness was easily found, it didn't have to be something you base your legacy on.

Those that sought a new name were slowly drowning. She would not fall in line for that sort of death.

She wrapped Naruto's memory around her like a life-vest and proceeded to wade through the ongoing crisis that was modern civilization. His existence assured her that frivolity was not a dead ideal, that people could be happy and free of regrets.

His smile was a shining example of that.

Because he was a proud failure.

* * *

Tsunami busied herself with pushing the tonkatsu around the pan until the oil had given the breading a golden-brown color. She made pork cutlet sandwiches and cut them into triangle pieces. She set aside two plates and two glasses of milk out on the table. She glanced at the entryway as if expecting them to appear.

Tazuna crossed the entryway into the kitchen and sat down beside her, his face set into a reluctant frown.

"Maybe we should get him a cell phone." Tazuna teased mildly about his grandson. Tsunami barely smirked, the joke didn't lighten the mood, it only seemed to magnify its somberness.

She felt helpless to realize she couldn't get a hold of her son, that he was out there, wandering around and coddling an invisible wound, a hurt that she had not seen grow inside her son. Didn't matter if it was just hormones, that he was becoming a moody teenager; she was his mother. She was supposed to know what was wrong.

And Naruto-kun... How could he dump Hinata-san?

_Ban._

_click._

Tazuna and Tsunami perked up at the knowledge that someone had come home.

"... Something smells good." Naruto awkwardly joked with a low voice, as he felt sheepish in Tsunami's prescence.

She knew what he did. He could tell. But he also expected it.

Though her blank expression did not change, Tsunami seemed to relax somewhat as she nudged Naruto's plate towards him.

* * *

Kiba had no idea why he had been so shy about contacting her this past week. She hadn't returned to school after that video incident in the computer lab. She missed final exams as well. He hoped she had arranged make-up dates with the school. He hated to think they wouldn't be able to share the same homeroom again next trimester all because she didn't complete final exams.

After that he hadn't heard word from her or her friends. He would often pick up his phone in consideration of contacting her but then somehow he'd turn shy. Either he feared disturbing her because she was recovering from the video scandal and she didn't want to talk to anyone, or he feared he'd have nothing to say, at least nothing useful.

He scratched nervously at his scalp as he pulled up her name in his address book. He took a steadying breath and pressed call.

It tried connecting for a second. After that the call ended, it didn't even reach her voicemail, didn't even pick up a dial tone.

Was her phone off?

"Maybe I was right... Maybe she's resigned herself to her room..." Kiba frowned. Now he wished he had called her earlier. What if she had been waiting for a call despite her isolation, and when no one called after five days she turned off her phone. What if she wouldn't pick up her phone because he didn't try to call her sooner?

Wait... her friends had to have tried to contact her at some point this past week. But... maybe they didn't.

Kiba smacked at his forehead repeadtedly in irritation. He completely forgot there had been a fight between Hinata and Moe. And without Hinata's prescence, LaBelle full resigned herself to the rich life she has an independent woman.

But one must've given up on being mad and tried to call her.

Kiba called Hinata's cell phone again and like before, the connection could not be made.

He thought about the last time he saw her, when she had been crying in his arms over the video, over that stupid yanki she had so blindly loved.

_Hinata cried to Kiba about her shameless behavior. _

_She cried about how her father would hate her so much more, how he'd say he didn't raise a slut, how Hanabi had more self-respect and intelligence than she did. _

_She cried about her mother, were she alive, and if she would hate her just as much._

_"I can't deny that it happened... I can't deny that we did those things... I can only deny having sex... I never gave myself to him... He didn't want me..."_

Kiba laid down on the tatami of their family room and pulled the kotatsu blanket up over his shoulders, burying himself in warmth. He rested in head on his arm, as he fixated his stare at the horizon of space.

_'She said she never gave herself to him because he didn't want her...'_ Kiba instantly found what was wrong with those words. Naruto's rejection revealed that Hinata had offered herself to him, it was it his constant rejections that kept her a virgin.

That means she _was_ fully willing to have sex with Naruto. But why?

Was it the sex she wanted? Or did she wanted to be branded by Naruto? And Hinata was an attractive porcelain of a girl; Why hadn't he taken full advantage of her? Was he actually saving himself or was she not good enough for his branding?

Maybe he had been smart; Hinata had been so infatuated with him, maybe Naruto hadn't want to make her more addicted to him or perhaps he had feared her taking it the wrong way.

So that meant he truly never wanted her as a girlfriend.

Kiba hated to think that was the bottomline of their 'love' story, but it was. Hinata had somehow, for some unfathomable reason, fallen for the ex-Yanki and he wanted nothing to do with her.

"C'est la vie?" He mumbled dumbly beneath his breath, as if it explained anything.

He was beating himself up for not calling her sooner. He wished he had kept tabs on her this past week, he should have.

Unnameable shyness was no reason to keep friends at arms length. Even if he didn't know how to cheer her up, even if she was lying in bed, day in and day out, crying herself to sleep over this unpredictable betrayal that was the video... He should have tried harder for her.

Even if she never loved him back. He didn't expect her to right now. Romance was not what she needed right now if she was still heartbroken over another.

Romance would only make it worse.

* * *

She was supposed to recognize this city.

Hinata inhaled the undoubtedly fresher Tokyo air. She took it into her lungs and closed her eyes. She held it inside her as she stood atop the stairs, her back at the station entrance, her face to the world. She held it until she was sure she no longer could and she let it go.

The city was in her sinuses now and the sounds in her skin.

She found the familiarity of her home. Yet it was vague, washed out like her mother's photograph. She wished she could recall Tokyo the way she used to remember it as another poor, floundering, lost resident, but her heart could not awaken to it.

Her feelings had changed, like a polar shift inside her brain.

Hinata tucked a dark strand behind her ear and took her first step out into the sunlight. She felt herself swimming already; her heart floated up to her throat, her stomach floated up to where her heart used to be, and her eyes peered over a watery horizon.

She told herself, _'I will not drown, I will not get swept away, sharks cannot get me. I will not drown, I will not get swept away, sharks cannot get me. I will not drown, I will not get swept away, sharks cannot get me.'_

The city was alive around her. There was a constant buzz. There was a venom in the waters.

She would soon learn their language. She would soon learn what she had missed the past eight days.

* * *

Naruto awkwardly ate the delicious pork cutlet sandwich Tsunami had so generously made for him. The air was so still and thick with unsaid words that he couldn't bring himself to move freely.

Tsunami was wrapped in obscured turmoil, and Tazuna was like the chesire cat in Alice in Wonderland; omnipresent with an indescribable expression. He might have been grinning at some point, perhaps on the inside, for he was a man who found humor in the small details, but the question was: Was Tazuna grinning at something funny or was it in his nature to grin no matter how callous? Perhaps this grin of his was stuck on his face instead of being held by true emotion?

Was the old man just distracting himself then? Was he choosing to be uninvolved then? Did he find wisdom outside these walls?

Naruto could barely exhale in this tense atmosphere as he continued to chew on the same third bite he took five minutes ago; it began to lose its flavor in the build-up of saliva in his mouth, the pork and bread were reduced to a sloshy cud that he couldn't swallow.

_'Someone please talk...'_ He grimaced.

Tsunami seemed to hear him as she finally settled on something she was willing to share.

"Naruto-kun... Could you please go out and find Inari? I'm tired of him wandering around without so much as a word to me."

Tazuna smirked at this change of tone in his daughter's words. She was taking charge again, at least attempting to.

_'Good.'_, he thought after having been worried by his daughter's increasing subservience over the past few years. Inari **was** entering puberty. This was when the testorerone would change him. This was something that had to be anticipated and overseen, not something to trample his strong-willed daughter. She had grown comfortable ever since Naruto changed their Inari into a strong young man. She enjoyed Inari's independence to the point that she became only his mother by name, no longer by status.

Naruto took Tsunami's request as a saving grace from this uncomfortable trap and he scarfed down the rest of the sandwich with the vigor only few recognized as 'definitively Naruto'.

And with that he took off.

Tazuna patted Tsunami's hand with tender pride, a true grin stretched on his face.

"I'm glad you're back." He chided with gruff laughter.

"Thank you, father." She sniffed.

* * *

Hinata didn't know where she was going. She found herself wandering all up and down Minato ward, her skull cavity full of fog and no ideas. Every time she was reminded to go home by Naruto's command, she flinched away as if being chased by a lingering wasp.

She couldn't imagine being home. It felt like an impossible paradox.

She had nothing to say to them off hand. She couldn't anticipate what it would be like to see them again. She couldn't imagine reveling in the smell of her former home. She couldn't imagine she'd experience that 'at-home' feeling at all.

She was terrified to go there and feel nothing at all.

She'd rather not see them. She'd rather they forget about her. She'd rather leave things as they were and cut ties right here, without voicing it, without telling them all all.

She'd rather it be left a silent agreement.

Hinata turned out and made her destination to the first family restaurant she could find.

It was getting late and she hadn't eaten since Osaka.

* * *

It didn't take Naruto long at all to find Inari. As soon as Naruto stepped out of the apartment stairwell, he found the pubescent whelp crouching low beneath the balconies.

Was he hiding? Well, Tazuna wouldn't be able to see very much of him from the second floor balcony, so it was very likely Inari was hiding.

"If you're home, you should go upstairs and announce it, rather than keep your mother worrying. She's thinks you're on the other side of town stirring up shit." Naruto lectured without deciphering, or even acknowledging the acrid frown on the youth's face.

"What makes you think I'm the troublemaking type, huh? That's you, dumbass." Inari muttered under his breath.

"C'mon Inari, go upstairs. Tell your mother you're home."

But Inari ignored him.

"Say...", the thirteen-year-old drawed out with an insolent edge, "What would you do if you saw Sakura with another man, and they happened to already be fucking right under your nose?"

This behavior of his was disconcerting, not to mention downright aggravating. Just why was he so obsessed over Sakura? Why was he so disappointed?

"I wouldn't be surprised. It wouldn't even be my business really..." Naruto reluctantly forced out, his eyes darting to the side. "You should know that. She never liked me that way, she never even considered me."

That was the last thing Inari needed to hear, those last words: She never even considered me.

"I'm not like you..." Inari hissed out with a betrayed disbelief that took hold of Naruto's confusion and increased it.

"What?"

"I"m not like you!" Inari pushed himself off his haunches and glared at boy he used to admire. Why he admired Naruto he didn't know, because that reason was dead. "You're such a loser! You can't even get the girl you like!! Why don't you just _fuck off_, _**failure**_! Go find a home!"

Naruto always knew Inari to be a little rude in a standoffish way, much like his grandfather, but... Naruto never expected he would hurl such words...

A glass door slid open above them. Tazuna peered over the side of the balcony upon hearing the shouting outside. It sounded like his grandson, but he couldn't see him, just Naruto who stood numb outside the complex's entrance.

"Oi, Naruto! Is Inari out here??"

Inari turned out and dashed down the way he came, startling his grandfather two stories up.

"Oi!! Oiii!! Inari!! Stupid kid, get back here!!" Tazuna shouted and shouted after his grandson, upset that he would run off like that, like he couldn't trust his family. Why was he acting to unpredictable?? "Naruto! Go get him! An' bring him home, got it!? I ain't puttin' up with shit. Gettin' too old, I shouldn't have to catch my own grandson... Shit."

* * *

Savory, mellow, astral downbeats floated earthward from the cieling speakers of the cafe like morning rain. The cakes in the window display caught Hinata's eye, and she found herself eating a slice of Cinnamon Roll Cake.

Cinnamon Roll Cake! How did she miss this?! She lived here all her life and she never saw this place?! Or had the pleasure of tasting cinnamon rolls in cake form?

Maybe they were the only store that made it. If that was true, then she hoped and prayed this place wouldn't close, even if she was the only customer that liked their cinnamon roll cake.

Hinata was having a ball enjoying this simple slice of pleasure. The cake was moist and not too heavy, the frosting was sticky and infectious with flavor, and the cinnamon tingled as it lingered on her tongue. She admired the swirly, carefree design the cinnamon made through the baked batter, it was hypnotizing.

Hinata decided she would hang out here until closing.

She wasn't sure how she could face her friends or her family right now.

She had no explanations for them, nothing to say.

She liked it here just fine. She liked her cake.

* * *

The sky dimmed. Obvious shadows stretched across the streets like a wet cloth being pulled from either end. There was almost something ominous in the colors. Light and dark blatantly separated, man and shadow chained like an inherited sin.

It was as if this was the one time in day, the peak, where everyone's darkness became visible. You could see their woe, their stress, the psychic bruises on their lives.

The sun dragged further downwards, and the contrast of human and shadow decreased; their secrets became secrets once more in the evening shade.

Naruto ran after Inari, but not as fast as he could. He hesitated, he didn't know if he wanted to have a talk with the boy. he didn't want things to grow worse.

"Or maybe he's just being a prick." Naruto grumbled to himself decisively as he pushed himself into a sprint. Maybe Inari did hate him now, whether the reason was justified or based on brain-twisting hormones. But that didn't mean Naruto couldn't put him back in his place.

They dove and weaved through the crowds in a relentless chase.

Naruto was taller, he had a longer stride. If it weren't for the crowds, he would've reached Inari by now.

The river of commuters split in two as Naruto neared stairs that lead into the subway. He saw Inari for a split second before the boy jumped down into the almost wished he heard a cry of pain after that stunt, but he heard none.

He jumped down from the top of the stairs, landing halfway.

Inari scrambled to his feet. He stumbled forward several times in his haste.

Naruto caught up to him.

He threw his arm out and grabbed the hood of Inari's hoodie. Not trying to choke the boy, he grasped hold of his shoulder and sleeve and tossed him back.

A childlike whine, full of stubborness and tears emitted from Inari.

He denied defeat. But he was too upset to get back up again.

"What is wrong with you, huh?! You're an even bigger brat now than when you were a kid!!" Naruto accused.

The people of the subway looked at them closely and warily upon seeing their scuffle. There were several men and women poised at the ready to alert police if a fight was to break out.

* * *

Neji felt like his only purpose these days was to protect the house.

Hiashi had been away these past six days, settling a deal with some brother company in South Korea. Apparently Hiashi was playing tourist (more than ambassador) over there or the deal wouldn't have had to take this long to make.

Along with the head's absence, Hanabi had made not-coming-home her top priority. It was no secret to him that she had a boyfriend, someone she could waste time with, without it feeling like it was a waste. He could almost understand why she didn't like to stay home anymore.

It was dead quiet.

It was lonely.

Because Hinata wasn't around.

She'd been gone more than eight days now.

_"Maybe we should issue a Missing Persons report, have the police crash her little vacation." Hanabi mumbled as she bullied the pens atop the kotatsu._

_It was clear she was upset, but she didn't show how much._

Neji thought Hanabi had been jealous, that she couldn't mysteriously disappear like her older sister. That is, if Hinata did plan a big secret trip with friends, whoever they were.

Neji tried calling Hinata's cell on few occasions, but each time he never got through. He had hoped she would return soon, whether she snuck in or announced her return.

He didn't feel as betrayed at Hanabi at her disappearance, but this helpless feeling, because he couldn't reach her and didn't know where she was or what she was doing; that feeling he did not enjoy harboring.

He was stuck with the bill, and it sucked.

* * *

Hinata sipped at her cold milk, feeling content with herself as she sat in the back corner of the Pâtisseries Cafe. The music had wind down to simple drum beats and bass melodies.

She felt like she sat at the edge of the world; she was so far away from everyone and so isolated, but she was enshrouded in secrecy and pleasant feelings.

She didn't even notice the girl staring at her intently through shadowy Aviator glasses.

She'd been unsmiling for quite some time, even her childhood companion was disturbed by this.

Her fingers curled harshly into her napkin, the embittered gesture so fierce and quick that her companion startled in his seat. An audible crack echoed through his psyche and he was greatly disturbed to think it was her heart he heard breaking.

_'Am I really that close to her?'_ He dumbly questioned, for he knew that anyone who spent a lifetime with another would know where their heart was breaking and hear it.

Perhaps it was hearing it that scared him witless.

She had always been cheerful and spontaneous. With her new brooding attitude, was it rational of him to fear new unpredictability from his childhood friend?

Of course it was.

Because she had never been like this before.

* * *

Inari got to his feet and charge towards Naruto with is palms facing out.

"I CAN'T STAND YOU!!" He shouted as he shoved Naruto away. The boy felt sick. "You advertise your greatness like a scalper! You expect people to buy into your infinite confidence, you want them to believe in you! But you're a liar! You show off more than **anyone**!!!"

The eyes of the commuters penetrated curiously and darkly through Naruto like needles in his spine.

"What do you think is going to happen when you actually get people to believe you!???!" Inari shoved Naruto a second time, causing a crumbling of emotions within the blonde. "You acted like you owned the world! You held yourself higher than a king! But it's just a fuckin' ruse!!! I knew you were bullshit the moment we met! Fuck you for tricking me!!"

A black hole grew in Naruto's mind, engulfing him in shadow, twisting his vision between the g-forces of his alienation. Needles sunk themselves further into his spine, weakening him, draining him, forcing unto him the sensation of intimate violation.

"I'm going home now. But you're not welcome back. Homeless losers have to help themselves, I ain't having mom house a moocher anymore."

**

* * *

BAM!!**

Hinata nearly screamed, emitting only a sharp rasp of breath to hiss between her teeth. She looked up shakily at the girl who had slammed her fist on the table and was instantly intimidated by her icy stare.

"Hey." The girl in Aviator glasses uttered with a cooled detestation.

Hinata blinked, completely unsure what to say and unable to recognize who this frightening girl was.

She wore a muted marron full-body sweater with a wide mock-neck collar, a pair of red & white male VANS sneakers, and a full-length black & yellow plaid skirt. Her hair was reddish black and pulled high into a loose bun. The shade of red in her dark hair seemed rather unnatural upon further examination.

When Hinata made no new reactions, the girl sat herself down. She roughly dropped her elbow onto the table, startling Hinata again, and swept her hand to grasp the right lense of her Aviator glasses, removing them with the same nonchalant movement.

Hinata's mouth quivered open, her lids timidly pulling back in dread and surprise.

It was Moe.

Despite the change of hair color and embedded scowl, Hinata recognized her as Moe.

In seconds Keisuke (aka Robin) was right by her side, looking as frazzled and inconfident as ever.

"What, you're not going to say 'hey' back?" Moe threw out incredulously, greatly intimidated the unprepared Hinata.

"H... h-hi..."

Her voice had been so small and paltry that Moe sighed with disappointment, as if having been insulted. She couldn't forget how Hinata had pulled on her hair when she had tried to get her cell phone back.

Something had died ever since that moment, something that had been sacred between them.

Moe couldn't shake the feeling, her scalp went prickly with a memorized pain every time she thought back to it. She thought her head would come off from all that pulling, she could not forgive this no matter how she tried; the betrayal was in her skin like poison.

"I'm a little surprised to see you again..." Moe sighed as she put her Aviator sunglass back on. She stood and swung her bag hard over her shoulder. Every movement she made was like violent solar flares, she radiated with wanton intensity that made anyone uneasy. And you could tell she wasn't sorry about any of it.

Moe froze Hinata with a directed stare. The latter was unsure if the glasses made her look more or less scary.

"Walk with me, bitches." The formerly goofy Moe ordered as she headed for the door. Keisuke was already at her side, embarassed and pissed off at himself for answering to 'bitches'. Hinata had been slow to respond, her hesitancy apparent. Moe glanced over her shoulder and held her with one eye.

"Last chance for me to forgive you. Either hang with me **now** or stay here at the edge of the world."

Hinata fumbled for her long sweater and was at Moe's side in seconds.

Her spine laid forgotten at the table.

* * *

Inari called him a moocher.

He called him a loser and a liar.

_"What do you think is going to happen when you actually get people to believe you!???!" _

Naruto was without friends now. He was without a crutch, his last resort that he had relied on so many times before was denied.

Sure Inari wasn't exactly the man of the house... but he stated his position: Naruto was banned.

How could Naruto go against that? Should he try to knock some sense into Inari?

No, Inari did not forget their friendship. He forsake it. Naruto had been demoted to that acquaintance you're reluctant to say hello to, even though you know their full name and favorite color.

Inari didn't give a damn about him now. Naruto officially lost his worth and his shine.

_"Fuck you for tricking me!!"_

Had it been a trick? One lifelong scheme of cunning and well-meaning intentions?

He needed people. He needed their attention, their support, their trust. Their love.

But how did he think to do that?

By shouting that he was the coolest fucking guy on earth to anyone with ears.

By grinning big and laughing plenty.

And when that didn't impress he had to demand their respect.

He defended his pride by fighting. He aspired to be a Yakuza leader so that he'd be strong and powerful, he'd earn his prestige through violence and chivalry.

That worked pretty well for a few years.

He belonged to a small yanki group whom he trusted passionately.

But they held little respect for him. He thought it was all banter and brotherly teasing.

It came down to where the only person he was truly connected with was Sasuke.

But then Sasuke betrayed the team, and Team Seven was dissolved.

The world was based on trust: The cashier had trust that you gave them genuine currency and not a counterfeit, spouses had to trust that their partner was being faithful, investors had to trust that their stocks would go up, employees had to trust their employer to pay them.

Without trust, relationships would cease to exist and humanity would collapse under their own treachery and desensitisation.

The subway slid clumsily across the track. The empty handles swayed like used nooses. Businessmen and women alike slept unitentionally upon strangers' shoulders. The fluorescent lights casted weakly upon the car's inhabitants.

They almost seemed dead.

Naruto bent forward and sank down between his knees in cold surrender.

He became a victim of his own unfulfilled promises, his lies.

* * *

Moe led her meek compatriots into the night life, her mind set on silly partying and thumping basslines. Part of her was happy to have Hinata along. They hadn't been together since the disagreement. And even though she was still super pissed at her for her self-absorbed behavior, Moe still wanted to be friends.

Moe couldn't let her go now. They were going to have a fun night no matter what and they were going to be friends again.

* * *

Tazuna told himself he should've expected this... but he didn't.

"I DON'T WANT HIM BACK HERE!!"

"AND WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT'S YOUR DECISION TO MAKE, INARI!?!"

"I LIVE HERE TOO, YA KNOW! THIS IS NOT HIS HOME, THIS IS OUR HOME!!"

"AS LONG AS HE NEEDS **ONE**, THIS IS HIS HOME!!"

"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU TAKEN HIM IN??! MOM, HE'S A RETARD!! HE DOES THIS ALL THE TIME!!!"

"HE'S OUR **FRIEND**!! WE TAKE CARE OF OUR FRIENDS, INARI!!"

His grandson stomped out of the kitchen much like the grumpy pubescent he was and shut himself in his room.

His daughter placed a shaking hand on their dining table, her face bright red from shouting and eyes wet with anger.

She was upset to think she might not see Naruto anymore. She was unsure if she could deny Naruto shelter when she knew he needed it, or try to override her son's decision and house Naruto anyways.

The harmony of their home was gone.

Inari left his mother no choice but to refocus on their relationship again.

And not on Naruto.

* * *

Blue slid over the stage, then pink, red, yellow. White flashes in her eyes, spots, then faded. Shadows grew faces, their bodies jived and swayed like kelp seaweed against the rhythmic current.

There was a female emcee onstage, leading the crowd with her silky voice and playful dancing; shoegazey trance blended into wordless vocals, like Cocteau Twins turned Tigarah.

Moe shed her full body hoodie for a more dressed down look. She stretched her bare arms out, floated her hands atop her head, let her fingers catch the ethereal beats. The bassline absorbed into her bloodstream, it became her pulse.

Keisuke trailed warily behind, keeping a concerned eye on his childhood comrade.

Hinata thought he resembled a sheepdog, the way he was always aware, the way he was always concerned for her. He protected in many ways, smalls way; it was where his heart lay, always pointed to her like a compass, that truly revealed all that he did for her.

Hinata observed the way Moe surrendered herself to the atmosphere of the nightclub, like a toy filled with air, the excess sighed out from the seams. She became rubber, she became air.

Hinata wondered what she was doing here. They were her friends but... this was not like ole times. The relaxed yet rebellious nature of their venture was familiar; Moe had always lead the team to certain novelties and awkward moments. But Hinata knew feelings had changed, not just her own.

She tried to recapture those old feelings, she tried to reconnect.

But it was impossible.

So much had changed in so little time, she barely recognized herself a month ago. It was like a baby blanket that had been reduced to threads. She grasped at the threads but they were too far and few. She could not piece her old life back together.

The picture was gone.

They sat at a table in the back for the first couple hours, taking in the sights and working on a battle plan. Dance or drink? Might as well dance first before getting drunk, instead of dancing drunk. That's what Moe mused despite hauling a few bottles of beer to the table with Keisuke's help. Hinata took one without really thinking about it. She figured she might. Perhaps it'd help her warm up to the scene. She barely spoke a word since she ran into Moe again, she had nothing to say, nothing to talk about.

Hinata kept her eyes to the stage, letting her gaze wander with the drifting lights. The female emcee left about an hour earlier, replaced by a hardstyle dj. The thudding rapid beats immediately got the crowd, an infection of sensuailty and violence. Moe bobbed and tossed her head to the booming bass, her heart racing with it.

Hinata took drank steadily at her beer. The warming, fuzzy sensations of the ethanol in her blood made the overbearing sounds more enjoyable, she was able to drown it out a little with drunken ignorance.

Moe noticed that Hinata finished her first beer. She got up and embraced her younger friend.

"I'm sorry, don't be scared of me please. I still want to be friends. Let's have fun tonight, okay?" The former redhead cooed lovingly. Hinata's first reaction was to mourn at her words, mourn for the lost of their relationships' familiarity. But Moe couldn't tell Hinata's heart had moved on to something else. And Hinata was afraid to tell her, tell her how her feelings had changed. She wasn't sure how she'd explain it, but she knew they had.

What was the point of all this?

She should have stayed in Osaka with Naruto.

Why did he have to give her up? Why couldn't he just love her and damn everything else?

What was he so afraid of?

* * *

Star - Woot. Not exacly 15 k, but whatever. I'm pleased with this. And I hope you are. I will get to new chapter up as soon as possible, even if it may not be super long either, but I'm working my way up as you can tell. Some people have complained about the 30 k chapters, so I may not be doing those again, unless perhaps for special chapters, but we'll see when we get to those.

Btw, I love Canon-verse Inari, he's a cutie. There should be more of him and his fams. I missus them, heheh. But please don't hate on this Inari's drama, eheheh. (deadpans) He's turning thirteen, it's re... wait... re... No, it's justified. XD And I've been reading and watching things about Japanese delinquents so I was kind of inspired by that stuff to shape Inari's troubled-ness lol. Of course in this tense setting, it's a bit more exaggerated but whatever, again. It is afterall fanfiction. So more power to the author. Let her have fun with the drama, lol. XD

Alright, see ya... hopefully maybe next month, lol. Or a little less than a month... Baiee!


	35. Going to Move on, Even if it Kills Me

Scratch the Surface

Ch. 35 - I'm Going to Move On... Even If It Kills Me

Hinata emptied out her third bottle, surprising Keisuke and herself that she would drink so much on her first time. Moe had emptied out five and was feeling pleased.

Emotions and words floated on the tip of Hinata's tongue thanks to the alcohol.

She had so much guilt built up inside, so much pain and confusion. If she didn't take care of it now, she was never going to regain her friendships again.

Moe still wanted to be friends. She had hugged and apologized to Hinata.

Even though Moe had insulted her and Naruto so much, Hinata wanted to be friends again too.

"Moe-san… I'm sorry too," Hinata hung her head as sobs threatened to eek out of her throat. "I don't understand how it got this way… I have to tell you… I- I c-can b-barely remember our friendship… I can't recall the bridge, or last Christmas… I can't remember what it was like to wear my dresses… Please… You're going to have to be patient with me… It seems so impossible for me to reconnect now… You have to help me return… I can't make myself to do it on my own just yet…"

Moe's face softened at this honest admission. She reached across the table and took hold of her hand.

"It was a mistake. You know this now. There was no substance to the relationship you two had."

_"Hey, Hinata-chan! Wow, you look good today!"_

_In a whirlwind of excitement, fear, elation, and shock; a peculiar squeak flew from her throat. _

_Shivers ran up and down her arms, her fingertips and toes were tingling, as if they had been just been asleep and were trying to wake up. _

_Her face was on fire and the world around her seemed to spin, fade in and out of focus, and the only thing that held her in place was his blue, blue eyes._

_She could swear she was going to faint._

_Naruto continued to smile, his right brow quirking up slowly when Hinata continued to lack any response. Just a weird, wide-eyed, open-mouth smile on her face._

_She did look cute today, better than he could remember._

"I thought I could get him to love me... He used to touch me and kiss me... I thought he was attracted to me..."

"You have leave it behind you now. He was rotten shit the way he was using you. He was bad. But now that you've had a taste of bad, you'll learn, and you'll know who is right for you."

Hinata didn't understand what this meant, but she nodded her head in agreement anyways. She told herself that Naruto had dumped her, that he had sent her home never to see him again. Whether she understood what 'bad' meant, it didn't seem to matter anymore. He was in Osaka, and she was back home. Their week-long romance had met it's end with abrupt and inevitable lackluster.

Cries pour out her mouth like tears did her eyes. The acknowledgement of their break up was like three spike-knuckled punches to the heart. Her whole body was suddenly sore and wrought with aches.

She couldn't believe it was over.

* * *

Kiba wandered through the neon-lit streets alone, listening to Yamaoka Akira's "I Want Love" with hands stuffed in his pants pocket. His eyes roamed over the millions of faces, in hopes of finding the one he was looking for.

The haunting, creeping melodies submerged him in his imaginations. He found himself as a vagabond in fog, trudging forth through the faceless dead, their blue cold shapes indifferent to his presence.

His girl had been stolen away, but what means he wasn't sure.

A monster? A demon? Or perhaps a Mephistophelian creature of her own subconscious, manifested from the darkness implanted in her heart.

She'd been haunted by a blonde figure, enchanted by him. But his hands corroded her down to rust and bones, her heart naked to all and chained to him only.

_"Tender Sugar"_ played next, painting dangerous images in his brain.

Images of the two of them.

He wasn't sure how he was going to save her, or if he could.

Silent Hill always threw you on a heroic quest, one you never complete successfully... At least that is... the figure you lost, the person you want to find, that you want to save... They end up being discovered long dead or a figment of your subconscious.

Or the tricks of a Shibu Inu behind a Vision Mixer.

The playlist ended, returning Kiba out of the Otherworld and back to modern Tokyo.

"The Dog ending was one of the best though." He sighed lazily through his nose.

* * *

Nishinari.

Airin-chiku, Nishinari.

Airin-chiku, Nishinari, Osaka.

Airin-chiku is just a pseudonym for Kamagasaki, meant to disguise its shamed past like MAC cover-up.

Only government officials and the media use the name 'Airin-chiku'.

Those that have suffered with the town call it by it's true name, Kamagasaki.

They are not ashamed. They love their town, despite the slums, the Boryokudan offices, and the vast population of unemployed. The social decay is obvious. But it's not their fault.

They have been forgotten by the government. They grudgingly hope for the day their town will be restored.

Naruto spotted a long foreclosed store, the windows covered by nailed planks. Two men slept out beneath the awning. One slept beneath a dirty quilt he found in the trash, the other slept with nothing.

He wondered if he'd be able to disappear here. It seemed best for everyone that he was forgotten, just like this city, just like all these people.

Nobody wanted him. And the one person that did couldn't be with him.

He had to give her up. Her life was near perfect before he came along.

Naruto took a spot under the awning, shivering as the cold of the concrete seeped through his clothes.

_'Maybe it would have been better if she hadn't gotten infatuated with me. I was just looking for a friend, someone I thought I'd get along with... But she has 'daddy issues'...'_ He thought finally, shrugging her off his mind.

Far as he was concerned, this was it. Kamagasaki was his new life. And as for Hinata, her life had been given back to her.

She would go back to school without him to bring her down. She would attend a prestigious University while he spent his days as a day laborer. She would get married early and have kids a year later, and he would be at Triangle Park laughing at some observational joke made by a cancer-infected old man.

She would be having KFC on Christmas with her family, while he would be standing in line for soup by the Christian missionaries.

She would be watching her daughter's ballet recital, surrounded by many other proud and tight-lipped parents, while he would be sleeping in a shack made of tarpaulin and discarded wood.

She would grow old in her husband's arms.

She would be happy and complete.

And at the end of it all, Naruto would laugh loudly and proudly: 'Those fools never found me! Suck on that Hiro-whatever-your-name-is, ya Korean **bitch**!'

* * *

They didn't step foot on the dance floor. Moe and Keisuke worked to cheer Hinata up with some aimless and cheerful conversation. The two friends spent some time bickering with each other for Hinata's amusement. She managed some giggles, some real, some half-hearted and hollow. She was still weepy, but they didn't mind. They both knew better: This was going to take some time.

They left the club at three in the morning, voices sore from competing with the DJ. Keisuke took Moe home. Moe had wanted Hinata to sleep over, but Keisuke reminded her about her mother, forcing Moe to roll her eyes in disdain.

Hinata told them she could make it on her own, that luckily she still remembered where she lived.

That made Moe confused at first since but she thought nothing of it as Keisuke broke her train of drunken thought and pulled her in the direction of Chiba.

Hinata eased her way out of Shibuya with slow, tentative strides. But when she arrived home… When she laid eyes on her neighborhood for the first time, for what seemed liked months… She felt herself become empty.

Everything felt so empty.

There was her old-fashioned house, all wooden and lacquered, with brick red clay roofing tiles and simple shouji doors.

Then there was Naruto's one-room house, darkened and abandoned. He wouldn't live there again. He wasn't coming back. Since the realtor company that had owned the dinky abode have long been out of business, the small house was never going to be resold. No one would live there again. But someday, the plot will be bought and replaced with a contemporary two-story most attractive to budding families.

To think that she would sleep in her own bed again was a strangely uncomfortable prospect.

To think that she would resume a normal life without Naruto frightened her.

What would she do now knowing that she would wake up every morning without his presence next door?

What would she do from now on, knowing that she wouldn't see him at school anymore?

What would she do when she graduated without him?

Would he return to school in Osaka? Would he find the girl he always wanted? Would he propose to her and would she say 'yes'?

Was that how this was to play out? Was it so straightforward as that?

But why was he considered 'bad'?

Why did everyone seem to despise him?

And why did he continue to get into altercations here?

And why did she take care of him each time he was hurt?

Hinata walked up the steps to his door. She threw a contemptuous fist at the door, sending an itchy shock through her pinky to her elbow.

"I should hate you…" Hinata pressed her forehead against the door as the tears streamed down from closed eyes. "... I've hated myself for too long..."

She recalled all the times she had tried to better herself for him: how she had asked him about his preferences. How she had tried curl her hair only to burn it. How she had tried a particular body spray only get sneezed on. How she had tried a new moisturizer only to be riddled with red welts. How she had copied the styles of the girls in the magazines. How she had continued to make him lunches and tried to make him dinner. How she had bought him a cell phone, bought him an expensive watch, bought him new clothes... She recalled how the more she did for him the less he respected her. It came to the point that she lied to her friends. She told them he was her boyfriend. It came to the point where she had to seduce him in the bathroom of his work in order to get him to see what she felt.

She recalled all the unintended seductions, the fooling around, the making out in secret places. She recalled his breath on her mouth, his tongue on her neck, the excited greedy graspings of his hands.

_Her giggles filled the room like soap bubbles._

_Naruto jokingly wrestled with her, their legs kicking at eachother, his hands on her hips, on her thighs, on her belly. He got her on her stomach and laid out on top of her. _

_The weight of his body pushed out more fervent laughter from her throat, like squeezing toothpaste from the tube._

_Her face was getting so red._

_/_

_'She's glowing again,' He thought. Her smile was small but genuine. He couldn't believe she could look so happy. H__e thought deep down that her happiness should make him happy too, but just looking at her, tucked away against his chest, glowing; it only made him sad. He thought, 'it'd be so much easier if she didn't smile like that, if she wasn't so affectionate,' because then he wouldn't have to feel so guilty sometimes. Sometimes he resented her for his guilt. He resented her for seducing him with earnest affection and warm embraces. He resented her because no matter what she did, he couldn't appreciate her the way he was supposed to._

_It was like Kiba had said; he didn't know how to appreciate her._

_'But it's not my fault. I don't know what's so special about her. I don't like her the way I liked Sakura-chan. The way I felt for Sakura-chan will never happen with Hinata-chan. It just won't.'_

_Naruto slipped his arms around her waist and he fell over to the side. Hinata smiled, and huddled herself closer to him. She began to like spooning, but she was a little sad she couldn't look into his face at the same time. _

_Still, this was a very comforting position._

_Naruto ran his hand over the sleeve of her mulberry cardigan, down to her skirt which he knew was too short. He poked a finger into her butt-cheek, eliciting a squeal of alarm as her body jumped._

_"Why do you wear it so short? Are you trying to get felt up?" He criticized while tugging on the hem._

_"I was hoping... you'd like it. Other girls wear theirs like this too..."_

_"Yeah, because they're either super-sluts or can't find a boyfriend. Private school girls hike their skirts way up too when they go to Shibuya because they're starving for attention of the opposite sex. _

_But when they're handle-hanging on the trains or buses, they're practically inviting bastards to cop a feel. Do you really want that?"_

_"...But, don't my legs look longer? My friend said if my legs were longer..."_

_"Is that really why?" Naruto pinched her cheek roughly, earning a childish whine from her. _

_That annoyed him; it seeemed whenever he was being serious, she was being cute (and when she was being serious, he didn't give a damn). _

_"Don't use shallow reasons to be sexy."_

_"But you don't like me anyways. So what am I supposed to do?"_

_Naruto propped himself up on one elbow to get a better look at her._

_"And what does that mean?"_

_She didn't say anything. Her cuddly demeanor was gone, replaced by a somber pessimism._

_/_

_Hinata shifted around before lying still. She couldn't decide whether to get up and leave or stay snug in his arms, whether she should answer him or not._

_"I thought you would figure out how I felt, and that maybe you would find me interesting enough to be your girlfriend. But you haven't asked me out yet. I don't think you will."_

_Naruto lifted himself off of Hinata slightly as if afraid she'd break under his touch. She became a dainty doll and he wanted to be careful around her feelings. _

_Never had they gotten around to talking so directly, and Naruto admitted he couldn't handle this topic without putting his whole heart into it. _

_A mental image stuck in his mind of his arm reaching down inside his chest, blindly searching for that vital organ that was necessary for moments like these. _

_He thought maybe he was knocking into it, but he couldn't locate it._

_"...And what do you feel for me?" Naruto felt his cheeks go a bit warm. The topic was unfamiliarly intimate for him._

_/_

_"I like you. A lot."_

_Naruto sighed knowingly, "You have a crush."_

_"No! I like you! I feel it all the time..."_

_"Maybe it's something else you're feeling! I mean... I know it's my fault for making you sexually active-"_

_"It's not that! It's not like that! I do it because I know you like it!"_

_"And you don't do it because you like it?"_

_"I like it... too."_

_"There, that settles it: We're both horny."_

_Hinata slapped his hand, clearly embarrassed._

_"I just like you. I know I do," She wistfully sighed, "I like how you make me feel." The butterflies in her belly were going crazy, and her heart twisted with yearning. _

_Yearning for what, she wasn't sure anymore. She wasn't sure what to do keep herself from getting too depressed._

_Naruto didn't believe her words however, he didn't believe there was any substance to her feelings. Crushes are for kids, and infatuations are the worst. _

_She took pictures of him when he wasn't looking, she... what else did she do?_

_"Ah, you like 'how I make you feel'. So you're saying you can settle for these gropefests?" Naruto asked her dubiously. He gave her hip a little squeeze. She jerked slightly away in response._

_"I didn't say that... but... if you're fine with it, I am..."_

_Naruto hugged her closer, and in a sleepy voice asked, "...So why did you tell your friends I was your boyfriend?"_

_Hinata searched within her melancholy for an answer. She had hoped by now he'd get it. She hadn't been trying to be secretive._

_"Because I can't be with you the way I want."_

She recalled the photo stickers on the back of the cell she bought him. The photo stickers of him half-naked with another girl.

She recalled giving into him fifty minutes later in the Equipment room of the Gynasium.

She recalled disgusting him. Then she recalled begging him to come back to her, to go out with her so that they didn't have to fool around in secret anymore.

He called her a leech and nearly called her a slut.

He pushed her.

He abandoned her. Then her father abandoned her. Then her friends abandoned her.

She tried to abandon Naruto in turn. She tried to forget him and she tried to salvage the last friendship she had left in Kiba.

Then Naruto tried to get her back. He was so used to her attention, even if it bordered on obsession, even if it completely disgusted him- He couldn't stand her leaving.

And she realized this.

_Ban! Ban ban ban!_

Because he had gotten her back so easily in Nagoya.

_Ban ban ban!_

Hinata banged her head against the door of his former home. Hot tears streamed down her face, jaw clenched and lips stretched against her teeth as she let out a silent but furious cry.

"_I should hate you_-!"

She recalled his angry questions: _"Are you going out with him now?"_ She recalled his irritation, his ego, his pride. He hadn't actually been jealous, had he? He just didn't want her to change view of him. He wanted to be revered, admired and loved, whether he deserved it or not. Nobody else would admire him, so she had to.

She recalled his loneliness, and how pained he seemed to be by it. She had wanted to matter to him. She had wanted to be the reason he didn't feel lonely anymore.

She gave him that attention he craved and so much more. And he didn't care at all.

He denied their relationship to most, and showed it off to some.

He called her his girlfriend in front of Tazuna and Tsunami, but he never wanted to ask her out.

He forced himself upon her in Nagoya and begged her to stay with him, even though she had wanted to go back home, even though he knew better because he would only drag her down.

He groped her, teased her, flirted shamelessly with her just like back before she had wanted him.

He pressed, he rubbed, he came in his pants in a bathroom stall. And yet he wouldn't make love to her in a Love Hotel.

She told him she loved him and he broke up with her.

"_I **need** to hate youuu_-!"

Hinata couldn't believe it. Her insides ripped apart at the memories. She mentally punched herself in the face over and over again for having loved him.

She had created these circumstances. She had allowed herself to be used, and she had allowed herself to be discarded.

This was really it.

This was how it ended.

* * *

Four days passed by rather quickly. Neji and Hanabi had been shocked to see Hinata the morning of her return. She told them nothing and they asked nothing of her, though they wanted to ask. But it didn't seem to matter much now that she was here.

Hinata spent most of her time cleaning out her room. She cleaned her folding screen of her photos of The Palace of Versailles and The Catherine Palace and all her magazine clip outs of gardens and meadows. She shoved her way through her closet, and pulled out all her Lolita accessories: from shoes to jackets to cutsews, to petticoats and parasols. She organized them based on articles and stored them away in cardboard boxes. She pushed her cloth and wire mannequin Isabella into the furthest corner of her closet, along with her boxed Lolita things. She took her comforters and threw them in the wash. She took her futon and aired it outside. She gathered all the expensive women's clothes she had bought to get catch Naruto's interest and took pictures of the items, where she later posted to sell online.

Hinata was taken aback when she could finally see her floor. She removed the old tatami, and replaced them with strong, new mats. She dusted her hand-me down drawers and got rid of old clothes she hadn't touched since Middle School.

She didn't stop cleaning until all lingering scents had been removed.

Hanabi seemed a little disappointed.

"I missed the way your old room looked." Sighed the growing 13-year old. Her birthday was in three weeks. Hinata just realized that.

* * *

Hinata wasn't the only one who realized that the days of The Bridge were over. Days of youth and dreaming. Days of antics and belonging. Days where she had played a version of herself she enjoyed.

But now it had finally come when the role-playing had to end. Now it was time to grow up and enjoy herself and just herself. No more ideal versions, no more daydreaming. She was going to figure out how to enjoy herself, without pretending.

"Maybe it's about time we drop the nicknames then." Moe suggested carefully, her face solemn with expectation as she eyed those around her. Everyone gave his or her assent, but no one began with an introduction. Moe rolled her eyes. "Okay! Well you guys know my real name. It's Moemi. Hello, I'm Sugihara Moemi, nice to meet'chu all." She saluted sarcastically with a goofy giggle.

"Suzuki Keisuke."

"Inuzuka Kiba." Kiba answered, even though he never had a nickname to begin with.

Hinata glanced shyly at Kiba. She felt rather uncomfortable in her own skin around him. She was ashamed to be in his presence after what she'd done, leaving with Naruto and all that, not that he knew but she wasn't exactly giving him .

"Hyuuga Hinata. Nice to see you all again."

Everyone looked at LaBelle hard with expectation, her forever-snooty face rebelling against them stubbornly, before she conceded with a low mutter: "Emilie... Adler..."

"Fuck you! You're not foreigner!" Moe shouted in that reactive, vapid way of hers before losing all confidence in her opinion, "Are you a foreigner?"

Keisuke had to restrain Moe in order to protect her from LaBelle's wrath.

"I'm not a foreigner!"

"Then you're lying! Why tell us your white?"

"I-I'm half, you bitch!"

"Half what?"

"My father's German, my mother is Japanese!" LaBelle, or rather now, Emilie seemed very ashamed of her genetic make-up the more she had to talk about it. What made it all the more ironic was that she had been posing as a full Japanese Europhile who bleached her hair and wore blue contacts. Somehow she was embracing both sides of herself, and at the same time rejecting both sides completely.

"Why lie about yourself?" Kiba questioned curiously.

"Even though my sister, Sabine, embraces her Japanese half, I prefer my European half. But I'm in Japan! I'd rather be full than half! And I'd rather be Japanese in Japan, than German in Japan!"

"But wouldn't being even _a little_ European make you super popular at school? You're just forcing old nationalist ideals upon yourself." reasoned Keisuke.

"If you guys haven't noticed by now, I'm a bigot. I even nicknamed Hinata-san after me." Emilie huffed with crossed arms and her chin forced high.

"Ohh... yeah..."

"Yeah, forgot..."

All the while during this, Moe couldn't help but think of _Axis Powers: Hetalia_. _'Aw, I wanted Ludwig and Feliciano to get together.'_

"Hey, that's two out of three!" Moe interjected out of no where.

"'Two out of three' what?" Glared Emilie.

"Axis of Powers!"

_BAM!_

Moe crouched on the ground, gripping her head in pain.

"Aaaaugh, the Tripartite Pact has been broken!"

"You moron!"

* * *

Some things had happened in Tokyo since Hinata's short-lived disappearance.

The Ichiraku had closed down. The owners had been facing foreclosure for a couple years. It finally got the best of them a week or two ago when they hadn't paid their rent for five months.

Another restaurant that had closed was The Elephant Café. Apparently the manager had not only over-employed, allowing him to pay his employees less, but he had been harboring an illegal. She had attacked two co-workers, one of them running off and another near death. Then she disappeared as well.

A trial has currently begun against the manager for the illegal.

Naruto had been working at that restaurant.

But Hinata couldn't ask him anything now.

If he was the one that ran off… why did he run?

* * *

Hinata had to get ready for her Second Year at Matsushita Normal High. Kiba helped her get situated for her retakes, while they studied together at local library and in cafes. The Spring Semester was in a matter of days. Her retakes were tomorrow. But despite all this, she was grinning. It was a small, but the way it tickled at her lips and never left meant something.

"You're actually smiling again."

"I-I'm surprised, myself..." Hinata smirked to herself as breathy laugh escaped her. She bit on her bottom lip and kept her eyes to her Advanced Algebra book. "I guess... it's just nice... The other day with everyone... It was sort of cathartic the way we've stopped using nicknames. I had a nice time with them agai..." Hinata's voice disappeared before she could finish. She hadn't mean to think back to two weeks ago, back when Moe had looked at her so hatefully, back when LaBelle had mutually cut herself off from them. To go back there felt like Hinata had to choose death. To be that alone... She couldn't believe she chose to forsake them. Hinata couldn't let it happen again. She couldn't choose that sort of loneliness and ostracization again.

Warmth enveloped Hinata's right hand. Kiba wrapped his warm fingers around hers, easing the pen that she had been nearly crushing out of her hand.

His unrelenting compassion towards her was a stark reminder of their last meeting: When she had apologized to him behind the cafeteria doors and had promised to him and herself that she would forget Naruto. When she had been crying her heart out over the video incident in the Computer Lab.

He was always there. Kiba was always there for her, even though she knew him a little less than she had known Naruto, Kiba had indefinitely become a constant in her life.

She couldn't believe she had invested in Naruto as much as she had. Yet, she couldn't believe he was as unreliable as he was.

So many times, for so many things, she had trusted him with no logical reason to, with no facts to back up her position... But even though she was at fault for trusting him so much, it was still unbelievable how often he betrayed her.

Maybe his fuck-ups continued to impress her because part of her was still investing in him, even though the turbulent chapter in her life called 'Naruto' was over.

She couldn't help but still wonder _'Why...?' _

* * *

Hiashi had been fairly distracted since he returned from his business trip in South Korea a week after Hinata's return home.

Hinata almost felt grateful for this. She had been worried about his taking notice of her, worried that he would take out his frustrations on her.

It was lucky he returned so late. No one showed any signs of change. Hinata's disappearance had not been made apparent. The home returned to normal fairly easily. But then, their home had always been full of silence and secrecy.

This was a family that did not share, no matter how urgent to know seemed.

The closeness was almost there between the sisters and their cousin. But without a true leader in the home, the need for openness seemed unnecessary.

It was just easiest to do your own thing and keep it to yourself.

* * *

There was speculation going around the city about the illegal alien that had attacked her co-workers and ran off.

Hinata couldn't escape this gossip on the train.

"She wasn't the only illegal Korean roaming around our parts. Remember The Shinjuku Incident? They've been looking for the Kumicho, Dae Eun Sook, but apparently he's already escaped back to South Korea."

"Right. Didn't they say he had a daughter here?"

"That's what I'm thinking. I think that girl at The Elephant Café must've been his daughter."

"Maybe the manager knew then. Maybe the girl was acting like a loan shark for her father. Or maybe the manager needed money from the Yakuza, so he made a deal with them."

"I hope that foolish man gets what he deserves. He put all of his staff and customers in danger by harboring her."

"They've must've questioned who was there that afternoon at least twice. I wonder if they'll ever catch her."

"And hang her."

Hinata turned her head away from the conversation, growing uncomfortable by the hateful tone it was taking. Kiba returned her with a warm but solemn gaze, as he knew how she was feeling and told her 'I'll be here'.

But she could not escape the conversation so easily.

"What about the other that ran off?"

"I've been harassing my neighbor who's a police officer at a box in Shinjuku. He says they're working closely with their brothers in Matsue."

Hinata dropped her forehead against Kiba's shoulder. _'Matsue'_... it rang in her ears.

"What connection could Matsue have to this runaway?"

"Remember the Uchiha Murders 10 years ago?"

"Of course."

"And the taxi driver that was murdered last month?"

"Yes?"

"My neighbor told me the knife they found used to kill the taxi driver was none other than Uchiha Sasuke's. Not just that though: That very switchblade was used in The Shinjuku Incident."

"Oh my god, you think Uchiha Sasuke has been here in _Tokyo_?"

"If they knew for sure, they would have told us. My neighbor did not concede to this suggestion, so it may not be the final Uchiha at all. In any case, whoever it is, they are not only a minor, but they are also less harmless than Sasuke."

"I don't think being 'less harmless than Sasuke' inspires much confidence about this child."

* * *

There was dirt beneath his nails and in the crevices surrounding - grimy and black.

His hair now reached over his nose and to the base of his neck. There was dirt there too, and grease, but all could not be easily removed in public bathroom sinks.

His clothes felt heavy at times, and at night not heavy enough. Jeans, a shirt and a black hoodie was practically naked for one who slept outside everyday.

His stomach had finally stopped complaining by this time, though he knew he was starving. What little the shelter could provide him was not enough, especially since one could only stay there for a single night, and he wasn't one to stand in line every day for a ticket.

Yet despite the thick flavor on his tongue, like if halitosis had a flavor, he refused to believe that he degraded in appearance.

Many of these men had been homeless for years. They smelled, their hands were black with sweat and dirt, their cheeks had sunken into their mottled teeth. Naruto wasn't worried about looking like them until five years had passed. And even by then, five years later, he still wouldn't care because by then he would have lost all sense of vanity and self-consciousness, and all expectation of being with other people.

Naruto sat before a small fire, contained within an old metal trashcan. Across from Naruto was Yoshida Sato, a 68-year old man from Mie. He came here as a day laborer in the 70's. When his wife divorced him and took his son to Tochigi, back to her hometown, he remained here working as a day laborer in Kamagasaki.

He saw the construction boom that surrounded the World's Fair. He rode the crowded buses and created many bonds with his fellow laborers. He took pride in the sweat that would gather on his shirt at the end of the day. He didn't mind how his 'private room' was merely one large room split in half by veneer panels. He didn't mind being alone because he had the hope that Kamagasaki would one day regain its glory.

He used an unemployment card on numerous occasions when times were slow. He stood back when nearly all the flophouses had been redesigned into high-rise business hotels. He joined in the protests against the way Japan's social structure had changed from their economic success. He saw the Yakuza offices grow in the area. He saw the riots of October 2nd to the 7th of 1990. He saw how the riot police hustled the workers, how they forced into subservience. He was there when media accused the Chief of Kamagasaki police was accepting bribes from the Yakuza. He saw the economic bubble burst first hand.

Kamagasaki has been stagnant ever since. Kamagasaki has been abandoned ever since.

Sato reached into his ragged wool coat and pulled out some old letters he had found that morning. He threw them into the fire, and patted his old Akita's weathered fur.

"Have ya found any new work?" He asked in that tired way of his, sagely and wistful.

Naruto just shook his head. "I don't know where to look. I doubt anyone would just take in a runaway like me."

"You must find better work, you cannot waste your youth on day labor sites. You're young, you're strong. The world will never come back for us."

"With all due respect Sato-san, I did not come here so I could goof off."

Sato sighed through his nose. He understood very well what Naruto's reason were for coming to Kamagasaki, and it was such a shame.

"I think tomorrow will be the day," He stated plainly with dropped shoulders, as if he had finally accepted. He looked fondly into his dog's pain-filled face. Its whole body shaked with every breath. Its face had been put into a permanent grimace. Its eyes were glazed over with dark and milky cataracts. He hadn't been eating for ten days now. "He's fifteen now." Sato nodded to himself, "Tomorrow will be the day."

"I'm sorry Sato-san…" Naruto replied quietly, looking sadly at the dog.

However, Sato just smiled. He did not feel so bad over this. Death was all too normal, all too familiar. He was used to departure.

"Should we eat him or bury him?" Sato proposed jokefully. He laughed into the evening sky at Naruto's disgusted reaction. "True, true… he is far too old to be cooked, isn't he? Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha."

* * *

Hinata wandered through Takeshita Street with Kiba following close behind. She was looking for a gift for Hanabi's birthday, and Takeshita was bound to have something cute and unique. Hinata stepped inside a new shop full of colorful accessories mostly made from knits and cloth. There were teddy bear hairties, pin cushion rings, _Rillakuma_ backpack knockoffs, crotcheted tunics, and braided scarves.

Hinata wasn't sure what to pick, all the items were so interesting and cute. Hinata sighed upwards, ruffling her long bangs. They reached to her nose now and between studying and trying to find a job and keeping the house clean, Hinata hadn't found the time to get a haircut or at least a trim. Hinata reached out for the muted grey-green, plum purple, and navy blue cheque braided scarf and brought it to her eyes. It was a very lovely garment. The colors weren't bright, but they fit together so nicely, and the cloth was smooth and soft, a mixture of cotton and rayon.

But it costed way beyond her budget. After her eight-day stay in Osaka - going on dates that Naruto couldn't afford, spending on transportation, and then paying for the Love Hotel room they didn't use - Hinata had spent her entire account.

"If you like it enough, I'll help pay." Kiba offered gently, still feeling concerned for her. She deflated visibly. Her stress was apparent to him.

"Kiba-kun, it's supposed to be a gift from me." She muttered feeling ashamed that she couldn't afford it. Kiba placed his hand against her cheek and pressed his nose into her bangs.

"Then it can be a gift from both us." He declared affectionately. He couldn't help himself. He kissed the top of her head, once, twice. The second time was slightly longer. Kiba had to pull away. He had to swallow down the urge to hold her when he saw burning cheeks, her mouth open out of surprise, her wide, teary eyes full of reminded heartbreak. The affection Kiba gave her pained her and endeared her. It frightened her and it warmed her. It set her face aflame and heart to race. Because the kindness and patience Kiba treated her with was a stark reminder of what Naruto did not, and Hinata didn't know what to be more heartbroken over: That Naruto hadn't been a good lover? Or that Kiba could replace him so easily?

Kiba turned away and went to search the store. Hinata stayed put, wrapping her arms around her to shut out the sudden coldness she felt inside her. She tried her best not to cry, but she couldn't prevent the betrayals of her past affair from re-entering her heart like a maelstrom. She needed to hate him. She needed to hate him for her sanity and for her dignity. But a part of her almost relished in being this abused. It was almost like a swooning, twisting sensation when she thought of the love she felt and the pain that came with it. Because it had all been for Naruto, she almost loved the heartache she felt every second of every minute of every day.

She didn't know what to do with herself. She felt so ill, so insane and so depressed.

Kiba came back with lavender plaid-covered hair clip. He clicked it open and pulled Hinata's bangs to the left side, placing the clip in to hold her hair back. He smiled slightly, pleased that he could see her face again, but saddened by the lost look in her watery eyes. She could look up to meet him at all. She kept staring at a small spot past his shoulder.

"The scarf will be a gift from us. The hairclip will be my gift to you."

Hinata blinked at this, and three tears fell from her eyes.

Gifts weren't everything, and Kiba had always been quite the gift-giver with her, but... when was the last time Naruto ever gave her a gift? He never even really thanked her for that cell phone of his, or that 88,000 yen wristwatch.

* * *

Naruto stood before a local pawn shop, his long-dead cell phone in his hoodie pocket. He hesitated at first, and dwelled on his ragged appearance. He hoped they wouldn't mind him and that they would take the phone. He needed money and he knew the phone had been an expensive one. He wished he still had that wristwatch Hinata bought him a couple months back, but he completely forgot what happened to it.

He wiped his face vigorously with his sleeve and attempted to smooth back his hair. He put on his most determined face and marched into the pawn shop.

The shop was clean. He tried to ignore how out of place that made him feel. The air-condition felt nice on his face and he tried to ignore that too.

The old woman behind the counter looked at him pitifully but kindly. He avoided her stare, afraid that the pity he saw would haunt him. His stomach squeezed and squeaked with discomfort and hunger, putting an impatient edge to Naruto's movements. He pulled out the cell phone and dumped it hurriedly on the counter.

"Can I cash this in?" Naruto pleaded for a quick 'yes' or 'no' answer. He could feel her pity bearing into him.

* * *

Hinata had been wearing the hairclip Kiba bought her for five days now. It felt kind of odd baring her forehead for so long, she'd always had bangs, ever since her mother styled her hair when she was a baby. She had never been without her bangs.

It'd been three weeks already since she returned to Tokyo. Hanabi's birthday was tomorrow, and school was around the corner.

Hinata found out yesterday that she was going to be in the same class as Kiba and Shino. Everyone else in that class was different. She wondered if that had been a deliberate arrangement, to put her in a classroom where no one saw the video - it seemed too lucky.

Hinata was spending the day with Emilie in order to have companionship and assistance while she looked for a job. There were so many things on her mind.

"I think you should come work with me." Emilie declared.

"I'm not tall enough, you know that."

"And _you _know that with G&LB, they use average models too. Hinata-san, you would be wonderful at this. When I first saw you at the bridge, decked out horrendously in Moe's 80's brat clothing, all I saw was a moon-white, cherub-cheeked child. You were adorable, innocent, and that vulnerability you carried in your eyes made you all the more alluring. That's why I needed to steal you from Moe and put you into Lolita."

"Then I'm afraid I must look too burned out to model." Hinata fiddled with her hairclip, ready to release her bangs so as to hide her sad, sad eyes from the world. Emilie grabbed her hand and pulled it away from her hairclip.

"Hinata-san, please. I can't stand not being able to see you in Lolita anymore. If anything, the heartbreak you suffered will only enhance your intrigue. Innocent, feminine, delicate... not to mention that you've endured such turmoil... it adds to your humanity. Girls will look at your photos and desire a real life connection because you're real. You're so real, people will want to know who you are. Hina-san... you make vulnerability beautiful."

Those words fell on her like a waterfall. They rushed through and washed away her dubiety. Wide-eyed, she looked into LaBelle's crystalline blue contacts like she were looking into a mirror. The sheer devotion in her friend's eyes shook her to the core of her insecurities and bottled them up tight.

Was this what she truly looked like to her friends?

And after all this time she had thought it was 'pathetic' that best described her. Who would've thought it was 'vulnerable' instead?

_'I make vulnerability... beautiful?'_

* * *

Neji dressed in black slacks and a white dress shirt for Hanabi's birthday. Hanabi wore a grey-blue floral wrap dress, its ruffle skirt flowing over her knees. She wore her hair back in curled pigtails, but left that one rebellious strand to drape over her left brow. Hinata felt a little nervous in her new dress. Emilie had lent it to her, a solid black Open Shoulder Asymmetrical sleeve dress from _Dizzy Darling_. It fit to her body, and stopped just past her hips. She wore her hair down, the ends permed into doll curls and her long bangs left to drape across her brow in the plaid hairclip Kiba gave her. Emilie suggested Hinata try modelling the dress for practice. It was because of this that she was nervous.

She held Hanabi's gift in her left hand, and Hanabi's hand in her right.

Kiba was going to meet up with them at the _Keawjai_ Thai Restaurant in Meguro.

Hinata wondered what he would think of her appearance.

She pressed her lips together in anxiety. The sticky suction of her gloss was the only distraction she had from her thoughts.

"Happy Birthday, Hanabi!" Hinata and Kiba cheered in unison as Hinata brought out their gift from between them. "This is from the both of us." Smiled Hinata as she handed it over the table. Hanabi glanced funnily at the two of them before opening her gift. They looked like fiancees soon to get married. There was this air of closeness and trust between them that suggested they'd been together a long time, but Hanabi and Neji knew Kiba was a recent friend of Hinata's.

Hanabi reached into the bag and pulled out the triadic braided cheque scarf. Her eyes were instantly glowing and she pulled it to her face to bask in its softness. Hanabi glanced up at her older sister and took in her mature appearance, immaculate and lovely, but her eyes sad and secretive. Hanabi was so happy she was here right now. For awhile, when she had been away, Hanabi hadn't been sure if she was going to see her again. Now that Hanabi thought back to that, she felt heartbroken to think that Hinata wouldn't have been here for her birthday. But she was here, and Hanabi was proud of her lovely older sister, her kind older sister.

"Anekiiii!" Hanabi hopped over Neji's lap and leapt into Hinata's arms, throwing hers around Hinata's waist. "Thank you." She sighed contently.

A small smile spread across Neji's lips at the warm scene between his cousins, while Kiba maintained the urge to hug Hinata as well.

Neji was keeping an eye on him. It was obvious Kiba was very affectionate with his cousin.

* * *

Naruto sat out on the entrance of the long-dead _Festivalgate_ amusement park, the old roller coaster looming in the background petrified and cold, like happy memories that had been abandoned. He stared thoughtfully into the dead cell phone that he could not pawn. The woman said if he at least had the charger, she would have taken it for 2000Y, even though the cell phone had been ten times that.

He hated carrying the cell phone when he couldn't do anything with it.

He shoved it back in his pants pockets and collapsed backwards on the brick sidewalk. He didn't know what to do. He was tired of waiting in line for shelter tickets. He was tired of waiting to get picked for day labor jobs. He had a good run with that when he arrived, but the past two weeks had been shit. Sometimes they would see him, but when they did they ignored him. They said there were poorer men that deserved it more. He told them the same thing he told Sato-san, but with a lot more cuss words.

Naruto knew he couldn't go near the welfare office. His age would get him turned over to a probations officer who would try to set him up into foster care, not that would go well because its rare for any fosters to want to care for a seventeen year old. At the very least, once he met the probations officer, Naruto would never make it to foster care. He'd get strung up immediately by Mizuno or the police, whoever it was that was looking for him.

There were over fifty Boryokudan offices in Kamagasaki. Any one of them Naruto could choose to work for or beg protection from. Sato would hate him if he went to Yakuza like that, but it was his best bet. It wasn't like it mattered at this point if he redeemed himself in the eyes of the government and the rest of his morally uptight peers. He was going to stay here in Kamagasaki, hiding in obscurity and living as freely as possible. And if Mizuno did find him, Naruto would be protected by the Yakuza from arrest and prosecution. It was win-win for sure, but... perhaps there were greater consequence as well.

Who would've thought playing a few games of pachinko would have lead to all of this?

Naruto lightly banged his head against the brick. He was pinned down by his ambivalence. He couldn't decide what to do.

He couldn't sell goods like some homeless.

But he could collect cans.

Naruto winced at a memory at the Ichiraku, when Teuchi had been cross over the government's recent recession.

_"You kids! All you kids think you can do whatever you want! You take no responsibility! You see where this country is heading? _

_We've got idiots in Parliament! Our Prime Minister is a CHILD! You've heard him, that lame duck! _

_Complain he can't keep up with his tankobons anymore! And that moron who can't keep his liquor down, slurred his speech at the Summit! _

_Those idiots lost half a billion pensions! Who's going to take care of us after him? I don't think I'd trust __**you**__ with my life until I see some growing up! _

_But you just come here day in and day out, swearing like a fool! You think that's fine in a normal job? You'd get fired faster than light with your attitude, boy! _

_Who's going to save us from this shit-hole they've created? Now the Americans are looking at us like we're a suicidal culture! _

_Ridiculous, political bullshit! You better straighten up, or you'll find yourself collecting cans!"_

His heart sank as Teuchi's well-meaning words of warning became true. The shame he should have felt for ditching work finally registered, with the heavy regret that Teuchi and Ayame would never know how he appreciated them.

"Collecting cans..." He mumbled flatly to the hazy March sky. "Done and done, sir."

* * *

Sato-san's dog died last week. Sato's dog never had a name, and it was never really his dog. It was a stray that had wandered into _Shin-Imamiya Station_ seven years ago, and it had stayed by Sato's side until the day its heart finally stopped.

Sato sat outside of his tarpaulin lined shack, on a old plastic children's seat he found in the trash twenty years ago, sucking on a crushed, dingy cigarette he had attained from the bottom of a broken vending machine. The shack was rather impressive in its construction. It was built upon the net wire fence of a sidewalk, with a grid of pipes duct taped together to hold the shack to the fence posts. The tarpaulin was stretched over the makeshift scrap metal roofs to keep out the rain.

He hung an old oil lamp by the door, giving the appearance of home, and with extra piping and old reed-woven screens he created a garage off the side of his shack, where he kept an old bike, plastic furniture, brooms, old fold-up chairs and miscellany of discarded treasure.

Naruto doubted he was going to set up a table to sell these things, but having a crowded 'garage' did have a pleasant appearance.

Naruto sat on the sidewalk beside Sato, with a clear garbage bag half-filled with empty cans, today's victory.

The smell of the cigarette wafted over Naruto's nose with an almost tantalizing attraction. His empty stomach shrank knowingly while his absent mind fantasized about the cigarettes in Sato's back pocket. Smoking was never attractive to him before, but now it seemed like a luxurious hobby. Sato could tell what Naruto was thinking by the distant yearning on the young man's face, and he was reminded of what he had sitting inside his home.

"There's some _Yoshinoya_ inside the shack. Help yourself."

Naruto jumped to his feet, wide-eyed and hungry, like a dog who had heard 'treat'. He found the fast food bag and bent down, unveiling the plastic packed food. His stomach groaned 'hallejulah', as tears surfaced to sting. He clapped his hands together and bowed his head, giving thanks every god he could think of.

Naruto re-emerged from Sato's home with the chicken bowl in hand. He grinned his thanks at the older man, who nodded lazily in turn and continued to smoke.

"It's a nice day today." Sato commented pleasantly.

* * *

Emilie got Hinata situated in her hotel room. The hallway outside was abuzz with activity. Models moved out of rooms like bees; underdressed, halfway dressed, overdressed, and with something new from each room: a perm, jewelry, a new dress, a new outfit, new shoes. They were completing looks left and right but the shoot wasn't anywhere here but the hotel's garden.

Emilie wasn't modelling today. She was going to take care of Hinata's photo shoot.

Hinata had no permission to be here but Emilie's permission, and Emilie - if anyone didn't know - was like the Queen of Hearts. She got her way. She didn't have to persuade, beg, bat her eyelashes - people trusted her around here, and even when there was scrutiny, she overcame with her conqueror-like determination.

Plus she was smart. She knew what she was doing, and she rarely ever made a mistake in judgement.

She completed Hinata's make-up and got her out of her robe. She walked over to the bed and got the items that Hinata was meant to wear.

Hinata's eyes widened.

Practically everything was _Alice Auaa_.

But the dress was a custom design, just for this shoot.

Emilie glinted proudly and almost mischeviously at her.

* * *

Hinata stood aside on the polished granite staircase as a timid observer. Emilie stood beside her in her _Chanel_ ruffled dress shirt and black slacks, armed with a Canon-EOS 1Ds Mark IV camera.

Bursts of light echoed in Hinata's eyes, the garden filled with headying flashes. Floral angels of all stature and elegance crowded the garden in their lace sleeves and deconstructed tiered skirts.

Hinata gently touched the brass rabbit necklace that hung loose over her collarbone. It had a wine-red satin ribbon woven through the chains. It matched the large satin ribbons that criss-crossed across her bare back, and hugged at her sides. The bodice was a fully shirred lace, vintage in design and in its cream color, with a high collar and matching kid gloves. Cream, navy blue, and wine red iridescent ribbons were loosely braided over her shoulders like dress straps. The sides of her skirt were dark red, with a fade plaid print, and milk-white double-scalloped embroidered applique across the hem. The rest of the skirt was an iridescent cotton fabric, in deconstructed tiers that descended below her knees in an upside V-cut. Beneath, she wore leggings of the same lace material as her top, but with holes here and there as if the fabric was beginning to hem.

Hinata's hair was left down, her ends done in loose doll curls. She wore a _Kanoko-dome_ kanzashi-inspired hair piece: A circular mirror was the centerpiece. Upon the mirror was an engraved portrait of the rabbit Alice follow into the rabbit hole. You could only see the engraving from the right angle however, but sometimes the image would appear on dark surfaces. Golden-brass sparrow wings jutted out from behind the mirror, as autumn leaves framed it. A _Bira-bira_ kanzashi of golden-brass sakura petals hung off from the hairpiece like still frames of fallen sakura. Cream and red ribbons were woven loosely into Hinata's hair, the remainder unwoven left to hang against her skin.

Hinata couldn't imagine ever wearing this outfit on the Bridge. She wondered if this was considered high fashion, since this piece was clearly not on mass production. And perhaps if it was, it was hard to imagine anyone wearing this dress more than once a year.

Hinata tried hard not to faint.

This was the most incredible, glorious, intimidating moment of her life.

_'I-I-I can't believe I get to model before G&LB! I can't believe I'm wearing Alice Auaa! Omigod, I'm wearing Alice Auaa... Th-The... The dress is a custom... custom-made... Omigod, I'm really modelling before G&LB...'_

The two willowy models pulled out of their poses and left the granite bench.

Emilie grasped Hinata's hand and tugged her towards the bench.

The shoot here was done, but everyone decided to stay and watch Emilie's private project.

Hinata sat carefully on the cold bench as Emilie propped her up in many different angles. She straightened Hinata's back, raised her elbows up to her breasts, told her to curl her fingers and rest them by her cheeks.

"Okay, hold that!"

_K-CHIK-CHIK-CHIK!_

"Okay, now keep still, but turn your eyes to the left. Keep your lids down."

_K-chik-chik-chik! _

Everyone was staring at Hinata, but she took no notice. Emilie was so demanding and excited with her work that Hinata's thoughts could not drift past their little circle.

_'I wonder if I look good doing this? I wonder how the pictures will come out for LaBelle-san... I wonder if Kiba would like seeing me like this. I wonder how happy he would be? Would Neji-nii be happy with my photos? I know Hanabi-chan would... I wonder if what LaBelle-san was correct about me...'_

Emilie sensed the changes in Hinata's mood and she couldn't be more excited. She propped Hinata's right elbow a little higher to brush her bangs off her brow, and place her left hand close to her mouth, extending her pinky so that it rested on her bottom lip. There was a confusion and sadness swirling in Hinata's pale eyes that drew in the crew's curiosity. LaBelle propped her chin up a few millimeters, and told her to stare straight out.

_'What would Naruto think of me... if he saw this?'_

The loss in her eyes sent tingles through the models and camera crew. Tingles of empathy, of surprise, and of awe.

Was this Emilie's doing? Was this her plan?

_K-chik-chik-chik! K-chik-chik-chik! K-chik-chik-chik! ... K-chik-chik-chik! K-chik-chik-chik!_

Emilie brought down her camera, and held out a hand for Hinata, where she then lead her towards rose hedge maze entrance. After the maze, she had another shoot at the end of the maze. Both of these were all Emilie's idea, they had no relation to the planned shoots for the magazine.

* * *

A 35-year old editor flipped through the digital photos sent to him over and over again, his eyes constantly lingering the on the same model, despite how he tried to remain objective in his selection.

She wasn't even one of their hired models, but he couldn't stop himself from paying extra attention to her photos.

"Emilie-chan, what is this?" He grumbled incredulously as she hovered over his shoulder. He could feel her grinning, and it was rare to ever see her grin.

"A successful experiment."

He clicked through the photos for the fiftieth time, as if testing himself if her photos would have the same effect or not. Each frame of the young girl's escape through the maze slowed to an almost hypnotic speed in his brain. His eyes had followed hers for each frame, and even after being through with those photos and flipping through the others, her eyes remained on his mind.

She left an impression.

"How old is she?" The editor inquired thoughtfully, almost distractedly.

"Seventeen. She would be one of our youngest."

The editor put his chin in his hand, and sighed through his nose as he deliberated on his thoughts.

"Ya know, it's cool when ya want to go do your own thing like this, but... Why _did_ you do this?"

Emilie wanted to laugh out loud, amused that she got such a successful reaction out of her sempai. But at the same time, she was pretty annoyed at the dubious scrutiny.

"What's wrong with this? G&LB tells stories all the time. Half of it is a clothing and lifestyle catalogue, the other half is stories."

"What's her story?"

"Why ruin the mystery, Kato-san?" Emilie smirked, nudging his shoulder. "Anyways, if you don't like this, I'll be her agent."

"Don't you like modelling anymore?"

"I've always wanted to do this, ever since I saw her."

Kato leaned into his hand and sighed again, as he stared hard into Hinata's lost eyes. She looked like a doll who had been broken in half eight different ways. It made his heart sink and swoon at the same time.

"She is very lovely..." He admitted wistfully as he thought about her age and her heartbroken eyes. "You're an evil mastermind, Adler." Kato smirked as he shook his head incredulously.

Emilie just grinned, pumping her manicured fist uncharacteristically in the air in elated victory. She couldn't wait until the mook's release next month!

She hadn't been this happy since the day she first saw Hinata.

* * *

Hinata laid out on her futon, arms outstretched and eyes glued to the cieling. Time slowly sucked the breath out of her lungs until she wasn't sure if she was alive or just sleeping. But when the cell phone slipped from her hands and clattered on the floor, she realized what she had heard was true.

They were going to her photos in the next issue.

Hinata was going to be in a mook, read by thousands or more followers of Lolita, beloved for its glossy pages and magical content - She was going to be the very same mook she had worshipped as a budding follower.

And just when she had packed up all her old Lolita stuff and gave up on role-playing ever again on the Bridge...

Now she was a model for G&LB.

"This... is incredible..."

* * *

Sato let Naruto use his washbin to wash his clothes. He let Naruto hang his clothes out on his 'garage' fence to dry.

That often left Naruto to squat out on the sidewalks in nothing but his underwear.

But yesterday Naruto found some hand-me down boys clothes hanging off the side of a Clearance bin in the Shopping arcades.

He grabbed what items he could and ran off, not getting caught once, much to his relief and satisfaction.

Now he no longer had to worry about exposing the pigmented, disfigured shame of his youth, nor worry about being without clothes.

Today Naruto wandered lazily through _Sankaku Koen_ of Osaka's _Amemura_, or America-town.

Stylish teens of the colorful prints scene and punk variety hung around the shops and out on brick ledges, chatting and laughing away with friends. Restaurant employees who got off work were seen passing through the center. Business men were seen sitting off their inebriation, others were seen passed out drunk.

Naruto took a spot on the stairs to take in the evening air, feeling confident in his 'brand new' duds that he did not stink half as much as he did last week.

Naruto felt pretty proud at how he was handling utter homelessness. But if it weren't for Sato's friendship, Naruto would have been lost. He would have been stealing more than anything, and that's not what the homeless of Kamagasaki were about, not in the least.

Naruto sweeped his eyes across _Sankaku Koen_, hoping to find cans he could collect. He didn't bring his garbage bag however. He wasn't dumb enough to show off his homelessness like that. He spotted two girls who finished off theirs, but they tossed them into recycling as they left.

"Damn." He muttered with an aloof huff of breath. The neon lights of the shops buzzed and hummed in the increasing darkness. A large, three-story shop across the way turned on its store lights inside revealing walls and walls of sports sneakers. But above, identical pink signs caught his interest.

_BrandX Gothic & Lolita_. The second and third floor was a department store for all things Lolita.

The third floor windows were closed off with red curtains, but names: _BABY the STARS SHINE BRIGHT, Angelic Pretty_, and _Innocent World_ could be read. Beneath that, the second floor of darkened windows read: _Vivienne Westwood, alice auaa, Jean Paul GAULTIER, , Metamorphose, MILK, Victorian Maid, Moi-même-Moitié_, and a couple others brands.

Naruto quirked a brow as he watched two girls and a boy walk downstairs from the three-story building. One girl was a sweet lolita, dressed head-to-toe in _Innocent World_, her orange-blonde hair permed into two pigtails, while her counterpart - with straight black and red hair - was a Punk-loli decked out in _Vivienne Westwood_ and _Moi-même-Moitié_. The male was a casual Dandy-loli, his hair bleached a crazy-looking yellow, spiked, with a shaved stripe running across his scalp. He wore a deconstructed franken-stitched white pirate shirt and bluish-black trousers, with a simple white plaid pattern, and black leather platform boots.

Naruto couldn't believe kids his age chose to dress like that, even dudes.

"They must be spoiled brats to spend that kind of money." He sighed.

* * *

Kiba was so happy to see Hinata like this again, like she was back to her old self, safe and sane.

He was certain she close to forgetting about the violent yanki. And she had, that would be the day he would make her his.

They rode the city train into Shibuya station where he would take her out for dinner to celebrate her new job, whatever it was.

"Why won't you tell me?" He whined childishly as grasped her hands and pressed them to his cheek.

"I'll tell you in a couple weeks, Kiba-kun." She giggled lightly.

"Something like this shouldn't be a secret. You'll have me thinking you're doing something improper." Kiba brought her hands away from his cheek and fondled them lovingly in his larger ones. Hinata knew this was his way, and she had been thinking seriously about his feelings ever since Hanabi's birthday.

The way Kiba cared for her was completely different than the way Naruto cared for her.

The way Kiba loved her was never going to occur within Naruto.

Naruto was a lost cause, and he was long gone.

Hinata had accepted this.

Her heart jumped in her chest like it had been constricted against a metal cage. She took a deep breath and released it as quietly and calmly as she could. This was what happened to her when she thought about him. And she had to do all she could to appear like it didn't bother her.

"Doing something improper? Yeah, I can believe that coming from Hyuuga-san." came a voice above them. Hinata regretted the instant she glanced up.

It was one of their former classmates, Boy C. And that snarky busybody Girl A was beside him.

"Well after that video, she's practically a porn star!" Girl A announced loudly with a shrilly laugh. The color drained from Hinata's face, her heart sank in her stomach, and her stomach sank into a dark place she hadn't seen since the hotel in Nagoya. Kiba clutched her hand tightly in his and shot a vicious glare at the two.

"Shut the fuck up! Hinata didn't do shit!"

"Yeah, except touch herself over and over again! _Oh, Naruto-kun, more! More!'_ " Boy C mocked, pretending to play with breasts he didnt have.

Kiba clenched his teeth so hard they scraped from the pressure. He did all he could not to pick a fight with the two trolls.

"Hey, hey Hinata-chan!" Girl A smirked as she reached out and grabbed Hinata's chin, forcing Hinata to look at her. "So, are ya really going to show up at school? Ya know what everyone is going to remember when they see you, right?" Girl A squeezed Hinata's chin in her thumb, making the timid girl grimace in pain. Hinata forced herself out of the other's grasp, her eyes were stinging betrayed with tears. The next words she could not avoid. "You were the slutty fangirl of a violent thug."

"NARUTO-KUN WAS NEITHER VIOLENT NOR A THUG!"

Tears streamed down her burning cheeks.

The crowded train car stopped at her sodden, noble defense.

Kiba was crushed and confounded by this.

"He wasn't what?" Girl A egged on with sarcastic innocence.

"HE WASN'T A VIOLENT THUG! SO TAKE IT BACK!"

Girl A just snickered, indifferently amused that she was able to get such a reaction to easily out of the quiet girl. Girl A glanced to the right of Hinata, finding an ashamed and silently despairing Kiba.

"You sure got great taste in girls, Inuzuka. Looks like she still cares for the bastard."

Hinata glanced over to Kiba as the train began to slow. He was slouched back, hiding his face in his hand, his face burning with embarassment.

She was never loud, but that time she had been obnoxoiusly loud. And all in defense of Naruto, the same person that broke her heart eight ways to hell.

The two former classmates got off the train, laughing like hyenas at the day they'd ruined.

Kiba couldn't look at Hinata just yet.

He was so pissed she actually defended Naruto like that.

* * *

"Kiba-kun... wait..."

Kiba walked passed the restaurant, his mind left to stew in a swamp of disappointment and uncertainty. He didn't know who to be more mad at. Perhaps it was those creeps fault for reminding Hinata of her mistakes, maybe it was their fault for reminding her about Naruto. But maybe it was Hinata. If she had been over Naruto by now, she wouldn't have reacted to vehemently. No... those two were right. Hinata still cared for Naruto, even after all this time.

"Kiba-kun..?"

Kiba stopped at the curb.

"You know I have a big problem with you still thinking about him."

"I don't think about him anymore..."

"And that's what I thought until a while ago! Why would you defend him?"

"Because he's not like that-"

"He's every bit like that! Not mention the shit he's pulled on you! Or rather the shit he's made you do! Shortening your skirt an inch a day just to see if he likes what he sees? You know he never looked your way even after all of that! Fooling around in the gymnasium equipment room? That was true, wasn't it? You guys were fucking around during school!"

"Kiba..."

"I know you were infatuated with him. I secretly stood by your side when you chased after him. I had hoped he would reciprocate, and treat you with all the respect you deserve. But the more you chased after him, the less I could trust him. And as far as being 'violent' goes- When you didn't show up to school that one day, I confronted him about what he was doing to you. He broke my nose! He knocked me down and punched me until I was spitting up blood! He said you were nothing special! How can you defend _that_? He destroyed your reputation with that video! How can you defend _THAT_?"

* * *

Naruto stared up at the black night sky, the neon lights of _Sankaku Koen_ obscuring the stars from the citizens below.

It's been nearly five weeks since he put Hinata on that train.

He wondered if she ever came back. If she had, she would have gone to Tsunami's apartment, only to be told he wasn't welcome there anymore. Hinata wouldn't have known where to find him and she would have had gone back home.

He wondered she had come back for him. He wondered if she had cry angry tears that he was suddenly gone, no longer waiting for her return as he had promised. He wondered if she was doing alright being back home where she belonged.

School began in a couple of days, didn't it?

"She'll be okay..." He mumbled to the sky, knowing she was in good hands back home. He brought dirty fingers to his rough lips, her kiss briefly flitting across in his mind.

He tried hard not to miss her.

If he began missing her, he didn't know what he would do.

* * *

Hinata wouldn't come out of her room.

Her fingertips trailed the path of her scar on her scalp, the simple action reviving a painfully tender memory that she had awoken from.

She had nearly forgotten him. She thought she had been in the clear. But everything about him, the good and the bad, it came back to her in high doses. And like a powerful frequency, the memories shattered her peace of mind.

_His face was wet when he awoke. He immediately found Hinata's soft eyes gently regarding him. She wiped away the tears from his cheeks, frowning as she did so._

_"Have you been having bad dreams?" She murmured somberly._

"Aneki! Kiba-kun is waiting for you outside!" Hanabi called, her voice welling up with concern.

_He grabbed at her shoulders and pulled her to his chest. He held her so close in hopes that this feeling of security would never leave, in hopes that she would tattooed onto his heart. _

_If he could remember her and keep the way she made him feel, if he could recreate the blanket every time he felt lonely- then he would gladly give her up. _

_She did not need to be burdened by his pain. She didn't need to know his darkness._

Hanabi got nothing, just her sister's silence. "Neji-nii! I have to go now!" Hanabi ran away from Hinata's room and into the genkan, her voice continued to echoe through their home, "Make sure Hinata isn't late for school! Bye!"

_His finger traced leisurely over the path of her scar, as she laid her head against his chest. Neither wished to close their eyes. Midnight was in their midst and the thought of sunrise grew more urgent._

_They hadn't talked about what they would do when morning came and they would have to leave. Naruto knew he would stay, it was on Hinata to make a plan._

_He wondered how she could have gotten such a scar on her scalp. She said it wasn't really an accident or that it was sort of an accident. How old were they when Neji gave her this mark?_

_"Do you remember?" Naruto murmured beneath his breath._

Footsteps stopped tentatively behind her door, his prescence hovering for some time before he finally spoke.

"Hinata... what's going on?" Neji reached to pull her door open, but dropped his hand remembering her rule of privacy. He heard a soft cry beyond the screen. He couldn't hear her at first but then he'd began to make out 'I can't... I just can't...'. "Hinata, there's no pointing in skipping the first day back if you're not sick-"

"THEN I'M SICK!" She cried in an airless wail.

_"I wish I had the chance to grow up with you..."_

_/_

_"N-NARUTO-KUN!"_

_His eyes snapped up at her voice. She stared at him from the edge of the bed, her healthy flesh flushed pale from fear. He grabbed his throat instinctively. It felt sharp and dry, it hurt to take in air._

_Then he realized: Hinata is alive. She was living, breathing, moving... crying._

_His face was wet again. Had he been crying too? Had she been crying for him?_

_"Have you been having bad dreams?" She murmured carefully. Just the mere utterance of those words sent him backwards. _

_It became obvious to her he had been by looking at his face; pale, sweaty, ashen and his eyes haunted. He became fixated with her flat stomach. _

_He could not forget what he saw, and he could not believe it hadn't been real._

"Hinata...!"

"Don't let me go today, please! Just please, don't let me go back today!"

_Hinata stepped off the bed, mindful in her approach to her cursed lover who had suddenly began to cry. His red, irritated eyes disturbed her, her heart twisted into itself. _

_She could not bear the sight, this was not the Naruto she knew._

_There was nothing she could do when he flinched away from her hand. He pushed himself away from her. There was nothing she could to do calm him down._

"Hinata-chan..."

_There was nothing she could do to get him back to bed._

_He refused to sleep._

_"He was arrested by the police right in front of my eyes... Do you know how terrible that must have made him feel?"_

_Naruto choked down a cry, the bitter sound catching her attention. _

_"...He's going to be away for at least five years. That's a long time. Everyone is telling me not to wait for him. Five years certainly is a long time all right. Maybe I won't be able to wait, but what other choice do I have?"_

_His jaw was clenched so hard, she could see he tried keep silent as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down in search of direction._

"Hinata, you can't stay in your room like this...!"

_"You were the slutty fangirl of a violent thug."_

_/_

_It looked like a knife handle._

_She turned it over, looking for anything outstanding. She found the slot where the blade came out. She tried to pull it out with her nails._

_"Ouch.." __She winced, a brief soreness under the bed of her nails. Hinata looked at her fingers. She thought she might've cut herself, there were red flecks on fingertips, but it was dry._

_/_

_"HE WASN'T A VIOLENT THUG! SO TAKE IT BACK!"_

_/_

_Hinata watched the way the bleach-water in the sink grew redder and redder from the switch-blade knife she had left to soak. _

_The water was practically opaque, practically the color of a tomato, there was just so much blood coming out of the blade's handle._

_She thought of the day she found him in Shinjuku, beaten and bloody._

_"Was this from that day? Did he use this?"_

_/_

"_My neighbor told me the knife they found used to kill the taxi driver was none other than Uchiha Sasuke's. Not just that though: That very switchblade was used in The Shinjuku Incident."_

_/_

_"Hey, Hinata-chan! Wow, you look good today!"_

_/_

"_I don't think being 'less harmless than Sasuke' inspires much confidence about this child."_

_/_

_He forced her hips down, sending surges of lascivious pleasure through their lower bodies as she hit his bulge._

_This was the first time she ever felt something like this; hard, swollen and begging... It scared her out of her mind._

_She tried to plead again with muted words, but as he forced her hips up and down, enthusiastically grinding her crotch against his hardness, she could do nothing but supress her cries._

_/_

_"... He said you were nothing special! How can you defend that? He destroyed your reputation with that video! How can you defend THAT?"_

"I can't... I can't... Oh, god, please god, please god, please... don't make me go back today... please... please... I can't forget, I can't forget hi..." Her voice disappeared into silence, but her muffled mutterings haunted Neji's mind.

What was there left for him to do?

* * *

Star - I hope the whole 'Hinata becomes a G&LB model' thing was not unbelievable, eheheh. You know anything is possible when you have loyal friends in high places. XD Also, I haven't been following Lolita in a couple years now, so while I tried to get a real good look at Alice Auaa, I couldn't. (cries) So yeah, the whole 'custom-made' outfit totally fictional. But let's just say it's Alice Auaa, even if maybe it actually wouldn't fit in their repetoire. (flops) I guess I could have made it Juliette et Justine instead, the rabbit necklace was inspired by a Juliette et Justine piece anyhow.

Okay, hope this was satisfyingly longer. I'll try to get back to the next chap soon enough. I didn't necessarily get stuck here, but I felt like if I did continue from here that it would all just start to escape me and get really sloppy pace-wise. XD Yeah, sad. (flops)

Okay, feel free to review if you're up to it. Bai-ness.


	36. Something is Not Right with Me

Star - I HAS NEW J-ROCK BAND! COLDRAIN! Also I loved their song "8AM" before I even knew it was used for Hajime no Ippon. And sadly I am utterly disappointed such a smexy great romantic song was put to such an average ending theme. No offense peoples, but I would have expected more from you and your... selection or whatever. lololol... production. (joking sigh) Also read Fujoshi Rumi on Mangafox two days ago so it inspired some things here, hooray. And I can finally call Moe a fujoshi, instead of just saying yaoi otaku or whatever, eheheh.

Also, hey! Slightly longer chapter, omg! Everyone clap for Momo! (this chapter actually kinda sucks)

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch. 36 - Something is Not Right With Me

It was cold and hollow inside. Inside herself was the torture of confusion, ambivalence, and dread.

Inside herself she sank. She sank further and further by an anchor of compassion and disappointment. Disappointment for herself, for her behavior, for her weakness, for her efforts, for her heart's mind. And disappointment for the compassion she had so readily given to Naruto. Disappointment for the obvious betrayals and the indirect betrayals.

The further these memories attacked her, the further she cried for her lack of foresight, for her lack of discipline and practicality.

But the further she laid in her bed, wallowing in her battered self-perception, she soon acknowledged the passing time.

Today was the first day back.

She couldn't miss this because she knew it would be hard for her to make friends with her new classmates.

She remembered she was in a class with Kiba and Shino, and that the rest in their class was not the same from their First Year.

It would be a little easier to endure school with a completely different class. But she could still never avoid her former classmates, the ones that had been witnesses to her improper behavior with Naruto. The ones that had seen the video.

But she would just have to do her best. Whether the video was Naruto's fault or not, it was too late. It already happened and it was one of the social scars she had to let breathe. She couldn't try to disguise it, try to ignore it and say it didn't exist. She had to let it heal and whether it remained a prominent scar or not was yet to be seen.

You don't pick at your acne if you don't want scars.

Why nitpick at an old wound if you don't want it to fester?

* * *

Kiba waited for Hinata outside. Neji told she just got up and that she would be out soon. The quiet concern on his face was apparent. The passing look of concern on Hanabi's face as she had passed him twenty minutes ago was not a positive sign either.

It took her ten minutes to emerge, dressed in her spring uniform, her eyes glued to the ground.

She wore the hairclip, but not to pull back her bangs. She let them cover her eyes. She felt rather ashamed to face Kiba now, she had to hide behind the curtain until she was sure it was safe to come out.

They started their walk to school.

The pace was slow, somber and patient, like Kiba were leading a ninety-year old around the city. He tried to treat her as delicately as possible. He hadn't meant to shout at her the other day. He hadn't meant to let those two ruin the mood so easily. He just can't believe Hinata had been so vehement in defending Naruto.

She had been so naive, and that's what made those two laugh.

She let herself get mocked. He couldn't let that happen. He was trying to protect her.

Kiba watched her pale fingers fiddle with the black strap of her _randoseru_ bag. He got the briefest sensation this was what she was like as a child, back when her mother died, her aunt and uncle died, her cousin hated her and her father took his frustrations out on her. He thought this had to be her when she was small and alone.

She couldn't be left with this idea that no one gave a damn about her. She could not be left with the idea that she was useless and unloved.

He would show her how much she mattered. She couldn't let the failure of her first love destroy any opportunity of future happiness. And he wouldn't let it.

Kiba reached out for her nervous hands and pulled them away from her bag strap. He took one clammy hand into his and kept it warm.

He held her hand the whole way to school.

She nearly combusted into tears at this kindness.

She couldn't believe she was still aching like this when Kiba was trying so hard for her all the time.

She felt like she wasn't trying hard enough. She felt like she wasn't appreciating him enough.

"Kiba-kun... I-I'm sorry..."

"It's okay..." He paused somberly. Then he turned to her with a small smile, "For now... You've got me and Shino."

* * *

Hinata swayed as they got closer to the school, its hard, rectangular facade looming over her like a prison guard or a haunted building. It seemed like the life had been sucked out of the place, and she feared it would take hers as well. The full green trees that crowded behind the brick walling were ominous as well. Just being the place made her claustrophobic.

They were an hour late. The black gate was closed and too high for them to jump over, and their second class was just beginning.

"Crap..." Kiba muttered before getting an idea. "C'mon, we'll enter through the field then." He took her hand and lead them towards the back of the school. Hinata glanced back at the schools' solemn face. It spoke to her as if saying 'I'm watching you, you know?' and it knew what they were doing. It expected her and would never let her go.

This place would never let her go.

They got to the net fencing surrounding the field. Irritation shot across Kiba's mind like an impatient mosquito as he remembered the encounter he had with Naruto here. But he moved on and bent down, his hands on his knees.

"Climb on my back."

Hinata didn't bother with hesitating though the need to consider had itched in her mind. She carefully climbed atop Kiba and grabbed the top of the fence, where she worked to the hoist herself up. Kiba lifted himself slowly, allowing her better grip. As soon as one foot swung over the fence and the other was lifted off his back, Kiba stood back up and helped her over the fence. She landed with a muffled thud, the dewy grass clinging to her shoes and she turned around to find Kiba grinning at her from their swift reunion.

Hinata couldn't help but smile at this.

She felt a little embarassed to be sneaking into school like this, but part of her enjoyed it too.

She was exuberated by the rebelliousness of their actions, and warmed that someone else was here to help her through it.

It was like that one day when she had ditched with Naruto. But there was a difference here that Hinata found pleasantly comforting.

With Naruto it had been nerve-racking. He had sort of leapt off without her as soon as she had grabbed his stuff and she had to push herself to keep up with him.

With Kiba, she could feel the trust of their friendship. Kiba was in no hurry to get to class. He wasn't worried whether he looked foolish or not. He stayed close with her, kept pace with her and helped her when she needed it.

They arrived at their classroom, willing away the appearance of extrenuous activity that had been their sneaking in. Kiba opened the door and entered, taking the wave of stares first before stepping out of the way and allowing Hinata entrance.

He did so like a butler did for a princess.

Their teacher was Kurenai-sensei, and she tried to glare at them for being late, but the utter relief she felt when she saw Hinata could not be wiped from her eyes, nor her crimson-colored lips.

Kurenai had been worrying over Hinata for the six weeks.

She still looked worse for wear, but at least she still existed.

Kurenai was still assigned as her supervisor. How easy it would be now to watch her and care for her as her homeroom teacher, and not just her Physical Education teacher.

"Alright, you two, take a seat." Kurenai forcibly grumbled out, her lips hopelessly trapped in a smirk as she thumbed through papers on the podium.

"Kurenai-sensei, it's not your class right now." Commented a male student.

"Huh?"

"Harada-sensei is teaching now." He answered, pointing to the open doorway where the motherly Harada stood, awkwardly waiting as she didn't expect Kurenai to be here.

Kurenai had been too caught up with Hinata's return she thought it was first period all over again.

* * *

Lunchtime.

Hinata sat by the window. Kiba sat next to her. Shino sat in front of Hinata.

Kiba pulled his desk up to Hinata's. Then he grabbed Shino's desk and attached it to theirs, earning a dubious stare from his otherwise poker-faced friend.

Kiba seemed pretty excited by all of this: being in the same class as his best friend and the girl he cared deeply for. He couldn't help but announce, "Picnic!"

"What?" Shino twitched beneath his sunglasses.

Hinata let out the slightest giggle behind her hand.

"Come on, asshole. Just enjoy it," Kiba smirked. "Hey, whatcha got, hm?"

Shino sat down and opened up his black soup container, releasing a very light broth smell.

"Chinese winter melon soup."

Hinata took out her red bento and opened up to see what Neji put together for her.

"Cinnamon roll cake..." She breathed. She didn't know whether to be elated or embarassed. On the one hand, it was the king of sweets for her, and since she had been feeling shitty, cake was the best answer. On the other hand, it was cake. And who except Ryugasaki Momoko eats cake and sweets for lunch? "I think Neji-nii is trying to get me fat..." She mumbled, trying to play it off.

Kiba just laughed.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Oh, come on! I spoiled you with sweets for weeks and you never complained!"

"It's still odd to eat only cake for lunch." Shino loosely commented, making no judgement as he ate his soup.

Hinata smiled a little at this and scooped out a glaze-laden piece with her spoon. Shino's hand halted halfway to his mouth, her timid smile like a flash of amnesia. Kiba came back from digging through his bag to pull out his bento, and Shino returned to eating his soup without looking obvious to either his comrades.

Even though Shino wore sunglasses all the time, he didn't wear them to ogle, much to the chagrin of Kiba's many theories. But Hinata's smile, no matter how small and brief, was something he hadn't expected to see. It'd been a long time since they last saw eachother, and even though they had talked before, for some reason all previous contact felt impersonal. And now felt like he had enhanced senses. He felt like he could really see her, feel her, even through black lens sunglasses.

Kiba enjoyed himself some leftover beef and sticky rice, while trying to entertain his perpetually quiet friends.

He had a feeling that once alone, Hinata would fall into her depression.

He couldn't be there all the time for her. He wished he could be, but he knew he couldn't. He also knew that she had find her own reasons to be happy again.

So until she had healed herself, he would just do all he could to make the journey forward more bearable.

* * *

Kiba wondered if gym was going to be the same for Hinata.

The class filed out for the gymnasium, but Hinata stayed behind at her desk. She felt Kiba's eyes on her, she felt the question forming in his mind.

She got up, her movements slow and unsure. Her eyes searched all around the room like she had forgotten where she was, and she finally turned to Kiba. She fiddled with her bag strap on the hook of her desk as she searched for the words she wanted to say.

She took her bag off the hook and hung her head slightly.

"I think I'll go to the nurse..." She mumbled low.

Guilt came over Kiba like an overcast of clouds as he thought back to the other day.

_"... Fooling around in the gymnasium equipment room? That was true, wasn't it? You guys were fucking around during school!"_

"Hinata-chan... n-not everyone... knows..." He mumbled weakly, his heart heavy. He grimaced knowing that wasn't a very positive response to her self-consciousness.

In fact it only solidified her burdening humiliation.

She sighed and went for the door, swaying slightly in the fog of her sorrow swollen brain.

Kiba followed her out, their eyes wanting to meet but never doing so.

"It's... This is a completely different class... None of our current classmates know-"

"But you know... and you were right, Kiba-kun... m-minus the... other part..." Hinata shrugged tiredly. The more she stood around like this, the more her claustrophobia increased. She needed to lay down. "I-I'm s-still a virgin, you know..."

"Uh- uhm... Okay." Kiba tried to give her a reassuring smile, but she had begun to drift already, the conversation completed.

And so he drifted towards the gymnasium, her bad memories of the place becoming his own.

* * *

Shizune fumbled a delayed greeting with Hinata, taken by surprise that someone was sick so soon.

"The RN isn't here right now, but..." Shizune paused from the desk to get a better assessment of the girl. She was dolorous. Her eyes winced in pain as if from light or a migraine, and her shoulders hung heavily as if suffering from body aches. "Here, lay down." Shizune amended, quickly getting into action. She gently grasped Hinata's hand and lead her to a bed behind white curtains. She pulled the blanket aside and helped Hinata onto the bed. Shizune took her bag and laid it on a chair next to the bed. She pulled the covers up to Hinata's chin and told her to rest. Hinata gave her a weak nod and closed her eyes, her mind filling with pain. Shizune turned away, ready to close the curtain but she turned back and glanced at Hinata. She turned away again but decided to check Hinata's temperature, so she turned back and swiped her hand under Hinata's bangs. It was hot and clammy. "Would you like me to get you some water?" Shizune proposed, but Hinata shook her head. "Are you on your period?"

"N-No..."

"Is your period soon?"

Hinata wasn't sure. She couldn't remember when her last period had been either.

"Do you have any pain in your right or left abdomen?"

Hinata shook her head.

"Pain radiating to your thighs or lower back? Do you feel nausea or the need to vomit? How about diarrhea or constipation? Headaches, dizziness, disorientation?"

"I-I'm a little dizzy, ma'am..."

"Do you have sensitivity to light, sound, touch or smell? Do you feel like you were close to fainting?"

"Just really tired ma'am..."

"How have you been eating lately? Have you done any excercising?"

"I'm not really athletic..." Hinata sleepily suspired. "I've been eating well though..." Hinata fully relaxed, practically collasped as she gave in to the heaviness in her body.

Shizune got to her feet and let the girl rest. She pulled the curtains all around her and walked carefully back to the desk.

Shizune kept Dysmenorrhea into consideration, though Hinata stated she had no abdomenal pain.

She would give Tsunade her assessment when she returned.

* * *

Hinata got fourty minutes of rest before Tsunade returned and came at her bedside.

Hinata laid on her back, her hands resting atop her stomach. Tsunade pressed her hands against Hinata's forehead, then her cheeks, then under her chin, then her neck. She felt fine now, no fever nor clamminess. Tsunade pulled aside the blanket and pressed her fingers against Hinata's abandon while checking her face for signs of distress.

"Does it hurt here?"

Hinata shook her head, "No."

Tsunade turned her gaze to nothing and furrowed her brows, a secret trouble stewing in her thoughts. She appeared as if she'd been carrying a burden for quite some time. Tsunade worked the facts of Hinata's previous and current condition in her head and nodded at her conclusion, however she was far too distracted to articulate to Hinata her conclusion and cut to the chase.

"You can think you can make it back to class then?"

"Mm." Hinata nodded.

"That's good." Tsunade sighed as she pushed herself up to her feet and walked out from Hinata's bedside.

As soon as Tsunade got to her desk, she hit the sauce.

"Tsu-Tsu-Tsunade-hime? N-No, you can't consume alcohol during school-!"

Hinata's eyes shot open incredulously at what she was hearing but not seeing.

"It's the first day of the trimester! And I still haven't seen that blonde-headed sonnavubastard! How long has it been, huh? January! January! IT'S APRIL NOW! IT'S APRIL!"

"But Tsunade-hime, it was April when you left Matsue, and you hadn't spoken to him or seen him since in all the two and a half years you were gone. You can't expect him to want to see you now, just because you two are finally in the same city again."

_BAN!_

"Tsu-Tsunade-hime?"

Tsunade had thrown her head forward onto her desk, not out of a drunken stupor for she had only splash of sake, but out a sudden onslaught of emotions. Irritation, frustration, loss, but most of remorse. Remorse because Shizune had been painfully correct.

And Shizune hadn't even meant to hurt Tsunade's feeling like that, nor send her forward onto her desk in frustrated tears.

"Noooo! I was mad at him, he knows thaaat! He should have been here by now with an apologyyyy!"

"Tsunade-hime, that's not fair on him..." Shizune muttered uselessly, feeling that the conversation had gone one-sided.

"I WANT THAT IDIOT BAAAACK! HE WAS SO RUDE, SHIZUNE! BUT I WANT HIM BAAAACK!"

"Tsunade-hime, please lower your voice..."

Tsunade was a reduced to a huddled, blubbering mess. Naruto always knew how to get Tsunade into a temper tantrum, even when he wasn't around to start it.

Sometimes Shizune thought it was a skill.

But then again skills are supposed to be useful, not just impressive.

_

* * *

_

Hakushon!

Naruto caught his sneeze in his hand, saving the grilled fish from certain danger. Naruto leaned back and watched Sato fan the fish over the tiny charcoal grill. Several of Sato's old friends huddled around the smell, appreciating it with pleasant wrinkled smiles and shining reverence in their dark eyes. These men were homeless like Sato, some not having been homeless as long though.

Kikuchi had managed to salvage many things before he lost his home, like small furniture and chairs he fitted inside his shack, his bike, and the little charcoal grill. He had gotten enough from his welfare pension to purchase a few bluegill fish for his friends.

Naruto was practically grinning with excitement. He hadn't had _shioyaki_ since he was a kid.

"Is it done yet?" He whined laughingly as he rolled back and forth on his crossed ankles like an overeager child.

Kikuchi lightly smacked the back of his head for his remark.

"Ha-ha-ha. Ya might wanna be watchin' yer mouth there boy, or there won't be any food goin' in it." Chuckled the sixty-nine year old Sawaguchi, his jaw as sturdy as his laugh.

_Hakushon!_

Naruto caught his sneeze again only to have a palm full of spray and snot.

He had no where to put it but the sides of his pants.

"Yeah, sorry." Naruto smirked as he returned to rocking on his ankles, wondering if he was getting allergic.

* * *

Hinata spent the final half of the day staring out the window, mulling over Tsunade's distress and the secrets surrounding Naruto. She didn't know whether to tell Tsunade or not that Naruto had left Tokyo, that -for all reasons unknown- he had gone to Osaka. But if Tsunade were to ask her anything else, Hinata wouldn't be able to answer her.

Hinata didn't know if Naruto was continuing school in Osaka. Hinata didn't know if he was staying there momentarily or permanently. She didn't know what his plans were or what he was thinking.

He had just upped and left so suddenly. Didn't even stop to pack or lock his home. A knife tip in his arm, with a gash as long as it was deep...

Her heart sank at the knowledge. Knowledge she feared would devastate Tsunade. Perhaps because Tsunade's intuition would be stronger than hers when given the facts. Tsunade would have more to ache about than an undelivered apology.

Hinata closed her eyes, and the school bell rang. Kiba tapped her shoulder and smiled carefully at her. She grabbed her bag and followed him and Shino out the classroom, leaving her worries behind in the classroom.

She couldn't think too much on Naruto like this. She couldn't allow herself to. Whether he did something or not, whether he would come back or not, it couldn't be her concern.

Naruto wanted her to have a life independent of him, because he knew that's what her friends wanted as well... then she would.

* * *

Hinata kicked her shoes off at the door. The Hyuuga household was darkened and still, bereft of its other residents. She wobbled over to the kotatsu and plopped down on floor pillow, a wistful sigh escaping her nose.

Even with her family out, the home was just as quiet and dull as when they were around.

Hinata immediately headed for the fridge, her stomach instinctively crawling for food. She glanced at the electric burners, a far away memory surfacing to her eyes like a burning photo in reverse.

_"I was supposed to cook! Father will know that I slacked off my duties!" She spoke in a angry bitter tone, pushing him aside from the hot food._

_"The food is already done, Hinata-chan. How is he supposed to know the difference?" He looked at her incredulously, his usual cool temperament turning hot._

_This wasn't the reaction from her he was expecting. A little gratitude would've been nice for a change. He wondered what it was that had her so wound up all of a sudden._

_"He just will. Neji, He'll know there's something different about it." Her voice came out even yet anxious, as she looked dejectedly at the food. He was right, it was ready to be eaten. What woud she do now?_

_"You're just being paranoid. Look, if he knows you didn't cook it, what should it matter? At least dinner is done on time."_

She had actually made Neji throw out his efforts. She got hot oil on herself, and all over the stove. But now when she thought back to that time, she realized she hadn't made dinner in the household nearly since then.

Hiashi had been on more and more out-of-country business trips, and Hanabi had been discovering her own independence within the city's nightlife.

Hinata had been spending more time with friends or with Naruto during those times that she had barely lived at home anymore. The family drifted and the expectation of a family dinner - no matter how unnecessarily robotic - had been forgetten.

In the midst of this divergence, Neji had been left behind. He was left to guard the home, left to make dinner and eat it by himself, left to his own devices while having no social life to take advantage of.

Yet he had all the time to simply abandon, much as Hanabi had, much as she had.

Her eyes lowered to the floor. Lead filled her head. The notion weighed on her, the guilt of it. She _had_ abandoned, no... nearly abandoned her family. Though her friends had dumped her, she nearly gave up on them completely. She nearly threw everything given to her away.

"No wonder he got so annoyed with me sometimes..." Hinata mumbled with despondance.

_"Because I lied. What the hell do I know about your cousin? I only met him once. You said you guys got better, you said that scar on your head wasn't a big deal. I can't imagine how he could still hate you. I bet he loves you to death. And your sister too. You're a very lucky person, Hinata. And your friends: maybe you do just hang with them every once in a while, but that doesn't mean they're not real friends. They hate me enough, so I'm sure that means you're very precious to them. I was so upset when you ditched me New Years Eve. I thought you didn't have any friends, but when they showed up, you left with them. I thought I hated people like you, I mean...You act like a fuckin' emo when it comes to your dad, but... in Nagoya... I took advantage of that... That way you couldn't leave me for anyone else again."_

_"...Do you hate me still?"_

_"I don't hate you. I realize that I'm __**always**__ going to feel like shit because I have no family, and because all my friends are gone. But I'm going to feel so much worse if you don't go back to Tokyo."_

_"You asked me to stay."_

_"I don't want to ruin your life further..."_

"He thinks I'm lucky... Super lucky... and I suppose I am..." Hinata swept her eyes throughout the dull and darkened house, the emptiness screaming out to her something obvious. The silence felt like a force field of pins aimed all around her. She couldn't wander too far or too quickly or she would pay for it. This was the sensation she had been given, a kismetic ultimatum set on a trigger of morality. Her experiences with Naruto, his breaking up with her over a vague internal moral dilemma, his putting her on the train as if it was the only way to set things right again - it all gave her this force field of pins. It told her where the line was, told her how free she was allowed to be, how imperfect she was allowed to be.

She wasn't allowed to stray like before or she would pay for it.

This was safety.

This was her designated comfort zone.

Home.

And having a home made her offically the luckiest person in Naruto's book.

Being Hyuuga Hinata made her the luckiest person on Earth in Naruto's book, because she had everything precious that he lacked.

These things conflicted in her brain like errant chatter on subway platforms. Her brain argued with her heart, and her heart argued with her brain, and her gut pushed her heart away to argue with her brain, and her brain had to juggle two arguments without cussing them both.

Her brain told her she had to stay home, finish school, find a healthy relationship and pick a University.

Her crack, poorly taped-together heart told her to be happy whatever it took, as it assumed it would die.

Her gut told her brain couldn't be trusted and that her heart was stupid. Her gut told her that to accept this safety her brain believed in was disservicing herself. Her gut told her that Naruto didn't know what was best for her, that he was being lulled into society's self-impeding views, and that he was forcing her onto a tight rope wire.

The pole was in her hands.

The pins fell away and implanted themselves in the ground, growing tall into razor-sharp spines.

Around her floated her desires.

She stared longingly into a film reel of her mother at the local zoo. Three year old Hinata jumped into her mother's arms and cuddled her mother's elegant face.

Tears fell from Hinata's eyes and she had to tear herself away from the image to continue walking.

Lolita dresses, frilly accessories, and pearls swam tantalizingly in her midst, promising her a glorious experience of an otherworldly culture and indulgence.

She shut her eyes and willed herself forward.

Hot wind rushed through her like a luxurious wave. It tingled her skin, made her heart race and ache with love, and her thighs to clamped down on an overwhelming sensation.

This cloud of lust was filled with many images, some were memories, some were daydreams, and others were incognizant manifestations.

She could feel his smile bearing into her. She nearly walked towards the comforting sensation, only to swivel and swerve on the tight rope wire.

One image came to embrace her from behind, saving her from falling, but with its advance purely sexual. She kept her eyes shut eyes. She refused to see. She refused to feel. But his hands were all over her, staking his claim of her skin and ultimately her heart.

At one moment she relived the wildly exciting experience they had in the restroom stall of his work, the taste of pudding filling her mouth like his tongue.

The next moment she was clutching to him desperate not to cry out as he forced her crotch over the bulge in his pants. Slithering sensuality filled her, leaving behind traces of shame that made her feel dirty and used.

Then unimaginable sweetness soared through her like birds to the moon. She'd been hugged a thousand times and kissed a thousand more in a fraction of a second.

Her breath caught in her throat.

The cloud of lust turned into a cloud of nothingness in her mind.

She blinked, and she never closed her eyes again.

Hinata found herself crumpled on the kitchen floor, fists pressed against her forehead, and a flood of tears streaming down her face. Her dry gasps were like screams in her ears.

Noiseless screams flew out of her mouth, the tears streaming down faster in her panic.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't remember how to start.

The whiteness of her mind encompassed her sight and turned into pain. Tingling, numbing, cold.

She fell out of her body and watched herself collapse on the kitchen floor.

* * *

"Hey, anybody here?" Hanabi whistled for a response from within, as she kicked off her shoes.

"She must be out." Neji replied, asserting that his assumptions had been right.

He had gone out to pick Hanabi up and treat her to an early dinner since Hiashi was in Kyoto and there wasn't any groceries at home. He had assumed Hinata would be studying with Kiba or hanging with friends, as that had become her typical habits.

Hanabi hopped her way into the living room and plopped down by the kotatsu. The silence was already beginning to gnaw at her sanity. After her adventuring in Tokyo with Kanasato, she'd grown a distaste for their dull home. Hanabi leaned back on her hands only to jolt back up when she felt something familiar.

Hinata's school bag was here.

"Hey, Aneki is here."

"Huh?"

"Aneki is here. Her bag is here." Hanabi said lifting the dark bag up to her cousin's eyes.

"Maybe she's asleep. Although she could have still gone out."

"That could be." Hanabi sighed, putting her chin on the low wooden table, releasing a resignation of boredom.

Neji walked around the living room, straightening up things here and there, including taking Hinata's bag to drop it off at her bedroom. Hanabi couldn't help but peal with laughter at this.

"Neji-nii would be a good husband. He cleans like a mother! Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"And you would know?" He shot back smirking wryly, a glimmer of warning in his eyes. But Hanabi couldn't take offense to this as Neji barely had a mother himself, and so she placed her hands on her hips, screwed her eyes together and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Beeeeeeh! Maybe I _would_ know, since Aneki used to clean like this."

"So I'm taking over for her. She's got too much on her plate. I've got too much time."

"You really should get out there, Onii-san. Hinata's been saying so herself." Hanabi regarded her cousin with quiet, concerned eyes. The respect she emanated towards him turned into pity inside his mind as he slowly worked around the perimeter. She slouched back down onto the kotatsu, feeling slightly miserable at her cousin's silence. That was the end of the conversation and she knew it. She knew it because it was clear he had nothing to say. No thoughts, no ideas, no plans.

Hanabi rested her head on her arms, and decided to take a nap. She could hear Neji continue to walk around the house, his steps light but deliberate. It wasn't until a couple minutes later that she heard him yell.

"HINATA?"

* * *

Hazy shapes floated across Hinata's vision. She was almost shocked to see the shapes had color. She thought she had been blinded by the whiteness.

Warm, moist mass pressed against her forehead, she soon realized it was a washcloth.

The shapes grew more definitive in seconds. She could see her sister hovering over her through her peripherals, but it was this other face, this elegant by strong face that had all her attention.

Hinata blinked slowly, once, twice, before recognizing his name and who he meant to her.

Then she saw the cieling, the screen doors, the drawers with her clothes in them. She felt the floor against her back and the futon she rested on and the comforter that rested on top of her.

She felt the whole room in an instant and she realized where she was.

But he wasn't supposed to be in here. He had never been in here before.

"You're in my room." Hinata muttered matter-of-factly. But Neji didn't find this amusing and only narrowed his eyes at her.

"What the hell were you doing on the kitchen floor?" He demanded.

"I didn't... Y- You didn't find me in a compromising position, did you 'Nii-san?"

Hanabi burst out laughing at Neji's increasingly shrinking face. If he kept grimacing like that, his features would melt away.

* * *

Hinata tried to forget about the sudden onset she had a couple days ago. She busied herself with studying in the park, as it relaxed her, and spent a lot of time with her friends. She balked at the thought of being home alone again. She wasn't sure if it was the lonely atmosphere of the house that caused her attack or that she had been remembering him so acutely that caused it.

Either way she didn't trust herself to daydream anymore. She needed intense distraction. She needed involvement. Anything that wouldn't give her the chance to marinate in old woes again.

Hinata wandered through the aisles of the HMV music store, glancing through titles until something caught her eye.

Kiba was in the heavy rock section diagonal from where she was. Hinata glanced up at him and he shot her a flitatious smile. Somewhere in the back of Hinata's subconscious she rolled her eyes, but a soft smirk quirked up her lips. She hovered around the classic rock aisle, not intentionally looking for anything of that genre. She kept her eyes lowered, pretending she hadn't seen his innocent teasing.

His eyes and his smile... he just didn't have the same effect on her as Naruto.

"Embrace of Tentacles no Jutsu! GLOMP!"

"EEK!"

Hinata found herself under attack by an epic Moe glomp, her greedy hands openly fondling her in public.

"Opah! This is true _oppai_!"

"Eek! Moe, stop!"

Kiba's face turned bright red. Moe's breast juggling had implanted an evil seed inside his brain. _'Dammit, mental picture, mental picture, mental picture. Aaaaugh...'_ He walked away and headed towards the live DVD section against the furthest wall.

As usual, Moe's antics got everyone's attention and she didn't care what they were thinking. The grey jersey-knit cotton dress Hinata wore made fondling her even more fun. The fabric slid nicely over her satin balconette bra.

"But your boobies give me _tera moesu_!"

"I-I don't even know what that means!"

"That means your tits are over 9000!"

"Moe, you're a dirty old man!"

"I've discovered Victoria's Secret!"

"Moe-!" Hinata laughed weakly bending over, hoping she'd release her soon. "Moe, stop, your puns are terrible." Hinata collasped onto her knees, hiding her face behind her bangs. Moe wrapped her arms around her waist and snuggled her face into her back.

The customers returned to their business as the show ended, leaving the two teens to an awkward but warm moment.

"Say, how come you're always wearing half cups?" Moe asked, noticing this.

"Uhm... E-Emilie recommends it."

"Why are you wearing what she likes?"

"B-Because she's an expert?"

Moe sighed.

"Sometimes I think her dark side takes the shape of a dirty old man... or maybe a S&M mistress who puts guys in torture cells, and locks up princesses in high towers, whom she later has her way with."

"What?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"I really don't..."

Moe sneaked her hands up and gave Hinata's chest two more squeezes.

"Munyu munyu."

* * *

Moe burst out the door of the HMV store, paper bags of MDs and band posters in each hand. She inhaled the city air in an overdramatic manner, a triumphant smile stretched across her face.

"Well, time to go." She stated as she found herself instantly being dragged away from the store by Keisuke. "Buh-bye 'Wakapai'!" Moe waved her arm energetically in the air, referring directly to Hinata who stood blankly watching her go. She flushed instantly at the nickname though she wasn't entirely sure what she was referring to, she got the gist of it when she said 'pai'.

Hinata instinctively covered her chest, and gave a sigh.

She wondered why Moe was the only one who had to grope her breasts. She was still so embarassed by their size. It wasn't normal for her age, even Emilie knew that when she measured her a few months ago.

Kiba gently touched her hand and pulled it away.

"Don't so be so self-conscious." He smirked, his cheeks a tiny bit pink. That mental image was going to haunt him when he got home, he just knew it. A thought then tickled his brain, his expression growing sheepish by it. "Did she really call you 'Wakapai'?"

"Do you know who that is?" Hinata muttered, trying to shrug off her self-conscious curse.

"She's... A Dumb Idol. She got famous off her bustline, 88 centimeters. That's why they call her 'Wakapai'. But there's other models that are G too, like Risa and Ai."

"Eighty-eight... oh no, I'm bigger..." Hinata mumbled to herself in a far away voice, her mind floating in a haze of indiscernable worries.

As for Kiba, who had heard her distracted directed aside remark, felt a fist of adrenaline punch him in the heart.

_'SHE'S BIGGER?'_

Hinata glanced up at Kiba, causing a hot blush to rise up like mercury in a thermometer.

He couldn't make eye contact with her for the rest of the afternoon.

When the weekend passed and everyone returend to school, Kiba still couldn't look at Hinata without that mental image and newly acquired fact haunting his hormones.

"What's with you?" Shino remarked with scrutiny as the day ended.

Kiba was still flustered, and his function dial had officially been turned to 'awkward robot'.

"She's bigger than Wakapai."

And thus Kiba passed the evil seed onto Shino.

* * *

A blonde young man on a bicycle had passed by Hinata in her neighborhood. He'd been wearing red plaid pants with rips in the knees, studded belt and a white crew neck shirt that rode up slightly against his navel and flapped in the wind.

The red and the white of his outfit made her think of Naruto in his school uniform.

Hinata didn't trust herself not to dwell anymore once she got home. The mental image was too strong.

She kicked off her shoes in the entrance way and quickly got into action.

She tied her hair back, put on an apron and got out the cleaning supplies.

Twenty minutes later Neji and Hanabi walked in on a hurricane that, instead of leaving a path of destruction, left a sparkly path of cleanliness.

"Don't go in my room, Aneki." Hanabi threw out matter-of-factly to the hurricane.

"Okay!" And Hinata proceeded to clean the hallways.

"I have a feeling I won't be able to watch the news." Neji muttered putting his shoes back on.

"I have a feeling I won't be able to sit down." Hanabi sighed.

As they left the house, they wondered what had gotten into their beloved family member.

Hours later when the sun had set and the street lights lit up the block in a cozy glow, Neji and Hanabi had returned to a home that sparkled and smelled fresher than the tops of Mt. Fuji. They were almost afraid to enter and ruin the cleanliness.

They were also afraid because Hiashi was home early for once, and eating a large meal Hinata had put together. He was scowling more than usual, yet he didn't seem unhappy. It was like the look of a king who refused to believe his lowliest serf had surpassed his best cook.

He stirred his final slice of _ankimo_ around in the ponzu sauce and ate it whole, still scowling, still stubbornly ignoring his daughter who ate quietly beside him.

Hiashi knew she had cleaned the house to the point it could be put up for sale without refurbishing.

He knew she put together this special meal in time for his arrival.

And he knew the meal was as perfect as his late wife's cuisine.

Hiashi stood up from the table and headed straight for bed, where he would find fresh bedding and dry-cleaned suits in the closet.

Neji carefully approached the table, taking in the prepared meals with awe and curiosity.

"_Horumonyaki_? And _Ankimo_?"

There was _tonjiru_ and seaweed _tsukudani_ as well, and fresh shredded daikon garnished atop the rice.

"I headed out to the market a couple hours ago. They acquire so much offal at the end of the day that they sell it separately. Of course the later it gets the cheaper it gets because it's been sitting and would have to be discarded by the end of the night. I think father appreciated having a stamina building meal."

"Eww, fish liver." Hanabi chirped from the side as she recognized the _ankimo_ plate.

"I didn't even know Hiashi would be home today. Did you know?" Neji questioned his cousin, who blithely shook her head.

"Guess I got lucky, huh?"

* * *

On very few times Naruto was able to afford a night in one of the _doya hotels _after pulling together enough funds from day laboring and collecting cans. And on those times he called it 'Bath Day'.

Naruto today stood over a public restroom sink after strolling around through the shopping arcades, silently envying the children who ate the _wagashi_ their parents bought them.

He didn't feel too gross nor smell as bad now that he got used to doing laundry the old fashion way. He figured out wearing an outfit for three consecutive days was the limit before the grossness set in. And he continued to wear his clothes for three days, wash them, hang them, and wear fresher clothes in the time being. He was actually very pleased with this new regimate as he could now enter stores and restaurants again without giving his lifestyle away, including 100 Yen stores that had cologne samples on display.

That had been one if his biggest shames, to be seen as poor, misfortunate, and dirty... He was glad to manage himself in a way now that he could blend in with the rest of society again.

He squirted some soap into his hands and placed his hand beneath the faucet. Rush of water splashed onto his skin and he proceeded scrubbing, especially getting under his dulled nails. He was never this clean before because he didn't have to be, but now he had to be absolutely sure.

However a part of him felt a little odd being this sensitive about people's opinions. Sure, he still had that strong desire to belong, but never like this, never so much about his appearance. Only with girls did he question his appearance, but those were passing insecurities, just the usual stuff that bubble up unwanted but with justified prescence.

_'Kind of paranoid, aren't you?'_ A voice spoke in the back of his mind.

He scrutinized his reflection, ran a hand through his shaggy blonde hair, the oil built-up not calling for a rinse. Then he wondered about his teeth. He flashed a smile, with almost immediate regret.

"Well... Sato-san still has all his teeth..." Naruto muttered, taking hopeful satisfaction out of that fact. He hoped he wouldn't end up like Kikuchi-san or that skinny dementia-ridden old man who lived at the station. Naruto saw him once. The old man smiled at him and there was nothing but gum. It made him shudder.

He pulled out a couple sheets of paper towel and wet them under the faucet with a bit of soap to wash his face.

A rustling noise came to Naruto's attention. There was a curt squeak of a sneaker and then a sigh. Then more rustling.

Naruto's eyes immediately swept down to the side and he found something he never expected he would. Within the toilet stall he saw a bare female leg and a hairy male leg, his pants bunched down at his ankles, his sneakered feet vainly trying to give him leverage without squeaking.

They knew he was there, but they were still going at it anyways.

Naruto could see the female's pleated denim-grey skirt pooled out beneath her as they moved slowly back and forth.

Naruto wasn't sure he should applaud them or be disgusted. They were actually doing it ON THE FLOOR! A PUBLIC RESTROOM FLOOR! IN THE MENS' ROOM!

Aside from a million shoes having tracked all throughout the goddamn place, who's to say other people didn't have sex there too, or guys used the stall and didn't aim?

And in that moment Naruto felt unbelievably confident about his hygeine, even though he hadn't had a real bath in weeks.

These two were probably going to be itching tomorrow or worse.

Compared to these two brave souls, Naruto felt like a complete gentleman, because he had the decency to carry Hinata during their public adventure.

Naruto left them to it and walked out of the restroom.

"Now that I think about it..." He muttered realizing. "Both our first and last time together were in public restrooms."

* * *

Hinata overlooked the busy streets from a walkway bridge, the world and all its voices buzzing in her ears. She got out of school a couple hours ago before enjoying some fastfood beef bowls with Kiba and Shino around the corner.

She hadn't had a panic attack since her first one a couple weeks ago. She had been successful and she felt relief over this.

But she was far from home, even with the surprise success she had made with her father a couple nights ago. Even with her life seemingly returned to her, she still felt as she were a flower plucked from the ground and discarded.

She still felt like a drifter.

She could not replant her roots so easily. She lied on her side in vain, hoping one day the ground would welcome her again.

She was so close, yet not close enough.

She still felt like a stranger here.

Confidence had not caught up to her.

She was here physically, but mentally and emotionally elsewhere.

But perhaps she had finally gotten one root inserted into the ground.

The other day LaBelle had given her cut of the pay from the photoshoot.

_The spring issue of Gothic&Lolita Bible was about to come out in another week. Emilie had called her over to Yoyogi Park to talk to her about it._

_"Here." Smiled the blonde, her new complacency becoming a highly suspicious thing. Hinata looked down at the bundle that had entered her hand, at first not registering the object. Then suddenly her eyes burst open._

_"This can't be-!"_

_"60,000Y? Of course, I get a third of your earnings for being your agent and photographer, so I already took the liberty of taking my 30,000Y."_

_"Wait- Wait, Emilie-san, you should get half for all you've done-!"_

_"Who's the veritably jobless middle class citizen here, hm? Hina-chan, I've been well taken care of my whole life. What do I need extra money for?"_

_Hinata glanced down sheepishly understanding her mistake._

_"I-I see..."_

_"Of course, I'm going to have to find you other engagements, as G&LB is only quarterly." Emilie was grinning to herself. _

_The mechanisms in her brain were already at work, Hinata couldn't only imagine what sort of photo shoots she'd be subjected to if it wasn't all Lolita fashion._

_"Sounds... kind of scary, Emilie-san..." Hinata smirked nervously._

_"Maybe some lingerie pictures?" Emilie smirked with a mischevious gleam Hinata had never seen before._

_In fact it seemed that any positive expression the high-maintanence female wore was brand new... and a bit daunting._

_Hinata nearly fell forward at her bold suggestion._

_"WHY?" She burst out with sheer embarassment. She couldn't believe her friends would support her to do such things. _

_And she thought Moe was the only mischevious one to be aware of, after all she was a pervert. But... LaBelle too?_

_"It's not erotica or GRAVURE, silly. What makes you think I'd force you into that stuff?"_

_"But... lingerie..."_

_"It's just underwear."_

_"But even if... I don't think I could..."_

_"Let's try it anyways." Emilie smiled holding her fist parallel to her shoulder, wordlessly saying 'Ganbatte. Let's have fun and give it our all.'_

Hinata was still slightly mortified by the idea, but at the same time reluctantly interested.

_"Actually... I may need to go out shopping for bras again anyways..."_

_"Why's that?"_

_"93 centimeters. I'm not a G cup anymore, am I?"_

_"No, you're actually an H, honey."_

_Hinata nearly cried at this._

_"Oh no, you didn't buy all G's that day, did you?"_

_"I was in denial."_

The suggestion of extra modelling had been implanted in her mind and set to fertilize, and fertilize it did.

She hated her morbid curiosity at this point. They say curiosity killed the cat. Well her curiosity certainly has gotten her run over more than once. She wasn't sure if she could trust herself to fall for such interesting ideas again.

She was set upon a tight rope.

She could only go one way and that was straight.

The straight and narrow.

* * *

Hinata was attending her first rock show that night.

Moe had bought tickets for the sunday night venue at Shinjuku Loft, to see this blossoming band she had been supporting from the beginning. But Kiba had managed to buy the same tickets with the intention of inviting Hinata and dragging along Shino.

Moe had jokingly demanded Kiba to a duel for who got the right to give their extra ticket to Hinata. She had even whipped out her _Yu-Gi-Oh! _cards, something that perplexed Keisuke who didn't know she'd been collecting or why she was even had them on her.

In the end Moe declared she won the right since Kiba didn't even have any cards to battle with. Even though everyone knew not to take Moe too seriously, Kiba actually got annoyed at her for making that declaration.

_"You've already been Hinata's friend the longest! I don't get many opportunities to do this kind of thing with Hinata-chan!_

_If you get to grope her chest in public, then I get to take her out to a show!"_

_"... Are you jealous of us?" Moe asked blankly, the annoyed Kiba growing flustered at the implications._

_"I think he's trying to say you could be more considerate. " Keisuke explained with his usual exasperation, quietly adding under his breath, "As if we all haven't been saying that."_

And as if Moe couldn't get any worse, she did.

_"Alright, we can split her in half then."_

_The boys blanched, turned bright red, and began shouting at her but she talked right over them._

_"I get sole claim of Hina-pai's boobies and cute face. Oh, and I'm also the lessor of her secret garden. No man can lay seed unless he has successfully paid rent on time for a year._

_If the tenant shirks these responsibilities, he will surrender the keys and his penis."_

_"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"_

Hinata scoured her room for something that would fit where she was going. But all she had were comfortable clothes, girly clothes and those womanly outfits Hana-ao lent her from an old spring fashion show. She still had some of Moe's clothes from months ago when they had been trying to help her win her, at the time, nameless mystery crush. But none of Moe's garments fit her. Moe was too slender, her body that of a tomboy, and Hinata was too... full-bodied, in her overwhelming opinion.

She decided to wear the same side-shirred, body-hugging, black _Dizzy Darling_ dress she wore for Hanabi's birthday, and paired it with a bright violet leggings that were Moe's. She put her black mary janes on at the entrance way and hopped out into the night.

She had never been to Kabukicho before.

She wondered how she would like the bands.

The only modern taste she had was Shiina Ringo.

* * *

The train stopped.

She hopped onto the platform and went straight into a run, only to be stopped.

They'd been waiting for her the whole time, Moe, Kiba, and Shino. Keisuke didn't come as he wasn't interested, which secretly irritated Moe. She never realized how used she was to having him around, she always dragged him along and he had always been too wishy-washy to really complain. But he'd been complaining a lot more lately and he'd been winning those arguments as well.

Moe had her black hair pulled up in a messy ponytail, side-swept bangs pulled across her forehead to cover her left brow. She wore all _SEXPOT ReVeNGe_ clothing: A black _SKULL DOLL_ camisole with red trim, a _TRANCE_ cardigan sweater with the hood, sleeves and right half of the garment red and black stripes, the left front of the sweater a solid black with a grungey skull print on the upper chest, and lastly classic punk red plaid _BURST ROCK_ pants that came with leather studded patches, chains and a black bandana worn at the hip. Her eyes were smokey black, with a tinge of teal smudged in.

The third year _fujoshi_ beamed excitedly at Hinata's arrival, but she seemed so out of place next to Kiba and his tag along. Hinata could see the lonely Moe beneath the smile. She must've been waiting for Hinata because Keisuke wasn't around. And true to Hinata's intuition, she had felt out place alongside Kiba and his childhood friend.

She hadn't even tried to talk to them for fear of an awkward audience.

Without Keisuke, she was a one-man manzai show.

"Hina-pai, my love!" Moe launched herself onto Hinata and hugged her. The nickname she threw out unfortunately reminded the two boys about Hinata's 'attributes'. "You look so classy! Hold on, lemme tease your roots, you look too neat. Aw, but I'm so glad you curled your hair, this makes it easier."

As Hinata got her hair tousled, she got a good look at Kiba and Shino.

Kiba wore faded black denims with deconstructed patches, a black hoody and a faded red muffler wrapped loosely around his neck. Shino wore his uniform slacks, and a greyish-forest green hoodie with a high collar that covered his mouth.

Kiba elbowed Shino in the side, and shot him a suspicious look.

"You sure you don't dress the way you do so you can ogle girls?" Kiba asked as he pointed out the advantages Shino had with his hood to shadow his face, his glassed to cover his eyes and the damned high collar that covered the remaining half of his face.

"I don't. And if you choose to replicate me for your own gains, I will kick your ass."

"But this whole thing is _genius_!"

"Kiba, don't be a creeper!" Moe remarked from the sidelines, promptly sticking her tongue out at him. "I told you Hinata-chan's body is mine!"

"You said her breasts and her face!"

Hinata hung her head to cover her face. She doubted she'd ever be used to this sort of open conversation. Geez, everyone could talk so easily about sex but her.

_'Aaah! It's not sex, it's not sex! Aaaah, why did I think of it like that?'_

"Is that all you can think about, you pervert?" Moe fake-complained, as she pulled Hinata away with her, arm in arm. She tittered evilly to herself once the boys couldn't see her face.

As for Shino, he was feeling embarassed that Kiba was arguing with Hinata's friend right in front of her.

"Well, when we get to that door, I'm giving her her ticket."

Moe disagreed with this.

"I'm taking Hina-pai."

"What am I going to do with an extra ticket?"

"Tape it to your wall or something, keep it as a memento."

"I told you I don't get to do this sort of thing with Hinata-chan often!"

"I thought you said you spoiled her." Shino incredulously muttered, remembering his words all too well. Not to mention last year's evidence. Even then, Shino knew the guy had been trying to buy Hinata's heart.

"I deserve to be Hinata's date, alright? I'm not going to the concert alone!" Moe threw back.

"You're not going to be 'alone'! Hinata's still going to be there!"

"Hypocritical of you to say that! It's the philosophy of the thing, and you know that. Well, what am I going to do with _two_ extra tickets, huh? You got your concert buddy already, so I get mine. Anyways, you can't go on a date with a girl when you're hanging out with your best friend at the same time, selfish idiot!"

"Kiba, if you wanted this to be a date with Hyuuga-san, why did you buy a ticket for me?" Shino asked with almost accusational disbelief.

Kiba used to have a reason but now he couldn't remember it as the imaginary boulder of 'Epic Fail' fell upon his head.

But most of all he couldn't believe Moe was such a worthy opponent. He didn't even think he had to go through her or any of Hinata's friends to get to Hinata, but Moe was serious: She was the lessor and any possible suitor or tenant could not fully be with Hinata without signing a contract of agreements.

"Am I already not good enough?" Kiba whined hopelessly to himself. "Did I not rank better than the previous tenant?"

"Tenant?" Shino echoed with confusion. What did he mean by tenant?

* * *

Hinata was scared as they snuck their way in through the mass of jumping bodies. The floor boomed and practically shook beneath her as everyone jumped in rocking unison. But the high energy was infectious. The wild drum beats wriggled through her like earthquakes, and the melodic riffs lifted her up to shivering sensations of exhiliration. She felt bad she didn't even know what the singer was saying.

Moe lead them to the 'Naked Loft', which was like a lounge area. She knew Hinata would need to ease into the atmosphere before she would get swept up into it. She wanted to sit down anyways. She couldn't understand the singer either and her band wouldn't be the seventh venue anyways.

They slid into their seats, playfully bumped into eachother, poked and tickled eachother's sides. They gazed excitedly into the crowds, beaming with so much pleasure that youth shot out their teeth.

Kiba and Shino found them and made their way over to the table. But just as Kiba was about to sit down next to Hinata, Moe slung her leg over Hinata's lap and blocked the empty space with her foot.

"It's 'Girls Night' now. Go find another table."

"What? No way, I came here to hang out with Hinata-chan!"

Shino rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses and turned around to find another table, respecting Moe's wishes.

"Three things! One: You come to a rock show for _the rock show_. You know, like support the band? Actually watch them play and cheer them on? Two: I may have been her friend the longest, but you're her classmate. Also you're in the same year as her! So don't whine about not having enough time to spend with her! Three: Your concert buddy is over there." Moe pointed to Shino who sat in the back most table, his back against the corner as he attentively watched the band.

Kiba anxoiusly towards Hinata in hopes that she'd sway Moe's bitchy attitude, but the moon-pale angel with tousled curls had her head tucked against Moe's shoulder, her eyes attentively locked onto the energetic band with the power to derive cheers from the lake.

She wasn't looking his way, she hadn't even been paying attention to the dispute. Or maybe she was, but she didn't care who won. She didn't even defend either one of them or tried to get them to settle down and drop their pettiness if it was petty, that is.

Did this mean she really wanted to be with Moe tonight?

But why split up the group?

No, this wasn't the group, at least not the original group. It was just Hinata and Moe, everyone else from their group was not here.

But then Moe was the one splitting up the team, him, Shino, and Hinata. She was just as much of a selfish asshole as he was.

However, he still didn't understand why Hinata was ignoring all this, him tonight especially.

She'd been playing it cool with him. Everytime he tried to be cute with her, she would give a light smile, but never did she seem interested or willing to be involved.

Was she still depressed?

Had she become jaded?

Or was she playing hard to get?

"Shoo, already! I actually bought my tickets to have a good time and enjoy the bands."

"Fine."

Kiba sulked off, irritated and tired. But a part of him was hopeful.

Maybe Hinata was playing hard to get.

His feelings had to be obvious to her by now.

As soon as he sat down in the adjacent seat by Shino, he began mulling over what to do about Hinata.

_'She has to be playing hard to get. Moe declared 'Girls Night' and Hinata went along with it. Maybe they're scheming about re-igniting her love life. Maybe the whole 'girls night' was decoy so they could gossip about her love interests. Maybe Moe's asking Hinata if she likes me. Maybe Hinata already wants to be with me but she wants me to ask in a certain way. Shit, how will I know what that certain way is? Can I get Shino to play spy for me? No, I'll just ask Moe. She knows I'm a good guy, she was probably acting like a bitch to jerk me around. Wait, maybe she'll tell me after the show!'_

Kiba grinned with expectant excitement at the giggling girls. He couldn't wait for the show to be over.

Shino sighed irritably to himself, knowing full well what that naive grin was about. At least for him to suddenly go from sulking to exuberant in a matter of two minutes was transparent enough.

It would be his own fault when he got disappointed come midnight.

* * *

Moe's band finally came one. They had gone through two songs and had three more left. She had on this grin that would break her face, her eyes pinched back in a way that gave the impression she was crying.

"Alright, so who here watches _Hajime no Ippo_?" The lead singer addressed with a breathy grin. "Maybe you already know this song."

"MASATO-KUUUN, I LOVE YOUUU!"

The crowd had been thrashing alongside the five-man band, Moe included, and men were howling their enjoyment in the air.

The first line of lights breathed to life and slid their beams across the stage and out into the crowd like sunlight as the song started up. The second and third line of lights followed the same, illuminating the band in an almost heavenly light.

Masato held the mic to his mouth, his elbow aimed at the sky.

_"Somehow...  
I can't remember why,  
We stayed up till 4AM,  
We talked about  
Nothing important and then made love,  
No persons can be close as us,  
No persons can be close as us,"_

"Why is it that they chose an English-speaking singer?" Hinata looked up at Moe, witnessing bliss on another's face for the first time. She almost felt embarassed, like witnessing something intimate and special.

"Masato is half-American, half-Japanese. I wouldn't even care if he was half-American and half-Namek, he's so beautifuuuuul..."

The chorus came and the band started thrashing like heavy-metalists, despite the pop-sensibility of the particular song. Hinata wondered if this one could be considered a ballad. The rest of their songs had been definite screamo, but this song had more potential for commercial exploitation.

_"And now as she calls my name,  
Inside her dream,  
Kisses me still half asleep,  
Don't I wish that we could stay like this,_

_Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!"_

Moe was jumping and singing and hollering her heart out, swimming in bliss and desperation. She needed to achieve a higher state with Masato, she needed to melt into the crowd and feel what they were feeling. She wasn't sure what to do with herself anymore.

Moe walked back to the table and collasped by Hinata, frustration tugging at her heart strings. She was almost crying, she didn't know what to do. She couldn't let herself loose.

"Maybe it's a good thing Keisuke isn't here with me! If he was, he'd just be a third wheel! He would be too embarassed of me if I let myself go! Maybe it's good we're not hanging out anymore! We're graduating this year! We're pobably going to separate colleges, we'll have separate majors! ... I should get used to being without him! You know I'm nothing but a bully to him! I'm a shitty friend, it's alright if he dumps us! Why should my feelings get hurt when it's totally justified of him to hate me?"

_"Time flies,  
And I can't remember the  
First time that we met,  
Now I need her,  
Like I know she needs me too,  
It can't get much better than this,  
It can't get much better than this..."_

"Why do you think he would hate you?"

"I know he does! He complains about me all the time! Sometimes I'm afraid it's that bitch's fault! She's always putting me down in front of everyone, I think that's made him braver about criticizing me!"

"You shouldn't let LaBelle get to you..."

"And why not? She's your friend, Hina-chan! I couldn't tell her off no matter how many times I told her I had you first! No matter how annoying I got, she still stuck around! I think... I think I got so used to trying to scare her off that... that I've become this loud, bratty bitch... I was never like this! I was never this bad! FUCK! Why did I let it take me over?"

Tears were streaming down her face.

_"And now as she calls my name,  
Inside her dream,  
Kisses me still half asleep,  
Don't I wish that we could stay like this,  
yeah yeah yeah!  
I stop the alarm to watch her sleep and think I'd do anything,  
If I could make this time rewind forever,  
Till 7:59..."  
_

"You've yet to put me off, Moe."

"Which is exactly why I can't be without you! Keisuke will leave me someday, I know he has no problem with it! But you're the sweetest person I've ever met! Losing you would be failing at life!"

_"And now as she calls my name,  
Inside her dream,  
Kisses me still half asleep,  
Don't I wish that we could stay like this,  
yeah yeah yeah!  
I stop the alarm to watch her sleep and think I'd do anything,  
If I could make this time rewind forever!"_

"I'm sorry I ridiculed you for loving that guy... I'm sorry I was so hateful about you spending more time with him..."

"But I shouldn't have abandoned you... You were right to detest me... I became self-centered, I ignored school, my family, and you guys... I thought he was the most important thing in my life... I thought if I lost him, I'd lose everything..."

_"If I could make this time,  
If I could make this time,  
If I could make this time,  
If I could make this time rewind."_

The building boomed with cheers and whistles and applause before the band ripped into another song.

Moe had quieted down, succumbed to the emptiness she feared would cling to her upon the end of her wonder years.

"We're graduating this year..." She echoed amidst the roar of the band. "If Keisuke leaves me for University, and I leave for University, and LaBitch moves away for University... You'll be without us for a year. You'll have Kiba and your siblings for the next year, and then you'll move away for University... Neither of us will see eachother for four or six years... And then what happens after we have careers, and then families?"

"We can always keep in contact, Moe."

She shook her head pessimisstically.

"We can always try, sure... but... I know you'll have earned your own life. And Keisuke won't try to keep contact with me... Hopefully I'll be married or have a boyfriend... hopefully I won't end up like my parents... But I'm alone... how often is it that I'll be able to see you? I'm just saying... we won't be as free as we'd imagine we'd be living outside our parents' homes..."

"..." Hinata wasn't sure what to else to say... She understood what Moe meant. Her fears of mandatory but trivial responsibilities, the hand-me-down responsibilities of society, were fears she always had since junior high. That's why she so easily got sucked into role-playing, to stave off having to dwell on those fears.

"So..." Moe began flatly. "Kiba likes you."

"I know..." Hinata nodded flatly, too timid to show her true feelings to Moe who was socially down on her luck.

"Do you care? Doesn't sound like you care, heh-heh-heh..."

"I-I care! But... he should know I'm not ready yet..."

"You're considering him, then? Don't feel forced into something you don't want just because it seems to make sense."

"Then... what about when I wanted something that didn't make sense?" Hinata inquired, sadly thinking of how it felt to love him.

"I hated him, I'm sorry. He never asked you out. You were trying so hard, and he just treated your feelings like they were a joke. You lose confidence in a person who reciprocates too late. There's no point in waiting on them, it just uses you. But you know that, don't you?"

"Yeah... I know that now..."

* * *

The girls walked onto the sidewalk, Moe leaning on Hinata like a sappy drunk.

"Come on, I wanna go home..." Moe muttered dully.

"Shouldn't we wait to say goodbye to the guys?"

"Nope, let's go!"

But the galloping slap of shoes against concrete reached their ears before a familiar face reached their eyes.

"Hey, were you guys just going to leave?" Kiba asked, huffing for breath and feeling somewhat offended.

"Moe enjoyed the concert too much," Hinata joked mildly with a sorry smile. "I'm going to sleep over at her apartment."

"Oh wait, can I talk to Moe for a moment?"

"Can you what?" Moe screwed her eyes together, almost shooting him an accusing look. "I don't wanna talk to you, I wanna get home."

"But-! Don-Don't you have something important to tell me?"

Moe was still blinking at him, her state of confusion growing more and more irritating. And why the hell did he look so hopeful?

"Forget it, Kiba. She has nothing to tell you." Shino sighed as he appeared from the stairwell.

"But... but..."

"Night, Kiba." Moe waved him off, and gestured Hinata to start walking to the station. Never did they see the boulder of 'Epic Fail' fall twice on his head.

"You really haven't been too nice to him, though." Hinata commented, reflecting on Moe's earlier self-criticism.

"I know, but I really can't help it anymore." She sighed lazily. "Hopefully someday I'll figure out how to stop being a _tsundere_ bitch."

"I thought you told me tsundere means they become nicer by the end of the story."

"Then I hope I'll get nicer by the end of the story."

* * *

Moe's mom was staying at a boyfriend's apartment for a couple weeks, giving Moe the whole apartment to herself.

Hinata felt the bed give way as someone crawled atop it. She felt an arm slip around her shoulders, and soft head tuck itself against hers.

Hinata grasped her hand and held it in her cooler ones. It calmed Moe slightly.

"He was supposed to come over with me after the show... He knows he wasn't supposed to leave me alone tonight... But he had to go, or we would've just been fighting more... I just don't know why he has such thin skin..." Moe turned her face in and leaned her forehead against Hinata's ear, her lilac perfume a soothing scent for the recently black-haired Moe. "You can stay, right..? I... I don't want to be left alone..."

"I'll stay."

Moe nodded into her shoulder and closed her eyes. Her sinuses were loose from crying earlier, she was resisting the urge to sniffle.

"I don't know who's more emo right now, me or him. He's seriously got thin skin I think, but... he just can't stand me anymoe... that could mean he's got thicker skin, at least enough to stick up for himself now... Say... what happened to you in March?"

"What do you mean?"

"Kiba said something happened at school and you stopped going. I know we stopped talking for a good while before then, but he said... you were gone that whole time."

Hinata closed her eyes, knowing she couldn't tell the truth. It didn't seem to matter anymore anyways, so it was best to pretend she had ended it long before Osaka. It was easiest to go with what Kiba believed, that she had been hiding in her room for a week.

"I don't know... I guess I just feel like hibernating..."

Moe giggled at this and sniffled slightly.

"I feel like hibernating too. And I don't want to come out until it's safe again. ...Maybe I should pick a college in the south, huh? Have tropical fun in Okinawa every day, play volleyball and shit... Not a lot of homo hotties in Okinawa I bet though..."

Hinata's lips curled into a sleepy smile, adoring how Moe's mind worked. She was a straight arrow for curved boys, a downright outrageous pervert of a girl and it didn't seem like she would ever change.

"BL doesn't actually exist in real-life, does it?"

"What? Then what the hell was Atsuko and Yuki? They were the loveliest, punkiest gay couple I've ever seen! Sure Miku and Bou-kun's on-stage kissing were fan service, and Bou-kun actually is a lovely little gay crossdresser, but... Actually, yeah, see? Even Bou-kun! Long as gay asians exist, there's pretty Boy Love for my shameless fujoshi enjoyment!"

"You really are like a dirty old man, Moe!"

"Ew, imagine a dirty old man making dreamy eyes at beautiful boys! That's a fujoshi nightmare!"

They playfully poked eachother with their elbows, giggling and lightly laughing in the darkened room.

* * *

"So you like that Masato is half-American?"

"I don't know, honestly that's a dumb thing for anyone to care about. But then again, I guess that's where he gets his good looks from. I just love his pale skin and the curve of his brow. Even the way he screams is attractive to me, also when his eyes goes wide... it's so much better than the other bands and their excessive screaming. I mean, if I wanted to hear that kind of screaming I'd head to the business district and listen to the cubicle slaves doing their team screaming thing, ya know?"

"I think I understand..."

"I'm sorry... my emo moment ruined _Coldrain_ for us. You didn't get a chance to look into Masato's cute face, and neither did I much. Do you think that guy you liked was a half baby?"

"Half baby?"

"He was blonde and had blue eyes. That's still a rare occurence amongst halfies, but then again Eiji Wentz has a rather light color for a halfy. And his hair has always been light too."

"If it's a rare occurence... maybe he's..." Hinata trailed off unsure if she wanted to say it.

"Well he speaks perfect, althought rude, Japanese. I guess he's a native, but... definitely not native looking."

Hinata stared up at the cieling, unsure what to think, not that it mattered in the end though. But she had never thought about his blonde hair and blue eyes, or what they implied about him. Now there was a new secret about him she would never have explained.

"Hina-chan... Kiba likes you." Her eyes opened, glancing at Moe once before darting up to the cieling, to the computer screen, to the table where her studies lay in the lava lamp light. "You're not ready though." Moe mumbled softly, a tinge of concern in her words.

"I-I'm not..."

"It's alright, I'm sure he knows." Moe snuggled in closer to Hinata, a content yet shaky sigh released from her nose. A blonde-headed boy with a detached and unfriendly expression appeared in her mind, the words _'Is that what she tells you guys?'_ echoing in the back of her brain like the struggling flap of broken wings. Moe couldn't believe Hinata had fallen for such a loser. "That boy messed you up pretty bad..." She commented before fully resting her mind at ease. Yet her words only cut through Hinata and pulled her apart like someone pulling meat.

_"That boy messed you up pretty bad...'_"

Her eyes stung. They welled up so quick she couldn't stop the flow. Tears rolled into her ears, she had to turn away so she wouldn't get Moe wet. Her chest shook as if she had hiccups. She tried to repress her cries but it only made it more painful, it only made her want to cry out harder, louder... made her want to cry until the pain in her heart had been scratched out by the screams... cry until it was possible to taste a bit of blood - then she would know to stop. After tasting blood she would stop mourning for what she lost, for what she never had, and for what she'd never have.

But she could remember him so clearly now. She felt like shattered glass, yet the liquid that was he never left her, never trickled away, never slipped into the ground. Her shards were drowning in his liquid. She could not hold onto him, could not bottle him up and keep him forever, but he could continue to consume her, stick to her, and stain her.

And yet she had no idea why he was so important to her.

_"... He said you were nothing special! ..."_

Why was he so special to her when she wasn't special to him?

* * *

Naruto hung out in _Sankaku Koen_ again, enjoying the colors and the cozy, youthful atmosphere. Two Country Lolitas sat on the cement stairs, blithely eating custard and basking in the romance of the park lights. One girl had long black braids, the other had shoulder-length brown hair, curled at the ends. They nearly seemed like twins in their cherry patterned dresses, but their outfits were quite different. They talked with heavy accents, their giggles thick in his head like warm wine.

He could imagine Hinata sitting alongside them, her dark hair pulled into doll curled pigtails, teeth flashing behind an eager, saccharine smile. He could see her wearing a tea cup sized straw hat with flowers, ribbons straps under her chin, and her dress pastel pink gingham with a heart bodice, and white ribbons criss-crossed down the sides. He could imagine her eyes glinting blissfully, the park lights dancing on her pale skin.

The two lolitas began tapping their heels against the steps in time to an identical beat they had in their heads. The words came out in a melodic hum he could hear beyond the buzz of the so-called American Town. The tune was so bright and catchy, but the lyrics painted a lonely picture.

"I remember the season we met first and your grace smile. Bringing up old issues, we hurt each other as badly as possible. Our minds are full of thorns."

"With this continuous dull relationship. Grievously I can't change my mind. I still love you, I don't wanna be apart from you, but I have to tell you."

The country lolitas stood up and took their leave, giggling as they purposefully bumped and leaned onto eachother, they song floating to his ears.

"It's raining heavily in my mind, I'm stunned, I'm standing dead, my vision is blurry. Despite my determination, the pain is still penetrating. The bond between us has come apart and is dying away in everyday."

"Goodbye, my sweetheart, it's over. We have to leave without turning back."

"Just once, just once, if I could have my wish to come true..! I'd be born again and again and go see you on thooose daaaaaays!" The exaggerated high-pitch of the bridge was immediately smothered by hysterical laughter.

He watched them go, his eyes fixed on Hinata's back, her dark hair flowing from a white bonnet, and her imaginary giggles floating on the air.

Naruto wringed his hands nervously. He'd never had that vivid of a daydream before.

"I need to find something else to do." He sighed with his head hung and fingers laced behind his neck.

In real life Hinata was nothing but trouble. Anyone that cared about her hated him. She was dependent and frail-hearted. She was too much responsibility, and a part of Naruto agreed he wasn't good enough to take care of her.

Especially now.

But what if he had gone back to Tsunami's with her, instead of without her? Would Inari still have kicked him out? Would Tsunami have ignored Inari's wishes knowing that Hinata couldn't be made homeless alongside Naruto? Would Tsunami have forced Hinata to return home? Would she have asked both he and Hinata to return home?

If so, Naruto would have broken up with Hinata anyways, and he would have sent her home while he stayed behind. He couldn't return to Tokyo. They could catch him. And Hinata would know everything then. She would witness him being tackled to the ground, forcefully lifted up and shoved into the back of a police car. Even if Naruto could get Mizuno to believe he was set up, that he didn't kill the taxi driver, they still had him for The Shinjuku Incident.

He helped carry their drugs.

He helped them smuggle guns.

He was a witness to extortion and blackmail.

He had been a witness and participant of The Water Trade.

He was a witness to a murder of a prostitute.

Aomori made him do so much illegal shit that it would it give Danzo a hard-on to see him get hanged for it all, if the belligerent bastard were alive that is.

And then there was the one murder he actually committed - Reishi's.

No, Naruto had to stay in Osaka. Hiding out here and forsaking civilization was so much better than having everything taken away.

It was better to dump than be dumped.

* * *

Hinata rode the train out of Chiba to Metro-Tokyo, her head slightly hung and shoulder slackened with exhaustion. It wasn't so much the sleeping arrangement last night that drained her this early morning but the horrendous heartache that wouldn't leave her the damn alone.

She thought she had been doing so well.

It's been nearly two months.

Yet barely into her first month of school, she was still sick and frought with remorse.

How long was she meant to withstand this burden? How long was she going to hold onto this memory?

It was ridiculous. Everything about this was ridiculous. Yet there was nothing she could do about it. Her heart could not change, it refused to.

But to love him like this was wrong, illogical. She told herself she had to hate him for all the things he'd done, for all the ways he took advantage of her, for all the ways he made her trust him again and again when she knew there was no point in it. She had been so mad seven weeks ago.

Why wasn't she mad at him now?

_"And now as she calls my name,  
Inside her dream,  
Kisses me still half asleep,  
Don't I wish that we could stay like this,  
yeah yeah yeah  
I stop the alarm to watch her sleep and think I'd do anything,  
If I could make this time rewind forever,  
Till 7:59..."_

Had Naruto felt like Coldrain's song? That night in the hotel, when they had hugged eachother so tight, unable to sleep for fear of nightmares and speeding up time... Had he wished he could keep her forever then? Had he wished he could stop the alarm and stop them from ever waking up and departing?

Had he accepted that it would all end at 8AM?

Hinata wondered if the break up had been as tough on him as it had been on her. She wondered if he had just as difficult a time breaking it off with her as the boy had in Megurine Luka's song.

But she never saw him cry the day he put her on the train, never saw his heart break in his eyes while hers had been breaking itself into irreconcilable pieces.

But he'd been having nightmares the night before. He'd been crying and shaking then, burdened by past mistakes, frightened to death of himself.

What would Tsunade think if she knew all this? There seemed to be an unimaginable horror stored within Naruto's scarred heart. Would they understand if they knew - if they could just see it? Would Tsunade understand if she saw it?

Did Naruto think she wouldn't understand it?

_"... I can't fail anymore..."_

Hinata hung her head as it seemed a veil had overcome her sight. She couldn't stand feeling so useless, so lost and aimless. What the hell was she supposed to do? Sit through the suffering?

Hinata clung her bag to her chest, the tears rolling off her cheeks in tandems. Her breath hitched in her throat. She swiftly inhaled, but nearly choked as the air did not pass easily. She forced herself to regulate breathing, but she couldn't remember how. Tears fell faster and she breathed with her mouth, her intake short and uneven.

She never noticed the young man across from her. He sighed a familiar phrase under his breath and began fishing out a hankerchief in his blazer pocket. He got up and sat down next to her, her immediate reaction was to shrink away despite that she didn't know who he was.

"Here," He gruffly offered. But she turned him down with a grimace and a pathetic shake of her head. "Hyuuga-san..." He breathed solemnly, handing the cloth closer towards her. "Please take it."

Pale fingers clumsily darted out for the cloth, then curled desperately around it and swiped it off his hand. But Hinata was too overwrought now to use it, as womanly cries echoed from her mouth. He knew her name. Hinata began to feel like shit knowing she was having a veritable break down in front of someone that knew her, though she wasn't sure who he was. But if he knew her name, he must be a former classmate. That sent alarms in Hinata's brain like electroshock and she shrunk further into herself, willing herself away into nothingness, anything she could do to be forgotten by this person.

"Troublesome..." He sighed shaking his head in bewilderment. He had been hoping for a nice ride to school. He had never seen Hyuuga on his route before. He grimaced when Hinata began to try to stifle her voice. She almost appeared to be convulsing, the sobs having no where to go - her shoulders shook like crazy. "God..." He sighed as he leaned forward, laying his face in his hands. He didn't know what to do for her. He didn't know her well enough.

He knew about the video.

He knew about Kiba's feelings for her.

He knew about her relationship with the loud-mouth troublemaker.

He knew all this through Kiba.

He knew this much through obversation and the change of chemistry in the classroom over the past few months.

Last trimester had ended on a fever pitch.

The video had spurred so much trash talk that the school felt like a war zone. Harada-sensei couldn't handle the antagonism and pejorative of her students. Sakio-sensei was on a vendetta more than ever against Naruto, who hadn't been seen since the incident. The parents of the first years were demandng to hold a vote against the principal. They found him to be a very slack man for allowing these things to happen at the school and they wanted him out.

In six weeks, the ruckus had been reduced to an uncomfortable memory, occasionally brought up between former classmates of 1-B. Currently the board have been holding frequent meetings concerning the welfare of their students, and not without investigation. Sakio would often be found smirking the next day after these meetings. He was controlling the arguments, especially participating in the board's investigation towards the conduct of their M.I.A. student Naruto.

He was the reason for the fights.

He was the reason for the two Yakuza appearing on school grounds.

He was the reason for the four-fingered chinpira stalking their female students.

And now he was the reason for Hinata's public humiliation.

He turned to check up on her. She sat hunched forward, face in her hands, the hankerchief clutched in her slender fingers. She was quieter now, but the hurt was not gone.

Shikamaru didn't think it was a good idea for her to go to school today.

* * *

They arrived fifteen minutes late. Everyone was already in their classrooms.

Shikamaru escorted Hinata to the Infirmary. She was weak, her walking clumsy and aimless. She seemed to be in confusion, far too distracted by the war inside her heart that she couldn't make herself function normally.

Shizune was taken aback by their appearance as they entered.

Hinata was wide-eyed, ashen. Sweat filmed over her colorless face, and she moaned like a mute, seemingly pleading for help or crying to escape.

Hinata was seeing spots. Shadows covered her peripheral vision, and a fear struck her that god was stealing her breath to punish her. Her fingers tingled, went cold, then suddenly she couldn't feel her arms nor her face. Everything felt so far away, she couldn't touch anything anymore.

Shizune gingerly and nervously moved to take Hinata from Shikamaru, while Tsunade watched them from her desk, utterly dumbfounded.

"What is this now? What happened?" Tsunade barked unnecessarily at the exasperated Shikamaru.

"She's under a lot of stress." He sighed, muttering a casual 'troublesome' at the end. He tried to will the trembling in his hands to stop. He wiped the sweat off his palms on his pants, and shoved his hands in his pockets, but still they continued to tremble.

As soon as Shizune had sat Hinata down on the bed, the frail girl collasped backwards onto the mattress. A solemn, almost angry expression feel upon Tsunade as she walked out from her desk and marched over to the bed. Shikamaru swore he could feel flames radiating off of Tsunade. She had become intense.

Shizune worked off Hinata's indoor shoes and removed her school bag from her person and place her things on a chair by the bed. As Tsunade moved Hinata into a comfortable position she noticed that the young girl had passed out.

Her face was ruddy and stained with tear tracks. The pain within her heart shown upon her sleeping face.

Tsunade didn't understand this at all.

* * *

Terse, hushed voices spoke animatedly beyond her consciousness, their aura tense. Her eyes felt sore, but she knew where she was. She turned her head towards the voices, very lazily lifting her eyelids. Tsunade's silhouette stood closely by the curtain. She often moved around the Infirmary, but always strayed back to Hinata's bed. Shizune stayed a little ways from the bed, trying to reasonably confront Tsunade's irritation.

"Tsunade-hime, do you really think that'll be necessary? He could have just dropped out..."

"Dammit! Why the fuck isn't Jiraiya taking care of him? Why the hell did he let him come to Tokyo? He's supposed to be his guardian! He's supposed to be watching him, not letting him run loose!"

"Run loose?"

"He's his godfather! ... Dammit! You know what? I know where he is! I know where he is and I'm placing a Missing Persons Report to get him back here! Because I know Naruto! If he's not at school, he's SOMEWHERE ELSE! He's probably in Osaka again!"

_"Naruto..."_ The name had bubbled up and oozed out of her mouth like the tears that begun to spill over into her ears and onto her hair. A tremor shook in her chest. She hiccupped quietly, fighting the involuntary sobs from bringing attention to herself. She inhaled and swallowed, inhaled and swallowed, inhaled and swallowed, trying to take deep breaths, trying to dissipate the sobs, trying to silence herself.

But the conversation beyond her sight ended abruptly, and the curtain was pulled aside. Hinata tossed her face away from Tsunade's and screamed at herself to get a grip and stop crying.

"Hyuuga-san." Tsunade addressed her gently, yet firmly as well as she hoped Hinata would turn to face her. "Does the light hurt your eyes?" Tsunade then asked, assuming she was photo-sensitive. She closed the curtain behind her, casting both of them shadow. Tsunade could see the girl's chest convulsing just barely beneath the sheets. Muffled cries escaped from her every now and then. Tsunade bent down to her level to speak more intimately to her. "Hyuuga-san, I believe you had a panic attack. Nara-san escorted you here, do you remember?"

"... y... yes."

"Do you remember what caused your attack?"

Hinata weakly shook her head. "I was... just trying n-not to cry... I hyperventilated..."

"..." Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the despondant young girl. She was trying to hold a strong front, but she had no reason to. "That's why you passed out. What was it that set off your attack?"

"..."

"Why were you crying then?"

It was that word, that place.

Osaka.

It had been a punch to the head, and two punches to her heart. What she suppressed to remember rushed up to the surface. It built up, burst open, broke her apart, shattered her to pieces. She found herself drowning in his liquid again. The world was drowning too, blurry, watery, and indistinct.

It weighed down on her knowing she couldn't stop the flow.

It pissed her off knowing she couldn't get dry.

"..." Hinata closed her eyes and continued to choose silence. Tsunade sighed and got up.

"Hyuuga-san, you must at least find a healthy way to deal with your stress. You can't expect to keep it all in and remain fine. It's going to find a way out, just like it did this morning."

The curtain closed, cutting Hinata off from everyone again. Shizune wordlessly asked Tsunade about Hinata's condition, recieving muttered concerns as they took their conversation away from Hinata's prescence.

Warmth left her as their prescences had, leaving Hinata to deal with the needles in her head.

She didn't know what to do with herself.

She glanced down at her right hand, fingers clutched tightly around a moist cloth.

She still had Nara-san's hankerchief.

* * *

Shikamaru returned to the Infirmary during lunch hour, with Kiba and Shino following behind. Kiba resisted the urge to look foolish by running.

Shikamaru told him she had a break down. He'd been wracking his brain earlier wondering why she never showed up to class. He wondered what the hell could have sparked this for her.

As soon as they had entered the office, Tsunade looked up, a wry and humorous smirk playing on her lips.

"Suitors?" She proposed jokefully at the three boys come to see Hinata.

"N-No!" Sputtered a blushing, huffing, wide-eyed Kiba, who was the only one gullible enough to reply.

"Alright, who wants to see her first?" Tsunade asked coolly as she leaned back in her little office chair. Shino and Shikamaru both silently pointed at Kiba. Tsunade laughed at this slightly and ushered him closer. She stood from her desk and walked over to the sterile white curtain protecting the cursed princess. Kiba looked into her quiet face, the barest of grimaces revealing to him the discomfort of her earlier confusion.

Tsunade closed the curtain and allowed them to talk.

* * *

The air between them felt light and heavy at the same time, the fluorescent lighting muted behind the curtains. They could hear one another's breathing, steady and comfortable, like the soft breathing of a sleeping baby.

Hinata could feel the heaviness surrounding Kiba. He worried so much over her, it wasn't fair for him to suffer like this, in a turmoil created by her own. Yet like the touch of hands, it endeared her and she couldn't help but smile a little in her state of calm.

Hinata turned her face towards Kiba, and threw her hand out towards him. He hesitated for a few seconds at first, before gingerly cradling her hand between his own. The warmth of his blood radiating through her muscles, his pulsed seeped into hers.

It was then Hinata began to witness the responsibility of a heart.

"What happened?"

"I tried not to cry in front of Nara-san, s-so... I-I ended up hyperventilating and... I passed out." Hinata downplayed it. She didn't think she could handle retelling her experiences.

"Why were you crying?"

"..." Hinata knew what to say, but she disliked to say it. She wondered if she could bear the responsibility of Kiba's heart. "... I'm just stressed out."

* * *

"Shino-kun." Hinata smiled, causing him to instinctively take a step backwards, but his conscious brain reminded him to step forward, and he did this short awkward dance before finally sitting down.

"Hyuuga-san." He curtly nodded, eliciting a tiny laugh from his classmate.

Shino found he had nothing to say, not that he ever said much to begin with.

* * *

"You seem better now." Shikamaru flatly commented, slouching with his hands in his pockets. Yet despite his aloof exterior, he felt relief to see Hinata calm again. Also he was thankful he hands stopped shaking a couple hours ago. That panic attack of hers was one of the scariest things he'd ever seen. Even scarier than his mother's temper.

Hinata still felt rather embarassed in his prescence, but also grateful. She forced a smile in hopes the whole thing would be forgotten.

Hinata glanced down at her hand and found the hankerchief he had lent her to be all crumpled and stained with tears and palm sweat (and -what she feared- probably a bit of snot too).

"A- Anou... I'm sorry to have ruined your hankerchief, Nara-san."

"It's alright, don't worry about it."

"I-I'll wash it as soon I get home and I'll return it to you tomorrow-!" She blurted out sheepishly, her face burning warm.

He smiled and shook his head with a lazy laugh. "It's fine, really." Shikamaru touched the back of his neck and glanced up at the ceiling, a thought passing through his head. He sighed, always the exasperated one. "...Actually... maybe that would be a good idea. I don't think Temari would appreciate knowing I lent her hankerchief to a classmate." Now it was his turn to feel embarassed.

"O-Oh... I-I see..."

"Yeah..."

* * *

Hinata felt the loneliness drape over her second by second.

The boys had left a little over an hour ago. She remembered hearing Kiba muttering to Shino that she couldn't be left alone. Tsunade gave her a dubious look at his words, and asked her if he was reasonable.

He might have been.

As an introvert she spent far too much time dwelling on errant thoughts, and naturally she didn't share her troubles.

_"Find a healthy way to deal with your stress. You can't expect to keep it all in and remain fine. It's going to find a way out, just like it did this morning."_

But with role-playing on the bridge every sunday gone, she was left with no back-up plan, no hobbies.

A couple months ago, her time spent with Naruto had been like seven sundays put in one afternoon. She never felt so splendid so easily before. She readily replaced role-playing for him, mistakenly replaced her friends for him.

Now he was the cause of her stress.

Now... if she didn't figure something out soon... he would be the cause of many more panic attacks.

* * *

Star - Next chapter will be more exciting! The next arc begins alas, whoo-hoo! PM me if you want to leave a review. T.T

REVIEWS ARE STILL APPRECIATED! (don't make the puppies cry okay? XP)

* * *

Liner Notes:

- "Tera Moesu" : Moesu is an amount of 'moe', and Tera is a unit for 'moe' meaning Trillion. So 'Tera moesu' is to have 'one trillion moesu' or having an immense feeling of 'moe', as in a trillion. (learned for Fujoshi Rumi. Hooray for that cute manga and it's occasional lesbianism! Laaa!)

- Coldrain : J-Rock screamo band that I don't know nearly enough about. (damn you wikipedia! someone learn about these people for me, please!) (the one dialogue from Masato is completely fictional and derived out of artistic liscence. I did my best with what I had, and all I has is youtube)


	37. Lions

Star - Sorry I didn't update in... pretty much nearly a year. Couple months away I think. Motivation been escaping me since it's an old story now. But I don't want to stop writing it. I just hope the time spent and such means something in the end. I mean I know it's just another fanfic and I know that it's kind of my first and then that it's been there for me as practice and a record of my improvement and how I write and such... (run on sentence OTL), so to finally state the leading conclusion: in the end for this fic to mean something, is that it stood to improve my writing and how I steered stories after blocks and such. So that's what I'm supposed to appreciate it for. But I mean, I kinna hope and have been hoping it'd become a popular fanfic and be like one of those word-of-mouth fics that got people together. ^^; Cuz initially I wanted to write a story that made me happy, and a fic that did the High School genre good. But I guess it's not that type of fic, so I guess I'm happy enough for the momentary hype it did have and the people who have expressed great admiration in the past. I miss you guys and your reviews. But Naruto is nearly over, and I recognize that perhaps fanfiction isn't an addiction anymore to general population of fans (idk). C'est la vie. I wish I could update like I used to. It'd definitely be towards the end by now. I'm especially having a hard time figuring out how to get back into the original ideas I had for this story, such as ShikaTema, Gaara's story, NejiTenten-ness, and giving my OC's stories their clean cut endings. But whatever. Integrity is kinna lost here. I mean, I'll keep working on it and try to finish it as accurate (to my original plans) as possible. 'Cause if I don't go with my original ideas, it's not gonna be a smooth ending. Man, my original plot flow was amazing... wonder how it got this way. OTL

(chapter's title taken from and chapter theme inspired from tUnE-yArDs "Lions". Yeah just pimping that shit out now haha. Originally when this chapter was gonna be longer, it was going to be titled 'Losing Sleep' from Charlotte Sometimes, and back then I had also been on a Charlotte Sometimes hype, but that's old story now. I may use her for chapter titles later, on but something about "Lions" feels right. Maybe because this chapter feels a tad filler-ish to me, eheh. Anyhow, If you've noticed, I've defaulted to song titles because my lame tries at making anime opening titles was completely weeaboo. Fun at the time, but weeaboo.)

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch. 37 - Lions

Hinata turned on her side, her heavier thoughts settling like sand in a bottle of water, weighing her down as such.

"... Blonde... with blue eyes..." Tsunade was on the phone. Hinata was sure she was filing the Missing Persons report. "... about 170 centimeters..."

_Pin-pan Pin-pon!_

The bell rang.

The curtain pulled aside revealing a politely smiling Shizune.

Hinata sat up slowly, taking her time to slip her shoes on and stand up. She felt lightheaded, sleepy, exhausted and somehow indifferent but worried. She feared how soon she would have another breakdown. She feared about messing up her schooling again and having to take supplementary classes. She worried about Kiba.

Hinata straightened out her skirt and grabbed her bag, slinging the strap across her shoulder. She thanked Shizune, bowing her head and headed for the door. She glanced behind her where Tsunade sat at her desk. She was still filing the report. Hinata bowed her head to Tsunade and made her leave, but not before hearing the rest of Tsunade's message.

"... I suggest you check Naniwa-ku, Osaka-"

The door closed behind her, cutting the sentence short. Suddenly her ears yearned to hear the rest. She was tempted to creak the door open but hadn't the nerve.

The halls were noisy. Everyone was heading home or heading out. Hinata was relieved she didn't have cleaning duty today. She didn't think she could concentrate today.

Hinata dragged herself through the hall, partly because she was still exhausted, but mostly so she could slow down her thoughts. She sensed a change in her reality, this she had to figure out.

_"You know what? I know where he is! I know where he is and I'm placing a Missing Persons Report to get him back here!_

_Because I know Naruto! If he's not at school, he's SOMEWHERE ELSE! He's probably in Osaka again!"_

/

_"I have some friends that live here. This old man, well, he's a carpenter! An architect! Him and his daughter and grandson live by here somewhere!"_

Did that mean Naruto always ran away to Osaka? She had thought they had gone to visit Tazuna and Tsunami because it was convenient for Naruto. She didn't think he had chosen Osaka because he had always stayed at their apartment.

Was it actually bad that Naruto relied on their hospitality, then?

No... that's not what mattered here...

Tsunade was filing a Missing Persons report.

They were going to find Naruto easily.

Hinata swayed. She put her hand out against the wall and steadied herself. The reality she had been living in for the past two months, the realilty she thought she would be living in for the rest of her life, was coming apart around her like wallpaper. Psychological cover-up, peeling off around her, revealing the scars she learned from but wished not to be reminded of - it was hopeless, she would never get over this.

Now she could see, again- her battered, chipped, punched-in walls, riddled with graffiti, her fears and questions calling back at her.

_What will happen now?_

_Will Tsunade have him come back to school?_

_Will he be in our year? Will he be in our class?_

_What if we see each other again?_

_I think you'll pass out..._

_What would Kiba think?_

_Will anything even happen between us again?_

_We're not together, we must continue to ignore each other._

_What if we don't? _

_What if we forget?_

_What if everything just repeats itself?_

"Naruto... is coming back..."

* * *

Kiba was embarassed over his possessive behavior at the Loft. He had been in tunnel-vision ever since Hinata came out of hiding. She wanted to forget and get better, and he wanted to help her. He couldn't ask to hang out with Hinata now after his behavior towards Moe, yet it didn't take him to realize this until Shino pointed it all out.

_"You have a one-track mind." Shino stated flatly as the subway train bumped along the tracks._

_Suddenly the cieling lights felt like they were all pointed on him, and Kiba hung his head in resignation._

Kiba stepped out into the courtyard, ready to head to his family's pet shop. The sky was overcast and the air slightly heavy with cool moisture. He saw Hinata making her way to the gate, her stride slow and her shoulders huddled. She seemed so small, it seemed unnatural for her to look so lonely. The Hinata he had first known was quiet and a bit timid but she had been confident, she had been comfortable in her skin and in her surroundings.

Now it was as if the puzzle had been taken apart. She was having trouble reconnecting what fit where and some pieces she couldn't even find anymore.

Kiba wanted to help her, but now thinking about it he felt like a meddler and a shameful friend.

He reminded himself he would have to be more patient.

* * *

"It won't be for a few days however, when they retrieve him," Hinata told herself as she started stuffing clothes in a black duffle bag. Once the bag was full she realized what she was doing and stopped. "Why am I packing?" She dropped the bag and stood up. She walked aimlessly around her room, at first to her closet then to her bed, then finally to her dresser. She decided to get dressed to leave the house and looked through her dresser for clothes but none of the ones she wanted to wear were there. Then she thrifted through the duffle bag and found the clothes she wanted most to wear at the moment and pulled them out.

She pulled on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and long grey scoop neck shirt.

She chose to head out and grab something sweet in Shibuya to take her mind off things.

Yet she still couldn't believe how soon it would be until Naruto came back.

The thought hit her hard and she dropped pitifully on her knees, the shouji door wide open. The damp air clung to her skin, giving her goosebumps. Frigid breezes twined their fingers in her hair and dissipated like vaporous ghosts. His house stared back at her in the blue atmosphere, like a rudely smirking neighbor, reminding her 'You-know-who is coming back. And then you'll be coming back here every day'. Her nails dug into her palms as she fought against the hurt she continued to harbor. Her heart felt swollen, like a dead body that'd been soaking in the bay for three weeks, or an enema undrained. It beat the same way it did when they had kissed, her mind crying out his name.

_'Even if a few days... he's going to be here soon... What am I going to do? He feels so close already... I thought my life was going to be brand new... I thought I could make him irrelevant... ... ... this sucks... I can't pretend he didn't matter to me... God, why does he have to come back?'_

Hinata collapsed onto her back, throwing her right arm in resignation over her soggy eyes. Her heart continued to beat to the recorded sensation of their kisses and she found herself wanting him back even more and more.

She couldn't stand the thought of him returning, but she wanted him back more than anything.

She shivered in the cold, tears soaking her forearm and cheeks as she moaned in her humiliation.

"... don't make me face him again... please... "

She hadn't a clue who she was asking, she just needed to be heard.

She needed to regain control of her fate, less she give up altogether.

She had to protect the remnants of her dignity. She had to prove she was strong enough solo.

* * *

It was coming down outside. The rain tenderly beat the earth and drummed like thick fingers atop the rooves and city buildings.

Tsume stood before the front door of her petshop, angling her head left and right to see if anyone was heading for their store.

"Akamaru's not going to get out is he, Kiba?" She asked her son warningly. He was playing with the puppies in the pen area they had set up in the farthest corner of the store. They nipped and clawed playfully as his hand, occasionally stopping to nip and claw at one another.

"He knows not to get out when it's raining. I allowed him my room for the day anyways, so I don't think he'll be going anywhere."

Tsume nodded at this, giving a little huff after some time, her hands on her hips.

She was feeling quite listless and wasn't sure whether to fight against it or give into it. After all there was very little call to be productive with today's weather.

"It's good you know your dog so well. Some people don't even deserve to be pet owners." She complained, shaking her head derisively at past experiences.

A vagueness hovered throughout the shop, infecting its residents with a gloom that neither gave nor bore a sadness, but rather sucked the color out of the daylight.

Hana was hunched over her veterinary textbooks, mostly about animal medicine and breed disposition to certain diseases. She was applying for graduate school in Iwate Prefecture. The city wasn't for her anymore, she liked the cooler climate and humble surroundings. The view of Mount Iwate in Morioka was her favorite as well. Whenever Hana's iminent move was brought to mind, pleasant excitement and uneasiness would stir in a sluggish way inside his stomach. He'd think about how he would have one less overbearing female prescence in his immediate life. He'd think about the possibility that his mom may focus even less on him with his sister gone, unable to keep their mother organized and help her multi-task. But then he'd think about the distance. He'd think about how the most pragmatic person he knew wouldn't be around for him, that his only view into the female mind would be miles and miles away. He never asked her for advice before but as the days passed and the more he thought about her leaving, the more he wanted to ask her things and tell her things. As siblings there was an inheritance be to close and he hadn't taken advantage of that inheritance.

"Hey, Hana-neechan...?" Kiba mumbled self-consciously as he turned himself halfway towards the register counter. He dropped his voice and shut his mouth, his mother having run interference on his call. She was right next to Hana, talking to her about the facts presented in the textbook, his sister nodding attentively sideways and providing some of her own insight.

Sometimes Kiba wondered if his mother just preferred Hana better because she couldn't get along with males. After all she couldn't keep their father or any men around longer than a night.

But Hana didn't have that problem. She didn't have her mother's eyes and she didn't have her mother's curse.

_'Do I... maybe?'_ Kiba wondered apprehensively. He had some runs with girlfriends in Junior High but never longer than a couple nights to a couple weeks. All this time he figured it due to puppy love, that he was attracted to a girl and she showed some interest back. But now he wondered if it ran deeper than that. Hinata seemed to want him around. She seemed to want to stay close to him. She looked to him for comfort at times, he hadn't been imagining that. But she had been in love with someone else. She was hung up on this other person and yet she was done with this person now too. And no matter how gentle and patient Kiba was with her, they didn't grow any closer. It was like her feelings stopped here with him.

Could this be his mother's curse? Could it be that girls could only get so close to him? Could it be that he could only have brief, meaningless romances?

Kiba knew he would be a good boyfriend to Hinata. He had no doubt or fear in his mind about that, he would never do her wrong. He had no reason to fear hurting her, but since the other night he had become concerned with things he never considered before.

What if the respect he felt for her wasn't good enough to make him her boyfriend?

What if respect wasn't good enough to hold a relationship together?

Could he express his love for her without the guise of gifts?

_'She would eventually tire of gifts...'_ Kiba knew as he shook a toy _maguro_ sushi plushy in front of the one-month old boxer. It was her favorite toy last he remembered, but the pup just turned her head and walked away from it, finding her surroundings to be more interesting.

Kiba began to feel hindered by his simple protective nature. Like a fourty-year old bachelor feeling his age, Kiba felt the flaws in his personality and in his perspective; His one-track mind when it came to something he wanted or cared about, his possessive tendencies and his jealousy, his over-confidence that his boundless loyalty and respect made him the worthiest person to be with Hinata... these were all in fact his flaws, and his capacity for loyalty was his only defining trait.

He had no idea what else was good about himself and this festered a doubt in his worthiness.

_'This whole time I've been too cocky... I can still be a great boyfriend for her... but that's really not enough... Maybe what I thought was progress with her was all my imagination...'_

* * *

Hinata had hoped the rain would obliterate the thoughts in her head. She had hoped the rain would pound out the pain in her body.

Her hair clung to her face and neck. Water rolled down the back of her scalp, down her spine and absorbed into her clothes. Her shirt was a gradient of moisture, dark grey clung to her shoulders and against her bra, the lower half mostly dry but spotted with droplets. She shivered in her skinny jeans which did nothing to keep her warm but constricted her in the cold.

She stared down the front door of Naruto's abandoned house, its emptiness echoing hers. She felt alive somehow, painfully alive and delirious. Her chest swelled and ached with pangs, her heart was brimming with childlike wishes and overflowing with motiveless love and distraught 'why's'.

Why for running away?

Why for being so kind some days and uncaring the others?

Why for calling her his girlfriend but never wanting to ask her out?

Why for touching her but never wanting her fully when he had the chance?

And why for that video?

Did he want to humiliate her?

Did he see her worthy of ridicule as others did?

Hinata walked towards the house, stepped onto the porch and stared blankly at the door. She rested her fingers on the knob, then gripped it. The cold metal permeated her feverish skin. She turned the handle and gently pushed the door. It didn't budge. She glanced up, remembering that the jamb had originally been broken and the door had trouble closing all the way. But now the door was firmly locked in place. Her brows furrowed as she narrowed her eyes at the hinges and corners.

She blinked, her eyes wide open. Her realization came instantaneously, the memory passing through her like a ghost. She could feel her forehead against the door, the soggy mutterings and betrayed cries. She could feel how hot her tears had felt that night, she could hear her own words, how she told herself she should hate him, how she had been shattered, sapped, and a shell. That night the door should have opened with ease. It would have opened with the slightest push from all her noise.

Had the jamb been fixed during her time away?

And who been here that they even bothered to shut the crooked door completely?

Hinata turned the handle more firmly and thrust her wrist forward. It gave a creak but nothing more. She pressed her shoulder agaist the door and pushed. Once, twice, three times, each with a promising new creak.

One last time she thrusted her hand on the knob and threw her shoulder into the door. It flew open and pulled her along. She stumbled clumsily into the _genkan_, gripping the knob fiercely to keep herself from falling. She pulled herself up and closed the door, shutting herself in the staleness. A smell hung in the lonely home, musty and damp like a garage, and the distinct spice and headiness of his boyish odor clinging to the walls and the floors and from the bathroom.

There was another smell as well, it lingered in her nose and tingled her sinuses.

The tang of blood.

She began to unconsciously register this smell in association to the troubled blonde. Barely a resident of Tokyo for five months and Naruto managed to expose Hinata to more blood and violence than she'd ever seen her whole life.

"How much worse could things get, then?" She muttered in sarcasm, as she imagined herself and Naruto back at it by next week, finding something new to be upset about with each other every other week or so, arming themselves with the other's insecurities, cuddling and snogging at night when their hormones and loneliness get the best of them, then finding disappointment again in the morning. And the past three months apart would be a hiccup in their timeline. The cycle would begin itself all over again and again and again:

I like you.

I want you.

I love you.

I need you.

You're not good enough for me.

I can do better.

I miss you.

Let's just be friends.

I like you.

I want you.

I love you.

I need you.

You're not good enough for me.

I can do better.

Currently their position was 'I'm not good enough for you', which was how Naruto ended their brief-lived official relationship, but that was in fact code for 'You're not good enough for me'. So when he would return, their position would become 'I can do better', in which he would ignore her for the most part and try to fulfill that part of him that felt number one. And when he failed at that and he would see her in 'a new light', he would say he missed her and want to be friends again until their hormones got the better of themselves and they would be in eachother's arms once again. This sharp contrast from negative to positive would make Naruto temporarily possessive of her, until the day she messed up somehow and he would want to move on and 'try something new'.

I like you.

I want you.

I love you.

I need you.

You're not good enough for me.

I can do better.

Hinata slumped against the wall, hard and with an unsteady swerve. She slid down to the floor in a helpless 'plop', her head barely held up in her dizziness and silence. A tetnitus-like ringing radiated in her ear canals, blocking out all thought, rationale and emotion.

The tang of blood hovered in her nostrils, unnoticed at first, before the more familiar it became the more unusual it became and she remembered her other senses.

Her eyes immediately snapped to the empty rectangle in the floor.

There was supposed to be tatami there. A blood-drenched tatami, with shards of metal from a small knife. And a pair of bloody tweezers.

But all were missing.

The only source of coppery tang was from the sink where he had washed his split open arm, the aluminum greatly enhancing the smell of what must be now: flaky, crusty, black-brown streaks of spilt sanguine.

First the door was closed tight.

Now evidence of Naruto's prior existence had been appropiated.

Hinata's face flushed heavily. She brought a hand to her mouth. She thought it interesting that her hands were as clammy as they were, and how puffy and hot her lips felt.

"Oh my god..." She sighed as the thoughts raced through her thoroughly run over mind.

Tsunade had filed a Missing Persons report.

And Naruto was in Osaka.

But not out of choice necessarily.

"...I'm so stupid." She grieved with a deep, dry release of breath as she collasped forward, head in arms and arms on her knees.

The sun hid behind a thicker patch of clouds, making the light weaker in the home and the world a little greyer, quieter...

...

...

...

Hinata opened her eyes and stared at the tatami beneath her.

Foggily she lifted her head as if wondering what did she have left to look at.

There was something she realized about the tatami just then.

They were inauspicious.

* * *

Naruto laid out on a bench in a quiet park, listening to the soft clinking of a trotting dog being walked heard behind him, a hushed discussion between a couple going on four feet from him outside the park perimeter, and the rhythm of cutesy J-Rock emanating from the electronics store across the street.

It was a slightly warmer night. Naruto had grown more and more comfortable sleeping without cover, despite Sato's advice. He felt like the romantic vagabond, where his every day was anything goes and a decent bed could be found anywhere.

It was sort of funny how growing up, even up until now, he strived for the success of yakuza. Perhaps no longer as yakuza, but to have trophy girlfriends and wealth and a fine house without having to follow society's examples. Even while being a Junior High drop-out, with no workforce skills past construction work, he still imagined himself capable of power and respect and God's most beautiful women.

But during those days he often ran away - just like now - and slept on benches - just like now - and found himself content in having nothing but access to everything, to having no roof and no roots but having true independence... it was funny that he ever still dreamed of having the exact opposite.

Perhaps this was the best existence he could achieve.

He didn't care about yakuza anymore, didn't need money, didn't need to hold onto his womanizing fantasies any longer.

Highly fictional bullshit... It's the same as porn: You watch enough of it you begin to think it's normal.

Sleeping on a bench, most people would consider him a victim, others a loser.

But he lived most of his life like this already, it seemed this was where he was meant to end up- despite others saying the same thing to insult him.

Perhaps if he hadn't spent all his days in dreams he would have saved himself from the lifestyle he was born into; he wouldn't have to be outside like this.

But maintaining the life he was given... was this so bad? Did he really fail himself? Or considering his circumstances, was this the natural outcome?

"Whatever it is... guess it doesn't really matter. It's not like I've gotta prove myself to anyone anymore."

* * *

Hinata snuck back in her room. It was black out and she knew her father had returned not more than two hours ago. Yet she chose not to show herself, her mind wild with ideas. She could not be bothered with unpleasant interaction. She hadn't the concentration to wear her facade for Hiashi.

Everything felt so maddening all over again.

She had to look for him now, but obviously she couldn't.

No, she'd have to wait until the weekend.

"Oh my god..." She mumbled for the fiftieth time, vexing over the time and flexibility and priveleges she did not have, fearing and fearing that she'd never get to him in time, never get to see him again to warn him, to use the upperhand she has currently been blessed with.

No, she couldn't leave home so easily.

She had barely made it into her second year after the gruff she put herself through because of Naruto. She couldn't dishonor the trouble Kiba went through to getting her grades back up, nor by disappearing again.

"But they... could find him tomorrow. Tsunade-san already gave them Tsunami-san's address-" Hinata shot herself up and grabbed the dufflebag she had previously packed. However fear shot through her chest like a massive icicle, the chilling shock bringing her back down to her knees in a strange sway.

The thought of Osaka paralyzed her. Perhaps it was the idea of train that terrified her most.

Just remembering the train rides to Osaka, a heartwrenchingly seductive collection of memories with him...

She couldn't believe how innocent she had still been before he broke it off.

But it wasn't just the sweet, almost childlike memories that numbed her legs.

What if she took the train to Osaka and never made it back home?

If she somehow fell back into that girl she left behind and stubbornly, selfishly tried to follow him again? If that insanity was just waiting to ensnare her again?

And what if she came to fully forgive him as she made her way to Osaka? What if she came across some misguided epiphany that exonerated him once again from her cycling heartache?

She didn't trust herself at all.

It wasn't just him and his fickle feelings towards her that caused that cycle. She was just as terrible for letting it happen. Though it seemed like it always started at him, if it had to end with her, then she was the most responsible for the cycle.

In truth, she was both encourager and initiator. He was a wheel that needed a hamster to spin, until she kicked so hard that he threw her off. And damned would be her if she decided to go back on again and try to overcome inertia when they all knew it was going to happen sooner or later.

"Is there anyone that I can bring with me?" Hinata whispered to herself, saddened that she could not do this venture herself. "And... who would be a better choice? Someone I'm close to, or... someone who is neutral?"

There were voices coming from the kitchen down the hall. It sounded rather lively, which Hinata would find uncharacteristic of their home had she noticed it.

Hanabi was especially talkative it seemed. That was the only voice Hinata acknowledged through the haze in her mind.

Hanabi seemed like a good choice, Hinata thought. She could almost imagine taking her along...

* * *

Hinata got up around 6 AM, two hours before the school bell. She hadn't really slept at all, having spent most of her evening in obsessive thoughts, staring at the cieling until 3 AM before succumbing to a half-asleep state where she lulled in and out of awareness. The sun hit her room around five, reintroducing her back to her real life.

Hinata glanced towards the corner of room, at the dufflebag shoved within the shadows beneath her dresser. It was properly packed, an effort she had done out of those obsessive thoughts hours ago. She didn't know what made her think she was definitely going to go looking for him. Just because her bag was prepared didn't mean she was ever going to be prepared to confront him. So she had hidden the mistrustful thing, vehemently refusing its implications.

Perhaps they may find him today... perhaps tomorrow.

She still wasn't going to give into anxieties and rush off to Osaka just for him.

* * *

"Nii-san..."

He sat at the dining table, chin in his hand, brooding beneath an ominous cloud. His glare was fixated at nothing until he flicked his gaze up towards Hinata. She responded with confusion, having never seen him look so angry since they were kids.

It became awkward, Neji's scowl going unchanged. Why wouldn't he say anything? Hinata flushed faintly and shifted her weight back onto her left heel. She was afraid to leave or look away, thinking she may give him reason to be annoyed with her.

Neji closed his eyes and gave a tired nasal sigh. He had shrugged off the tenseness, however there was still touches of incredulous indignance in the edges of his brow.

"I, I..." Neji paused and suspired again. He wasn't sure what to say. He felt compelled to apologize, he couldn't drop the bomb, and he wanted so much to keep her from knowing, from changing. If he could protect her, he would keep her just the way she was. It wasn't going to be possible. He couldn't move her out of here, couldn't take care of her on a whim before she became sucked into Hiashi's plans. "I hate him."

"Hm?"

"Your father." Neji smirked ironically into his palm, regret touching his scowling eyes.

"O-Oh..." Hinata nodded with a faint clueless smile, somewhat glad to hear something she's heard from him before. "Something happened?" She joked lightly, assuming it was the same recycled grudges.

Neji didn't answer her. He stood and walked to her, turning his head towards the direction of Hanabi's room down the darkened hallway. She wouldn't wake for another hour or so.

"Let's get an early breakfast." He said, pulling her under his protective wing and holding her close to his side as he lead them out of the unhappy home.

He felt the need to keep her closer now, to remind them both of their bond. She would go away soon, she would be taken away.

* * *

They stopped by a bakery and left with a large paper bag of anpan, croissants, broiche, and Portuguese sweet bread. The street was quiet, mostly store managers, mothers and businessmen were about at this hour, gathering their groceries and getting their convenient meals for the go.

She and Neji seemed to stop making eye contact with each other since they left the bakery, both consumed in the problems they wished to fix.

Hinata grabbed a sweet bread from the bag and brought it to her lips.

_'Maybe I should just let them find him... even if he comes back here... I'll just ignore him... and he'll ignore me. He'll ignore me so easily... either way, we'll keep our agreement. And even if he does return to Matsushita, he won't be able to join the second years. He'll be an underclassman and ignoring each other will be even easier. ... Even though I suspected suspicious behavior at his home... could it really be all that dramatic? Maybe I just overreacted... I don't really know what happened... I just... don't know if I really should bother with him... if he doesn't want to be found, if he doesn't want to come back... that should be his problem then. Right? B-because... how bad could returning to Tokyo be?'_

"N- N-Nii-san..." Hinata mumbled sheepishly, anticipating a weird look for her question.

"Hm?"

"Wh-what... d-do you know a-about yankis?"

Her instincts were right. Neji was smirking surprised.

"Why? You're kidding, right?"

"Why would I be kidding? I-I'm asking a question." Hinata muttered, her face a bit flushed. What was there to kid about anyways?

"It's just that... they're not really around anymore. At least not in the same way. There are no more youth gangs for starters."

"But what is a yanki exactly? I'm not really sure I understand the word of others so far..."

"Yanki are typically uneducated brats; abusive punks and frequent truants who only know how to communicate through violence. They have no respect elders or authority, usually following their own code whatever it is. They've been known to be chronic shoplifters, and often pull pranks and deface property. They command respect from their peers through fighting, challenging other groups for territory or 'power'. As well, they're typified to use butterfly knives, switchblades, bats..."

/

_Hinata watched the way the bleach-water in the sink grew redder and redder from the switch-blade knife she had left to soak. _

_The water was practically opaque, practically the color of a tomato, there was just so much blood coming out of the blade's handle._

_She thought of the day she found him in Shinjuku, beaten and bloody._

_"Was this from that day? Did he use this?"_

/

"... Some legitimately grow up in bad situations, but otherwise they're all benign dickheads. By the end of junior high, they grow out of their yanki phase and blend in with society, making all their crass moot."

"I see..." Hinata nodded solemnly, eyes downcast to the side. Neji's explanation was more scientific than she would have liked, but some of the things he said did give her a little insight.

However... 'dickhead' seemed to be the generally agreed upon description.

Perhaps she shouldn't have gotten so offended towards her friends back then when all they'd said was merely the universal opinion.

* * *

They walked back home around 7:20, side by side, as if to prove to themselves there was no distance.

Hinata took a couple of brioche and sweet bread with her, deciding to head to school early. The croissants were for Hanabi.

Neji turned and watched her steady retreat, like a heroine making her curtain exit of this scene, the rest of her story not to be played out for the audience.

Not until she was halfway down the street did he turn into the house, ready to escort Hanabi to school.

He knew the world became a bit smaller.

* * *

Hinata stopped short and swerved towards the infirmary. She nearly bypassed it in her haste.

Could they have word already?

"Perhaps I should wait until after school...' Hinata murmured solemnly, fearing that she would become obvious to Tsunade too easily.

Why did this have to be so complicated?

She had no one she could speak to about this. The more she thought about Naruto, the more isolated she felt from everyone else.

He shared with no one. He trusted no one. He had no family, and all his friends were gone. Yet there were still people who knew him.

But Hinata knew the difference between those who know you and those who know you well. Once you have those bonds, you can't let them go. You think of how your life was before them, and you realize how difficult it is find and how rare it is to have such people in your life and to have them actually like you. Sometimes you can't decide if you're luckiest person alive for having these friends or a complete loser because you had to have them to be complete.

Shadows and edges blurred, bubbled, and washed out, a flood hitting her eyes briefly before rolling down her cheeks in large droplets. She turned sharp on her heel, marching a few steps down the hallway before tightening her fingers around her bag handle and swinging her _randoseru_ at the ground in a burst of frustration.

"Why did I have to leave him?"

* * *

Shino was witnessing something strange.

Hinata and Kiba hadn't spoken all afternoon. Hinata was back to being distant, caught up in her own mind and unaware or unwilling to interact with others because of those thoughts. Kiba was purposefully avoiding Hinata. At times Shino saw shyness in Kiba, at other times he saw resolve.

Was he honoring some wish of Hinata's to leave her be? Or was he trying to control himself better?

Shino knew that other night with Hinata and Moe had struck a nerve, however Shino didn't expect Kiba to learn from it so soon. He really cared about Hinata, it wasn't just an infatuation. Shino saw that now and was reminded of the respect he held towards his childhood friend, despite all his flaws.

He just hoped Hinata wouldn't drift away from them forever.

* * *

The day felt so lonely. Hinata was ashamed she hadn't tried to talk to Shino or Kiba, but she didn't know what to say to them. She felt estranged, like she were in a colorless void, their friendship and all their lunches symbolized into a rope extended out to her, while she stood staring at it, not knowing how to grasp it, or recognizing what it was. Did the rope usually reward her or did it usually punish her when she accepted it?

All she could think about was Naruto.

Hinata headed for the infirmary, making sure she wasn't slumping or looking troubled this time. She felt so embarassed for troubling everyone, she couldn't believe she has fainted as much as she has. She really hoped Tsunade wouldn't get exasperated with her when she paid her visit.

She found the room and gingerly pressed her palm against the door and gave a firm 'now or nothing' push. The lights were off, making the dim white office even blander. Hinata's already sensitive nerve began to crumble at the thought that Tsunade wasn't here. That familiar sting of saline hit her eyes again, anxiety hitched in her throat; She was never going to get to Naruto before them.

"M-Maybe if I j-just wait... Tsunade-san will return... eventually..." Hinata just couldn't believe Shizune wasn't here either.

It was the end of the day.

Why would either of them need to return to the infirmary?

Hinata dropped her _randoseru_ on a nearby chair, deciding to wander through the infirmary until she'd given up hope waiting.

How was it that just the past 24 hours could feel like a week?

Hinata went from bed to bed, pulling aside curtains and closing them back up. She briefly considered taking a nap, but then again she didn't want to get stuck sleeping over at the school. She hadn't really slept last night after all.

She pulled aside one curtain and shrieked when she saw a body in the bed.

"I"m sorry!" She shoved the curtains closed immediately and ran for the door, her face and ears burning.

"Mmrngh... wait..." Came a yawn.

Hinata knew who that was.

The curtains pulled halfway aside, and rolled over was Shikamaru with a half-lidded expression.

"...You don't need a bed today, do you?" He asked groggily as he let out another yawn.

"N-No." Hinata shook her head assuredly before dropping her gaze to the floor. She recalled crying so violently in front of him on the train, the hankerchief she received from him, his effort to help her walk from the station to school. Even his trembling hands. Or perhaps it had been her who'd been trembling. She hated that she had been such a spectacle, she hated having to look so uncool and have it imprinted unto others. Perhaps that line of thinking was a bit too neurotic of her though, as honestly... could she have prevented any of those things?

"..." Shikamaru took a look around the room, as if trying to register his surroundings. He flipped back onto the bed and disappeared so quick Hinata flinched. Then his arm shot out from the side and beckoned her. "C'mere..."

Hinata glanced around her immediate surroundings, wondering if she really should go to him or not. At least he didn't say ' 'mere'.

She grabbed the chair with her bag and dragged it over to Shikamaru's bedside.

Neither spoke up for several one-sided awkward seconds. Hinata had imagined he would have had something to say since he called her over but he was laying there with his eyes closed like he were asleep again.

"...Do you know where Tsunade-san could be?" She was hopeful.

"Hm..." Shikamaru crossed his arms behind his head, "... probably got drunk during her lunch break and went home early forgetting what time it was."

"O-Oh..." Hinata visibly diminished, finding that to be depressing, both in its description and its believability. Was Tsunade a drunk? Or did she just enjoy the drink too much? It seemed like the most prominiment habit she had, in fact it was perhaps the only thing Hinata knew or noticed about Tsunade, Naruto aside of course. But that last time she had cried missing Naruto, and Shizune had to convince her not to pull out the sake...

Hinata hadn't realized the whole time Shikamaru had been observing her through one open eye.

"What'd you need with Tsunade?" He inquired, trying not to think too hard about the last time he saw Hinata. It freaked him out pretty bad, he almost pissed off Temari when he couldn't hold a proper conversation with her that day. But far as he knew it was a one time thing that needn't be brought up again.

"I-I don't, I was just cu-curious." Hinata weakly lied, far too somber about it to be convincing. However, somber enough to have the question dropped, or ask for a tactful counter?

"So you were going through the beds hoping to find her?"

That reply made Hinata blush. She diminished further, her head looking like it would fall off her neck the way she kept curling into herself. Shikamaru caught his mistake and snapped his fingers a few times under her face.

"Oi. Don't do that." He reprimanded. However his dry monotone didn't clue her in that he was teasing. He figured now that she was much too sensitive for jokes and semantics. Hinata immediately straightened her back, shoving her hands in her laps, but she kept her head down wishing not to meet eyes. Her face was still stained heavily with humiliation. "...troublesome..." Shikamaru sighed involuntarily, immediately regretting his slip for Hinata was curling back into herself. "N-Not you-! Don't do that!" He stammered flustering. He never thought in his lifetime he would be the reason a girl was crying. People never took Shikamaru too seriously or took anything he said to heart. He was the deadpan snarker. But Hinata was a completely different person than those he was used to, and the same could be said about him for her. He forgot about that.

Shikamaru sat up and rubbed the back of his head, working through his vocabulary to come up with a more tactful voice.

"... Have you been well since yesterday?" He peeked carefully from the corner of his eye, waiting for a response from the solemn Hyuuga. She said nothing. _'Apparently not...'_ He tried again, "... Has... anything changed since yesterday?"

There. That was the golden question. Shikamaru gained 1 exp. for Talking to Girls, and 3 exp. for Intuition.

Hinata squirmed under his gaze, clearly unsure how to respond. But if she had to be that uncomfortable then she had something to hide. Further prodding could kill the conversation, but then it could save her if not temporarily.

"It's nothing." She muttered.

Shikamaru thought she wasn't strong enough to keep this to herself, he didn't know how she was expecting to get away unscathed and not talk to someone.

"Is it something you feel more comfortable sharing with Tsunade?"

Her eyes fluttered hesitantly up to his. She shook her head faintly, her voice soft, shot with anxiety.

"I can't tell her either..."

Shikamaru paused. His eyes widened a bit as he turned to her and looked at her seriously.

"What is it-"

"Please stop asking-!" She cried, face now red with frustration. The silence that followed was tense and uncomfortable for them both. Hinata couldn't take his eyes boring into her for much longer and marched for the door, bag swinging blindly in her hand.

"Wait, Hinata-san!" Hinata reluctantly stopped, Shikamaru's voice sounding profoundly urgent compared to his usual bored drawl. She turned halfway towards him, waiting for him to speak. "Do you have Temari's hankerchief with you?"

Hinata nearly spiralled to the floor.

She forgot it.

* * *

Shikamaru decided to walk home with her to get the hankerchief back. He silently promised to leave Hinata alone after the return. She seemed genuinely annoyed with him and after he got back the cloth, they wouldn't have any reason to interact with one another.

He was correct to think Hinata was annoyed with him, however he didn't know a part of her was somewhat grateful to have him walk her home. Maybe she just missed having company... But she was sure it was because of the duffle bag. She was afraid to be alone, she didn't trust herself not to grab the damned thing and run.

Part of her sort of wondered if she could hang out with Shikamaru a little longer, maybe a few hours...

Hinata entered her room from the side shoji, leaving Shikamaru to wait outside. There was an almost eerie silence that lasted for two minutes before Hinata came bursting out of the side of the house, startling Shikamaru. She was even out of breath and more nervous than she had been going inside.

Hinata extended the freshly cleaned cloth to him. Shikamaru anticipated the upcoming distance once he took it, disappointment taking him as he felt a bit lonely for her.

Their fingers brushed briefly. The cloth returned to his pocket, and as Shikamaru was ready to bid this potential acquaintanceship goodbye, Hinata said the most surprising thing.

"Nara-san c-can I... h-ha-hang around w-with you today?"

Caught off guard, he looked at with her wide eyes and parted lips. He soon smiled, a warm spot filling his chest.

He was glad she didn't distrust him after all.

* * *

Hinata got a text on her cell phone.

_'Where are you? I heard you come home but then you were gone._

_Sender: Neji'_

She texted him back.

_'I'm hanging out with a classmate today. I'll be home for dinner. -send-'_

The next one came a couple minutes later.

_'You can catch dinner in the city. Don't worry about coming home on time._

_Sender: Neji'_

That... didn't sound right.

_'Why? What happened? -send-'_

The next reply was faster.

_'I don't want you to talk to your father._

_Sender: Neji'_

The words stared back at her.

Black text on white background never looked so ominous than now.

Hinata sent him a swift 'okay' and hastily tucked her cellphone into her bag. She heard her phone buzz again as it fell to the bottom, but she wasn't sure she wanted to read the new text. What Neji was saying was unnerving enough. Again she wanted to cry.

It felt like she had something to be scared of, a reason to resent... but Neji wouldn't tell her anything. She felt like she was encouraging a betrayal.

Shikamaru stopped walking after noticing Hinata fall behind. He turned halfway round, and took in her wan expression. She was held hostage to bad news again. All awareness of a safer world was gone to her.

He walked back for her, the loneliness and isolation emanating from her in shallow waves. He placed a hand on her shoulder. Slowly her eyes met his sturdy gaze. He rubbed her shoulder reassuringly, taking her out of her trance and reminding her she could be at ease today. With a shuddering sigh, she nodded to him and began to walk again. Her subsconscious taunted her in secret, every step she second-guessed like she were heading further and further out into space.

The closer they got to their destination, the more reluctant and unsure Shikamaru seemed to become. They were in Setagaya, heading towards what seemed to be a regular hangout for the Nara. Considering that, and the fact these were his friends and no one Hinata knew, he thought she would feel more comfortable not being around people who would worry over her. But then he began to realize, or rather remember, that there was more to this family than their casual sarcasm and impassive way of bickering.

They were a family with a history of trauma themselves, shaping them into the sort of people least likely to get along with Hinata, and people Hinata would never fall into acquaintances with normally.

_'This is going to be weird...'_ Shikamaru sighed inwardly, tacking a 'troublesome' at the end. _'No... perhaps this is going to be very bad.'_

"Hyuuga-san, I feel I have to let you know," He paused to glance at her. Her expression told him to continue. "These very good friends of mine... they're the children of the late Senator Sunahara." He glanced again. Now Hinata was looking at him like he was crazy. "They're just as badly affected by what's happened as anyone would be, so don't let your knowledge of Gaara affect your impression. Their family is more normal than you would expect."

"I'm sorry..." She felt ashamed of herself for having gawked.

"It's fine. I feel like I must have blindsided you now-"

"No, no... They're your friends. I appreciate being included. Usually... when I'm like this... everyone just wants to stare at me and dote on me until I'm better. I don't want to be alone but I don't want to be the center of attention."

Shikamaru gave her a small smile, and nodded. "I know."

* * *

Weather worn and water-stained concrete foundations greeted Hinata's eyes as they turned the corner of tree-lined green mesh fences. They passed by two grey garage doors, then a couple shrubs. White bricks and a small black gate embraced securely the first residence, its door similiarly black. Then another grey garage door. More shrubs. A parked car. They turned another corner, down into a narrowing alleyway, telephone wires criss-crossing over them as the houses and trees seemed to be ever increasing this sort of slow-motion embrace atop the pedestrians who strolled by. Hinata rather liked areas like this, where separate abodes almost seemed on top of eachother like a mismatched family. One would be truly acquainted with their neighbors in these almost jigsaw-perfect arrangements.

It wasn't until one more set of homes that they came across a white brick walkway tucked behind a full grown hinoki cypress tree, with a line of shrubbery guarding the face and further obscuring the property from passing eyes. Hinata followed Shikamaru up the white walkway, which started as shallow incline and became a veritable hill. A small set of steps were put at the peak of the hill, leading to flat land and the main property: a U-shaped complex where the walkway split in three directions at the center: To the right a guest house, 32x22 sq. foot and washitsu style. To the left a much larger compound, equal to that of the mansion- a two-story white Georgian building with traditional Japanese aesthetics, such as the modest balconies, dark tiled roofing, wooden slat siding, and shoji windows. A few juvenile cypess trees lined the front of the home, shadowing the entrance way to the front door. The left compound was similar to the washitsu guest house but retained some exterior aesthetics that the mansion had, making it a homogenous addition, the modest corridor between them proving that it was part of the house.

The overall property was walled and well populated with greenery. The trees gave a secluded feel to the residency, it made Hinata forget they were still very much in the middle of city life. And the pristine design of the residence was very fitting to that of a parliamentary member. The orphaned were almost blessed to keep all this- but Hinata did not doubt there must have been many legal struggles in order for them to stay.

But still...

Nara pushed the doorbell twice, the rings blending with eachother as his releases had each been slow.

Hinata fiddled with her fingernails, her head ducked down slightly as she nervously waited for Shikamaru's friends to greet them.

The late Sunahara had three children. Two boys and one girl. The girl was the eldest. Hinata couldn't quite recall their names nor their faces, only Gaara had gotten the noteriety. Him, and his also late uncle.

But what if it wasn't just one of the Sunahara children who answered the door? What if it was some other friend of Shikamaru here on a 'surprise' but not surprising visit? Or what if it was a friend of the Sunahara's who answered the door? This place was huge, whose not to say that the daughter and eldest son both had friends over, and many friends at that.

_'Ohgodpleaseno. I'm not prepared f-for... s-so many strangers at once...'_ Hinata felt herself sway to the side at the thought.

Hinata was alright with mutual friends. But the mutual friends of mutual friends? And what of the mutual friends of mutual friends of mutual friends? One person invites three and three invites six... and before you know it it's a third party house party, one of those things that's only fun when you have your own plus-one. But when you _are_ the plus-one? In Hinata's case, she'd definitely be the odd girl out. Shikamaru could easily mingle with everyone there because he's part of the innermost circle, the beginning of the chain. How would he introduce Hinata to them all, huh? _''This is my classmate', that's what he'd tell them. I'm his classmate, not like a middle school friend or anything. I'll be suffocated by my own status as an outlier...'_ Hinata had her head down, staring at the hem of her skirt, focused unconsciously. Her mind was all swept up in these ideas, including various fearful imaginations of thug-like friends awaiting inside, scenes of awkward questioning and her own fumbling answers putting her on the spot every time.

Just when Shikamaru thought Hinata would fall backwards from her unconscious swaying, the door finally opened.

Hinata eeped, actually 'eeped', at the first part of all her anxiety scenes coming to fruition and very well began to fall backwards.

The house jerked and swayed before her eyes. She caught sight of a head of dirty blonde hair, thick and shaggy with almost coarse looking ends, or perhaps bleach-damaged... kind of like a lion's mane... before Hinata fell too far, and the underside of the roof jerked to a stop. Shikamaru managed to catch her right arm in time. He tried to pull her back up, making the world slowly jerk back in place for the out-of-it Hyuuga, much like a crank bringing in the scenery inch by inch. By the end of this moment Temari was leaning against the doorway, incredulous and rubbing her eyes like she didn't just see some dumb school girl nearly fall on her ass and have to get pulled back up like some dead weight ragdoll.

"What the fuck did you bring, Nara?" Temari sighed as she walked away, allowing the two permission inside. Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck in mild embarrassment, currently more worried about how Hinata was going to get along with the siblings, if at all. Although, he was kind of betting on Temari leaving Hinata off to her own devices after the first few minutes. If Temari was annoyed now, she wouldn't bother later.

Shikamaru had to lead Hinata in by hand.

He didn't mind, but he could fill in Temari's sarcastic observations himself.

She had a medley of potential comments to make about him, from 'babysitting a brain dead 1st grader' to being 'Matsumoto' from the film _Dolls,_ dragging around the physical punishment of his ex-fiancee Sawako in her semi-vegetative state after trying to commit suicide.

As lengthy as the last potential comment was, it was effectively as embarrassing and not because of the specific ex-fiancee drama.

Maybe perhaps it happened to fit too well that made it embarrassing.

And when it's true that's when you squirm the most.

* * *

The home was unlit. It retained the aura of familial death: quiet, somber and isolated. Hinata felt herself slowly pulled into the Sunahara's seclusion, like paper doors folding over each other, locking her in, forcing her into the center scene of their lives.

The kitchen held a cozy glow, a sense of pleasant privacy in the company of the hazy sun, in the center of gloom that normally surrounded them. However the funereal tinge did not escape the conscience. The orphaned carried their burdens and brought them here to this table, unspoken, unshared, but never forgotten.

Shikamaru pulled out a chair for Hinata, and pulled up a seat for himself. Hinata timidly took her spot at the end, Shikamaru sitting at the middle of the long side, positioned in a way that was open to Temari and protective of Hinata. Temari took a seat at the other end, just as aloof and casual as she had been when greeting them. She seemed annoyed however, and suspicious, as she glanced at Hinata every now then, her eyes flat and hard as always.

Hinata's hands found one another and began their wringing ritual in her lap. But she wasn't concerned if this Sunahara didn't like her. Shikamaru invited her to this part of his life, she was their guest and he her escort. She did not feel so lonely.

"So what's up with her?" Temari asked Shikamaru coolly.

"She has no where to go, so she's hanging with me for the day."

"Nobody wants her?"

"It's... it's a bit of both." Shikamaru replied with tentative sadness. Hinata could feel him radiate a silent apology for her predicament. Her eyes fluttered down to the side, briefly, before fluttering back up, realizing she was close to sinking back into those thoughts. But then she found herself staring at hard blue eyes, dark like stormy waters.

"That sucks." Temari directed at Hinata, eyes boring so deep.

"Y-Yes..." She uttered softly with a hesitant nod.

"You're not scared to be here?"

"Gaara's still at the Tama Reformation School, so there's nothing to worry about," Shikamaru interjected for Hinata. Hinata nodded to him, slow at first, realizing that she hadn't even thought about it until now. Shikamaru had assured her not to fear his friends, somehow Gaara had gotten grouped in there in her mind with previous knowledge completely forgotten. She didn't expect to meet Gaara but she didn't expect to not see him either. Hinata was beginning to feel reprehensibly silly from all this.

"She didn't know?" Temari blinked incredulously at Shikamaru.

"And what kind of question was that if she did? Everyone with even the slightest media awareness knows that's been Gaara's prison since the trial began." Shikamaru replied with a sarcastic grimace and gave Temari a feigned irritated bristle of the shoulders.

"But what if I hadn't meant Gaara, smartass? She could be scared of us too. And shit- this entire property is practically haunted with ghost stories after what family secrets the media circus has peeled away over the past six years. Haven't you ever imagined what happened in that hallway before?" She accused rhetorically, as she stood over with one hand on the table, and pointing with the other a strong, tapered finger toward the hallway they had came from, "I know you've played it out at least once. Anyone that knows would, whether they wanted to or not."

Shikamaru shifted a bit awkwardly in his chair, an apologetic look sitting reluctantly upon his face. The bickering had nearly began but somehow steered into semi-serious conversation. Temari had always been self-conscious about the exposure and harassment of the media, but how it hurt her feelings never showed and in moments like this, he often took her strength for granted and forgot she really had genuine feelings. Lately, she hasn't laughed at adversity in that impudent manner of hers. As he thought about it now, that was an obvious sign.

"Well..." He started, hoping to appease her with an indirect sort of apology, "I told her it'd be fine to come here. She understands my position here with you guys and sees no reason to be uncomfortable here."

Temari sat down at this, taking Shikamaru at his word. However, it didn't necessarily settle things and he would have to give her a true apology sooner or later. It wasn't Hinata personally that she was concerned about. Perhaps it was just the reminder that there was no privacy for them anymore. Having a completely oblivious guest was probably the only type of person they could ever invite inside, but didn't make her feel better, just reminded her how lonesome they really were because of their tradegies.

In the midst of their little argument, Hinata had began to feel guilty for being here. She was ashamed to have somehow brought out this discontent in Temari and to have blatantly listened to their conversation. The matter was obviously sensitive and she should have excused herself or something. But she was afraid to have interrupted and afraid to have forsaken their kindness had she gotten up to leave. They didn't tell her to wait elsewhere until they were done, they didn't seem to take much notice to Hinata at all, making her feel like both a rude fly on the wall and a wholly accepted guest. It was confusing what to do in those situations. Usually, she figured in these sort of moments, that she was forgotten in midst of conversation and so they hadn't excused her to leave but otherwise would have wanted her to. She would have taken the initiative to give them privacy. In an ideal world, she would have that tact, but instead she still relied heavily on direct orders and such. She didn't trust her read on people all the time, and yet she remained berating herself for not doing anything. And then, it was times like this that this neurotic, contradicting flaw of hers made her feel so abnormal. It was no wonder Naruto pitied her so.

"Well whatever then." Temari sighed heavily with an apathetic shrug, "It's not like this house couldn't fit in another headcase, right?"

"Hm. Good to see you're finding some common ground." Shikamaru smirked humorously, causing Hinata to fluster.

"N-Nara-san!"

"He's just teasing." Temari smirked in turn, "Although, it can't be far from the truth. I saw you fall over when I opened the door. And he had to yank you back up like some dead weight doll. You didn't even try once to straighten yourself out."

Now her abnormal-ness was at the forefront.

Hinata hung her head.

She heard a little snicker to her side as a comforting hand placed itself on her back and did a lazy job at shaking her in a 'come on, cheer up' way. She perked up a little so not to offend, but remained looking bashful and a little bit confused.

However, it was nice to feel that platonic affection from Shikamaru. It made her feel assured and a bit more normal again.

* * *

It didn't take Hinata too long to meet the other sibling, Kankuro. He had returned home not more than fifteen minutes later, lugging with him a near-to-life-size wooden ball-jointed mannequin that seemed incomplete the more you looked at it. Hanging from his heavily stuffed backpack were nylon strings and in the outer mesh pockets you could see plastic packets of glass eyes and errant paint brushes. He had paused in the kitchen entryway when he saw Hinata, blinking at her rather curiously, the thudding from his mannequin's heavy feet stopping with him. Hinata could see hanging from his right arm as well, a couple of plastic bags full of fresh new BJDs.

Light brown hair and not more than a couple inches taller than Shikamaru, he held a bland expression on his face as he met the group seated at the table.

He looked the most like his father.

He stared at Hinata, eyes detached and guarded. It made her squirm inside, she felt her face flush several times. Warm, cold, warm, cold, hot, warm, cold again. She wondered what he would say to her.

Kankuro shrugged his shoulders and shifted the mannequin's weight in his arms in a way that looked secretive as he entered the kitchen.

"Hey man." Kankuro coolly greeted Shikamaru, casually patting his shoulder.

The way Kankuro held himself was like meeting a cousin you only knew from words, there was this familiarity to him that was so strange yet lucid, like deja vu. She never met him before, but she knows someone like him. She could see this person in him, see this person move as he does, glare secretively like he does, act tough as he does.

The discomfort she felt was almost giddying, but not because of him, but because she felt like she was closer to understanding something. What Neji failed to answer her this morning, part of it was before her now.

"Making more friends there, Kankuro?" Shikamaru smiled in a light smirk as Kankuro leaned his mannequin against the corner and his backpack and bags on the floor.

"Got a good deal on these hand-me down BDJs. I met my anon friend from the forums in Omotesando who sold them to me."

"And then you just left after that?" Temari prodded coolly, a tinge of disappointment in the tone of her question.

"Sure." Kankuro shrugged, taking a seat across Shikamaru.

"You talk to this person online constantly for years, and just when you finally meet in person, you go back home like there's nothing else to do?" Temari was incredulous. "How can a friendship so intimate stay that way being strictly virtual? You're living in a fucked up backwards way! No one's ever going to hang out with you talking to your puppets like they talk back, Kankuro!"

"It turned out to be a 'she' by the way. And our partnership has only blossomed by staying anonymous. Something that already works well should not be pushed further, because that's how ya fuck it up, jaan."

"Whatever retard, you're so fucking anti-social." Temari sighed irritatedly, leaning her forehead in her palm.

A heated, awkward silence hung in the air thanks to the siblings, bringing Shikamaru to grimace and want to facepalm as well for he had been hoping for anything but this to happen with Hinata here. How could he possibly make it up to her if the rest of this visit was going to be the two of them bitching at each other?

But something caused Hinata's tongue to slip.

"I-I think I kn-know what he means..." She murmured under her breath, bringing everyone out of their cocoon of thoughts to lay all eyes on her. The attention made her hesitate as usual, but she didn't feel utterly self-conscious. "M-my c-cosplay friends... L-Last Christmas we... we decided to become like real life friends. After we gave each other our real names, it hasn't been the same. It's so messed up and I think, that I like them less now... It just doesn't work, changing anonymous relationships..."

They continued to stare, but it wasn't an uncomfortable gaze. Hinata shifted a bit nonetheless though.

"Do you wish to be anonymous with us?" Kankuro asked, getting a smack to the back of the head from his incredulous sister.

"Don't be making some sort of code now! You can't translate that anonymous shit with every social aspect!" Temari was mad for Kankuro to propose such a thing because she already knew the girl's real name thanks to Shikamaru.

Now Hinata began to feel unsure _how_ to answer that. Somehow, the merging of dual identities had been the thing that killed so many relationships already. What with her actual life causing rifts with her group, constant questioning from Kiba about who she is or which side she's on, and then Naruto... Who clearly had a dual identity crisis of his own. Even without divulging that side of him, preventing anyone from seeing it has been enough for him to burn bridges.

"I-I don't know..." Hinata replied quietly, glancing occasionally up at Kankuro. It was just so fascinating to her how similar his vibe was, his whole countenance. That stern, rather impudent grimace in his eyes, so much different than regular people and how they hold others in esteem. He would fight someone if he felt like it. Just like Naruto. She didn't understand why or what was making her this intrigued by merely angry people, but she was. Maybe it was a stubborn thing, like how much it pained and burned her up inside when she thought of how she could never prove to Naruto they can connect, just to get him to respect her enough to open up. It felt like something she'd come so close to achieving several times before but each time it just never happened.

"Like it really matters, I already know her real name, Kankuro." Temari glared in a pointed aloof way at her brother. "She's Shikamaru's classmate, we might as well know her as she is."

"That's the most logical statement made all argument." Shikamaru sighed with a sarcastic sort of relief, hoping for the petty random bitching to end completely.

"So what is your name?" Kankuro asked, this time, without glaring.

"It's Hy-Hyuuga Hinata."

Perhaps it was hearing her speak for herself that got Kankuro to warm up to her.

Maybe it was hearing that she's a Sunday girl that established some common ground.

Hinata honestly didn't how she could possibly connect with the Sunahara siblings at any point in her lifetime, but she could say that for some reason, she liked it here with them.

* * *

Kankuro had suggested they order pizza several hours ago. Hinata had enjoyed herself a decently distracting dinner. The siblings were as caustic and rauceous as Shikamaru implied them to be. The verbal bombs never stopped dropping. Sometimes it got so ridiculous it was hilarious. Hinata never thought she'd ever laugh at the expense of other feelings nor at the simplicity of mean as hell insults, but she was, and it almost made her feel like a kid, maybe made her feel like her age.

She didn't feel the least bit immature though. She felt natural.

"Seriously Shikamaru, what are you doing with a girl who has a bigger dick than you?" Kankuro argued back, earning a shower of pizza toppings thrown right at his face from his sister. Shikamaru walked over to Temari and sat nonchalant on her lap.

"I need a big, strong woman to protect my genius." He joked along as Temari leaned back in her chair, one arm slung over the splat and a free hand toying with his ponytail, mimicking the picture of masculinity.

Hinata was giggling herself breathless. She brought her pizza up to her mouth, not realizing what she was bringing with it, and choked on her own hair.

The trio before her stopped all actions and words completely. They had seen the whole thing and couldn't believe she actually almost ate her hair. Little bits of bread and other food chunks stuck to her silky thick locks and she was just as shocked at what happened that it made her laugh even more. Then she lost grip on her pizza and dropped it, the cold tomato sauce smearing on the inside of her thigh, the slimy sensation giving her the tickles and she just laughed even more when she failed to pick it back up again. Shikamaru and the siblings couldn't do much but stare. It was kind of amazing, almost impressive.

"Fuck, it's contagious." Kankuro muttered with an incredulous open-mouth grin as he felt the tickles worming around in his guts.

* * *

They were at the door now. The sun had set a few hours ago. It was 9:30-something or so. Hinata waited for Shikamaru under the overhang of the sibling's house as he continued to talk with them by the doorway.

"Is that part of her crazy?" Temari asked dubiously, curious if they should at all be worried about how damn much Hinata had been laughing. Shikamaru just shook his head and shrugged.

"We're just newly friends, I wouldn't really know." He smirked, a wistfulness behind his eyes. He had fun with her there. He was just happy she did.

"Hey," Kankuro started, grabbing Shikamaru's shoulders, "Feel free to bring her 'round anytime you feel like, yeah?"

"Yeah?" Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow at him, mix of amusement and relief on his face.

"She can be quiet or just as fucked up as we are, I don't care. Someone that laughs like that is worth keepin' around."

"You might've just caught her on a good day." Shikamaru replied hesitantly, since he didn't know her that well himself, there wasn't much about her behavior he could guarantee. Not more than five hours ago he'd taken pity on her because he knew he could expect an emotional meltdown at some point or another that he had to try to prevent. Whether she'd easily be all giggles the next visits?

"She minds her own business," Kankuro explained, a new light of respect in his eyes, "She's a good listener. That whole time she was laughing was because she was listening. She's a good guest." And then he smiled.

"Okay." Shikamaru nodded, smiling too. He felt proud this worked out. Kankuro tugged on his shoulder again.

"And she's kinna cute too. That doesn't hurt." Kankuro smirked before Shikamaru jokingly shoved him away.

"Yeah yeah, cuz the only girls you get to look at that aren't your sister got strings attached." Shikamaru nodded in a mock sagely way.

They said their goodbyes and Shikamaru walked over to Hinata, who tried to peer into the sky for stars, thinking maybe this hill and all these trees on the property would be provide enough darkness to combat the city's ambience.

It wasn't though of course. They were still very much in the center of the Metropolitan area. And the hill was only so tall and only so secluded.

He smiled at her though, and she smiled back.

Any worries she had before or ought to have hadn't come back to her yet, and it was a good thing. He knew the time they wasted provided nothing productive towards her resolving her issues, and he wondered how soon and how frightening it would be for her when they did rush back. But that wasn't something they had to think of right now.

_'Maybe I should give her my cell number, in case she needs something.'_ He considered, feeling somehow responsible for her since that panic attack on the train.

They walked for some time under the stars, finding their way through the city, just thinking about the night breeze on their face and what homework they probably should have done.

Hinata had these other thoughts stirring in her head that intrigued her so.

"Kankuro, he..." She started.

"What about him?"

"... He says 'jaan' a lot doesn't he?"

Shikamaru almost laughed.

"Oh, heh. ... He must sound like a delinquent to you, huh?"

"It... It kind of reminds me of Naruto..." She whispered, looking aside.

"Does he speak like a stereotypical yanki?"

"Well, he doesn't say 'jaan' or other Yokohama-ben... It's more of that individualistic spirit they have, and that simmering hostility you can see very plainly. It's like they hold back this animal with one hand, on a very short leash, and the leash is just a piece of old rope. They don't really care what consequences their actions have, at least not until they've already done it. I don't know, is that accurate?"

"Accurate description of a dickhead, yeah." Shikamaru smirked to himself. "I don't want to put down your analysis there, but you sort of made it sound like a condition."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... the way you put it was kind of romantic. I agree with describing Kankuro as individualistic and insolent, but the not controlling your animal aspect is an asshole. It's immaturity plain and simple, don't you think?"

Hinata's eyes darted tentatively about, searching Shikamaru's face for any tells that could explain further what he was saying.

Perhaps he was right. Maybe somehow she'd been dressing up this trouble youth thing from the start.

What would this mean for her plan to see Naruto again before the police did?

Did she really want to try to save an immature person?

Who's fault was it that they couldn't get their shit together, right?

* * *

They were riding the train to her ward.

"Hey..." Shikamaru nudged the quiet Hinata with his elbow.

"Mm?" She hummed, still reflecting on her future.

"Gimme your cell phone."

She rummaged through her bag and fished out the white object, handing it over to him. She relaxed back into the hard plastic seat, holding a thousand yard stare with her reflection across from her. She didn't know what she was thinking of. It felt like she was still thinking, but no conversations ran through her head. Somehow it felt like her life had always been like this, like she's known Shikamaru all along, like she were this tadpole drifting in an out of social pools, having asexual one-night stands with a different circle a night.

Shikamaru opened up her cell phone, with the intention to enter himself as a contact. But as soon as he clicked the button to light up the screen, an unread text stared right back him.

Part of Hinata pondered if she could make this her new thing, her new future at least until something clicked. This was what it must be like for other teenagers, those that put themselves out there. At a glance they look irresponsible and useless because all their focus is put towards hanging out, having either too many friends or no real ones. But maybe it's just like this for them. Maybe they're deliberately honing their social skills, increasing their worldly perspective through various casual circles of acquaintances, toughening themselves through less than thought out decisions. How many of them do this because they want to know who they are? Do any of them find out? Do they find the place they're meant to be?

Shikamaru read and re-read the text subconsciously, nothing quite sinking in about it.

_'This is important. I'm sorry._

_Sender: Neji'_

Hinata no longer had any lines, she had no shape. She could only hope to go with the flow and someday realize all the things school didn't teach.

"I feel wiser." Hinata announced aloud, not entirely sure to whom.

"Yeah?" Shikamaru inquired with a quirked brow. He'd nearly forgotten he was supposed to be entering his cell number in her contacts list. He exited out of the text and began typing in his contact info for her.

"I feel foggier too..." Hinata murmured, crinkling her brow at her reflection. Shikamaru gave a loud exhale and slid down the plastic seat until he was slouched alongside with her and staring at his own reflection. He shut her phone and handed it back to her. However Hinata didn't take it from him, and he did not release it from his loosely curled fingers. His fist layed in her open palm like an apathetic hand hold, but they were aware of the scrape of one another's skin in this position, his knuckles against her finger wrinkles, and the warm pocket of air from her palm surrounding his nails.

This must be what it felt like, those close-in-age sibling relationships. Maybe this was the warmth Kiba often spoke of when it came to her. It really didn't take much time at all to like her.

"I feel that way most of the time." He commented, a hint of a smile on his otherwise motivationless face.

* * *

Hinata climbed into her bedroom as she and Shikamaru talked about this and that, with Shikamaru staying outside. She was working up the will to bring up the dufflebag to him. They were getting along to so well she needed to tell someone. Hours ago she'd been petrified to breath a word about this to anyone at all. She thought it would be a breach of Naruto's confidence, she thought it would jinx everything and get him caught immediately.

Now thinking that didn't make sense anymore.

The conversation had winded down and Shikamaru could hear Hinata shuffling around for something behind the shouji. She came back with a bag in her hand and sat down on the edge. She kept her gaze fixated on the duffle in her lap for a while.

"You going somewhere?" Shikamaru inquired with dry humor.

She shook her head.

"I needed to see Tsunade today because she filed a missing persons report yesterday at the end of school."

"For Naruto." He stated, sitting down beside her.

She nodded.

"But she doesn't know that I was with him for a week. I needed to know if she got updated without being suspect about it. There were a few times already that I was afraid I'd hop a train and go back to see him. Because I think he has a right to know they're looking for him. I don't think he wants to be found or even be forced to come back here."

"That's troublesome." He sighed.

Hinata smirked wistfully.

"I can't get it out of my head though. I wish I could relax and let come what may..." She closed her eyes, the heartache settling over her like particles. "...Maybe doing this is some secret desire to ensure he stays there rather than ensure that he's safe..." She shook her head vigorously, shrugging her shoulders in a helpless way, because she could resolve where her feelings lay and it was exhausting, almost nauseating.

Shikamaru had nothing to provide on this matter and thought best to bring something else up, at least before he had to leave her for home.

"You had an unread text when I was entering my contact info in your cell."

"Oh." Hinata reached for her cell in her skirt pocket and flipped it open. She opened the last text she recieved, seeing that it was from Neji, the text she had put off looking at on their way to the Sunahara's. It told her that it was important and that he was sorry. "It's nothing important..." She mumbled, betraying her somber gaze and the fact she was still staring at the text.

"Said it was." Shikamaru smirked, turning his eyes up to the night clouds drifting slowly over the few stars in the sky. It was interesting how they picked up the hues from the city lights. Sometimes their foggy reddish-magenta hue made them look ominous, other times they reminded him of New Years.

"I had to be away from home, my cousin wants me to avoid my father for a while... I still don't understand why. I think I'm afraid to ask."

They sat in silence again. Several minutes passed. Hinata had been fiddling with the duffle bag handles, alone and unsure what to do with herself.

There were no clear answers for anything they had to deal with.

"You want me to go with you this weekend?"

* * *

Star - Sorry, I decided to end this chapter early. (sorry face with a wittle sweatydrop next to it, haha) Apparently this is only 3k words shorter than the previous chapter. At least the only way I could check said so. I don't have the original chapter file with me, dunno where it tis but I shall have to check later. Anyhow I just copy-pasted the previous chapter and uploaded it and says 17k, but dunno why I thought I had reached the ole 30k with that one. Eh, I'll look into it later. Anyhow, I'm rambling with this haha.

But I hope you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless. I feel like I'm whoring Hinata out platonically, haha. I just keep making her like this perfectly loveable person and I'm sorta trying to make everyone human, but I think my romantic nature is just glorifying everything to amazing heights. I mean, I'm still writing something that I like to read, but I think part of my inner child or whatever is still writing too, like just the whole rebellion, and youthful freedom, and friendship loyalty drama and shiz... Eh, dunno. Dunno whether it can be excused or not. Hinata is a loveable person nonethless, we all know that. I think I just wish I knew how to tone it down more, ya know, the parts where she keeps making friends without trying or keeps impressing people without trying eheheh... Ehhh, that's prolly one of the biggest thing that fails this story. OTL. I can whip up the drama and all the descriptive words to describe a seemingly insignficant twitch of the eye or whatevs, but I can't entirely well round the relationship dynamics in this story. Everything's some form of highs or lows, even the insignificant train ride scenes, sheesh. Eh, I'm ranting now because I still kinna wish this story was one of those word-of-mouth 'you gotta read this' type of fics. XD Like 'tvtropes fic recs' and all. (sweatydrop face). But anyhow, it's still a project I'm willing to finish. I think I'm getting somewhere now finally. Doesn't mean it's nearly done though. Probably half way over eheh. I sorta gave up on my original timeline. OTL

You know how I said this all began, and still is, me writing something I like to read? Yeah, I can't decide if this is how I actually want to write my original stories or not. T3T

**Liner Note: Inauspicious tatami format, I read, is seen as giving a house bad luck and the four corners of a tatami should never ever touch. NEVER EVER TOUCH!**

**To PANTYANARCHY89: **I'm highly driven by music too. Lately I've been having off and on 'fave tracks of the month', which means nothing's sticking long term with me these days- and music I was most obsessed with back in 06-08 don't seem to feel the same to me. I can't find something new to drive me and I can't seem to reconnect the same way with songs I loved endlessly back in the height of when I was writing this. However it's not a complete issue, just a setback. It's cool to hear we work the same way though. XD I enjoy and appreciate you sharing links and suggestions with me, and the double reviewing doesn't hurt either haha. XD But I have to be completely honest, just as regular person, I'm pretty much an 'Elitist Indie Bastard'. XD I loved your first link because Snow Patrol is win. But Cristina Perri's 'Jar of Hearts' annoys the crap out of me. XD I won't get into it if you like that song, but yeah, I already knew it and was like 'oh nooooo', lol. XD


	38. People Like You

Star - Thank you all for the nice reviews. Hadn't gotten that many in over a year for reals. XD But I suppose in update terms, that may be more like 'since about five chapters ago', haha. I just wanna say that partly my slowness with this story is because it is old and my vigor is just not there, also because the manga itself is just gotten to be dullsville IMO. But what I really want to say is that this story is still something I think about when I guess there's nothing to think about. In an artistic way, I should probably move on. But this one is so far ahead, it's not going to be dropped as easily as all my other under 4 chapter attempts I've posted and removed.

Okay, for some reason I'm not typing what I really want to say. OTL This story is a story that I will do my best to complete. It's like an old but consistant hobby, I will prolly always fall back to it, up until the moment it is concluded and I don't have to daydream about it anymore.

This is the closest thing I have left to my NH fandom. Aside from this one doujinshi I'm uber slow to update on as well. XD But yeah... Anyhow, this'll always be here though, so there's that. XD **(response here written October, 2011)**

April 2012 Response: Above statement all applies, but I more or less change my mind about calling the manga 'dullsville' lol. It's gotten somewhat interesting the past three months, I still don't get around to reading it though, but I get updates and skim here and there anyways. I totes want to watch Blood Prison and Road to Ninja though, and I haven't watched a single Naruto movie. Yup. I. Have. Not. Watched. Any Naruto movies yet. IDK if I have a good excuse or not, but there is an excuse somewhere. XDD I'm twenty-one having had attached myself to Naruto when I was 15, so it's been an on-and-off-again relationship since 2010. The height of my hype was 2009, and it still feels glorious. XD But it's bygone. (sniffle)

Moving on!

**To PantyAnarchy89:** Haha, I heard of Freelance Whales, I _knooow_ their not Top 40. XD Ehm, I haven't gotten around to really really listening to them though, but they used to pop up on my pandora every now and then before. XD Pandora is lamezorz though. The only redeeming feature perhaps is the 'add variety' feature, cuz I been having a helluva time finding sites that'll give me successful variety without having to really do anything about it. :B Otherwise, I don't really know how to listen to music anymore, aside from grooveshark and WEQX, Manchester, VT radio station. TAT (so specific hawr). Meh, haha. Well 'Hannah' is lovely haha! XD I wonder why I hadn't listened to it before, but I have heard it before actually, just didn't know it was them. Has a slight Arcade Fire meets Postal Service feel IMO, hope that's a fitting description eheh. I have accidental 'hipster' (jk) taste but I have no experience talking about music. OTLLL Coheed & Cambria obviously isn't 'hipster' but that's my top example of 'bands I love that for some reason no one I meet has ever heard of, like wat duh fack' haha. XP

(Chapter title is another Say Anything song haha)

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch. 38 - People Like You Are Why People Like Me Exist

Hinata walked faster to school than she ever did willingly that she could recall. She was filled a new kind of energy that carried her forward, mind filled with clarity and a newfound lack of self-criticism to hold her down. She had resolve now, and a mission.

And she had support.

She jogged through the gate, the courtyard busy with the traffic of classmates. She bumped lightly into someone's side, forgetting her spacial awareness. However it was Shikamaru, and they walked together and talked immediately, like they were perfectly synchronized.

"I'll go into the infirmary today to use a bed, see if I can get any info by eavesdropping." He told her. She couldn't help but smile a little, it felt so funny to have Shikamaru as a spy, the reality was tickling her brain.

"How can we be sure when you'll definitely learn something?" She asked him, as she opened her shoe locker, unaware of a set of familiar eyes staring from afar.

"I'll stay in all day. How else?"

"What? How can you get them to allow you to stay for the entire day?" She looked up at him and shut her locker. He turned away, taking their conversation to his shoe locker against the other wall.

"I don't really have to try anything, just show up and they leave me alone."

"Must be nice." Hinata smiled following him out of the lockers and into the hallway.

From outside, Kiba was stifling the bubbling, aching curiosity and envy of seeing Hinata and Shikamaru together. He had never seen her that laid back before.

* * *

Hinata hung back as Shikamaru opened the infirmary door. She wanted to see him get accepted inside, she didn't know why she needed to.

However, as soon as Shikmaru peeked his head in the doorway...

"NOT TODAY, NARA!" boomed Tsunade.

Hinata was frozen up like a frightened cat. A few people in the hallway passing by had stopped at the verbal explosion, bewilderment stirring in their eyes.

"Great..." Shikamaru sighed, slumping his shoulders and craning his head back to the cieling.

"Nara-san, you have to try again..." Hinata murmured to him, worried this wouldn't be as flawless as in theory.

Yielding to her pleadings he gripped the door handle again and opened the door halfway enough for himself to walk through.

"WHAT DID I SAY, NARA!" Tsunade sputtered angrily from her desk, a vast populous of white and pink and yellow forms cluttered about. The only remaining spots on the desk were occupied by various coffee mugs. He could see she was working on things far relevant to the school or its students.

"Sorry Tsunade-san, I was asleep."

"What?" She screeched incredulously.

"I'm about to pass out..." He wobbled sleepily, his performance surprising Hinata. He made her yawn in empathy just watching him.

Tsunade craned back in her chair, hands over her face in frustration. She was beginning to consider transferring out of this high school or work at a nursing home. Anything but this. It was apparent she was not juggling well at all anymore.

"Whatever, Nara-kun," She sighed wearily through her hands, allowing him permission, "Why can't you just graduate early?" She strained through tightly shut eyes, a certain trouble-mired blonde burned onto the forefront of her mind.

Shikamaru disappeared from the doorway and headed for a bed. A slight uneasiness had slipped inside his stomach at the sound Tsunade's strained voice. He could barely look at her for more than a couple seconds, she seemed to be struggling with herself. It was no wonder Hinata got so messed up over this the other day. There was something really serious going on.

Before the door swung close, Hinata's eyes caught a distressing image that clutched her heart with an iron grip of empathy; The curl of her stretched lips against her teeth in a mix of silent rage and lament-filled whining. The desperate attempts to smooth out the knitting in her brow with her fingers as a way to calm herself back down. And the thin streaks of escaped moisture on her cheeks reflected by the cieling lights.

The door closed and shut her out, and shut Tsunade back in.

They were both essentially trapped in their own emotional quicksand.

* * *

The overcast began to release its swollen burden over the city, casting an introvertive shade of blue across the mid-morning day.

Naruto sat upon a slide tower six feet above ground, perched with one leg swinging over the side and one hand grasping the chipped yellow bar above him of the tower's support structure. He grinned with closed lips and knitted brows, absorbing the freeing feeling of getting soaked to the bone, of feeling tendrils of rainwater spill over the slicked top of his head. The playground he currently haunted was one of many forgotten ones, left behind when the _shotengai_ had receded with the economic tide of days old and neighbors had packed up their small businesses and families to even smaller towns.

People knew it was here but they didn't care anymore. It was nearly two decades old and parents had better choices where to bring their kids to play. On the sunny days it was mostly dog walkers who passed by the place.

Naruto could feel his body heat create lukewarm patches against his skin as his clothes stuck heavily to him, the cool muggy atmosphere a contrast in itself. He found this weather thrilling for some reason, maybe the steadily warming temperatures was infecting him, signalling him that dormancy was over. Maybe because it made him feel more nomadic, had specific association of danger for him, or the memories of getting sick reminded him of those lightheaded lazy days when he had been a much cuter kid and nothing hurt yet.

There was something about the rain that lit up a flame in him, and stirred up electricity in his brain. He concocted so many possibilities during this weather, when families and shopkeep were hiding from the downpour and the most vulnerable of people were still out in the drenched streets. On one of the worst days of his youth it had been during a typhoon that he pulled off one of the most successful of terrible things he had ever done.

_/_

_A large rock smashed through the red typeprint on the window, rendering a jagged hole and taking out the 'arm' in 'Pharmaceuticals'. _

_The wind whipped the rain in every direction; thick droplets smacked against his bruised cheeks as a fevered grin stretched across his teeth, like a misguided anarchist addicted to vengeance._

_He picked up his bat and swung against the remaining glass before hopping into the abandoned store, his mind immediately on the cash register._

_He heard more set of feet stamp sloshily onto the old tile behind him. He hopped over the counter while he encouraged them to grab whatever they wanted._

_He grabbed up crinkly yen bills and handful of coins with wet fingers and shoved them in his black backpack._

_He ran excitedly towards the backroom while two of his teammates knocked off various bottles of meds into their bags._

_The taller of their members was already at the backroom door, furiously kicking and pounding away at it with his bat._

_Naruto lifted up his bat and worked to help him out. The taller teammate suggested Naruto should try slamming himself into the door because he had better center of gravity than he did, whatever that meant._

_It took him four slams and a steadily bruising shoulder later to bust open their way into the backroom._

_There were stacks of labeled prescriptions all along the shelves in plastic bins, amidst traditional medicine making tools and boxes of ingredients._

_In the furthest corner of the room was a medium sized old personal safe from the early 90's, just waiting for them to steal its contents._

_/_

The mom-and-pop pharmacy wasn't the only abandoned stores they targeted, vandalized and stole from. They managed seven stores in under four hours, from a kimono textiles shop to an old videos store, to their town's only saving's bank.

Naruto had raked in nearly $950 for himself, most of that thanks to the 'bank job', including the videos he had sold to classmates and the liqueor he sold to certain degenerate adults. Having 'earned' that money - as that was what he felt like he had ultimately done when trying to justify the work put into it - he rarely had a prouder memory than that time. And he was four months shy of turning thirteen. He was twelve years old and 4'3" tall, and he had earned himself three times more money than his adoptive father brought in on a monthly basis.

When the typhoon had passed, the violated and disparaged stores stood out like painful sores against the town's steadily worsening moral complexion. It had whipped up the citizens in a frenzy of outrage, the citizens had become like the peasants of the French Revolution. They treated the burglaries as the utmost damning acts of treason and heresy, and they wanted retribution. The immense state of hate during that time had been the first in the town's current history, they never once realized the rest that would eventually follow, never realized that there'd be more, and somehow always forgot who had been affected the worst 'last time' after 'last time'.

Naruto didn't own up to what he did back then, the burglaries of that time had gone inconclusive and he and his teammates had gotten away with it.

Even now Naruto wasn't sure if he regretted any of it. There had been secrets about the people he was supposed to be closest to that he never would have learned any other way.

Even now the memories of that night struck him so succinctly that it opened a line of thinking he wouldn't otherwise have now:

_Naruto hopped up on the shelves and began knocking about through the bins in reckless fashion, hastily reading whatever labels he could find before tossing it on the floor._

_"What the fuck is any of these for?" Naruto called out as he began to recognize a few names here and there before throwing them below his feet._

_"Why are you getting interested in all that for?" The fifteen year old skepticized jokingly as he patiently examined the old metal personal safe with focused eyes._

_"I found three receipts with our depressing history teacher's name, you had her-"_

_"Divorcee Daiichiro-sensei?"_

_"Yeah, and one for Hayate."_

_The fifteen year old paused._

_"Which Hayate?" He asked, sounding almost forcibly casual._

_"Gekko? The PhysEd assistant, the coughing one."_

_The air changed for a small moment, Naruto found himself caught under a one-eyed stare that said nothing, but felt cold and angry from his position._

_The older boy dropped his gaze and turned away, pulling his attention back to the task at hand._

_"Doesn't seem like it's working for him, huh?" The fifteen year old joked tonelessly, a strange coldness overlapping his gentle voice. Naruto flinched slightly when the boy suddenly kicked at the safe._

_Hayate is fairly close with the adolescents of their town, good and troubled alike, and particularly to the troubled he's been considered more of an aniki than adult to them all, and that wasn't a rank easily earned._

_He was the epitome of 'chill', almost laidback to the point of looking sleepy, never judging, and always armed with wisdom and wit that caught them like a sneak attack._

_But he spoke simply and to the point, never had to think about what he was gonna say, the first thing on his mind was always the right thing._

_He never talked down on anyone, never looked at anyone in any other way but who they were, and he never made a point to lecture._

_He treated the boys with a subtle respect that earned their trust, unlike with every other adult who often made them feel like they were being baited or jerked around._

_Naruto didn't realize how important Hayate was to the older boy._

_Naruto didn't exactly spend too much time with any adults these days anymore._

_A swift kick was delivered again to the safe, before the boy stopped with a huff and ran nervous fingers through his shoulder-length white hair._

_It wasn't often he got pissed off or openly upset, but there had been times._

_"Dickish Danzo has a mysterious one here too." Naruto announced, wondering what the other would say about it. He seemed to sigh and his shoulders slumped low. He was quiet for a few seconds._

_"Pack it, pack the others too. There's someone we can see at the end of this, they'll tell us what they mean." the teen directed as he squatted down and attempted to lift up the object of his desires._

_It wasn't too heavy not to take with them, but he couldn't exactly run with it and his backpack and whatever loot they found later on._

_He got up and ran back out into the front of the pharmacy where he shouted at his underclassmen to carry the safe for him._

_Naruto returned to sifting through the white paper bags while the muffled, vague bickering of his friends echoed beyond the backdoor entrance._

_He found a receipt with Iruka-sensei's name. He also found two different prescriptions with his adoptive mother's name. Except neither of these three were as mysterious as the rest._

_Instead of letters and numbers, they had actual names... but Naruto still didn't know what any of these medications were for._

_/_

_"Why did you forget the friggin' crowbar, Kimimaro?", complained the thirteen year old forced to carry the pharmacist's safe. They all jogged through the storm, away from the outskirts where they had began and towards the center of town._

_Naruto swung his bat around in idle self-amusement, striking down imaginary foes and vague-faced emodiments of his resentment._

_If he could have his way, he would ransack half of this town and show the Akatsuki who got more shit down around here._

_This was the best he could do for himself, in the current state his life had been reduced to..._

_It's been eight months since Haku and Zabuza died. Naruto lost hope of being rescued like Haku was, of finding an adult that actually wanted him, saw worth in him, his potential, and understood his heart._

_When he watched Haku, who had stood in front of Zabuza, with his arms spread out and his eyes full of determination and loyalty, confidently opposing the police who surrounded them, and willing to die for his master's survival-_

_Naruto had been filled with an excitement, admiration and yearning he never felt before; it made him feel golden, it made him feel stronger than anyone else in the world._

_He cheered for Haku and Zabuza fervently inside his head, his heart pounding and his soul trying to reach them, to be with them somehow._

_He thought they were going to win._

_He thought they were going to escape and live a fugitive's happily ever after._

_A rapid succession of popping burst through his ears, it sounded like summer fireworks._

_Naruto's heart screamed louder than it ever did, his breath dead on his lips._

_There was blood on his porcelain face, and then there was blood everywhere._

_Haku had a handgun in his right hand at some point._

_Zabuza collasped with him, holes riddled through his chest and stomach._

_And that was it._

_The police had barely investigated Kakashi's conduct. In hindsight, Haku had barely the chance to point the handgun at anyone before Kakashi gunned him and Zabuza down._

_They never even released information whether the gun had been loaded or not._

_Naruto tried to make a big stink about it._

_Kakashi said nothing._

_Naruto knew better; Haku was never going to put the police at the end of that barrel, he was going to point it at Zabuza, to put the police at a standstill and allow Zabuza to walk away._

_Haku was cunning like that, that was a personal idea of his - but no one would listen to him._

_Naruto didn't need to know why Kakashi did it, or if he ever felt the guilt Naruto hoped ate at him slowly with human teeth;_

_Haku had been small when those who were supposed to love him and protect him and had brought him into this world tried to kill him. Who the hell tries to kill a six year old?_

_It was justified now, thanks to his own eyes and Kakashi's traitorous actions._

_Adults could kill anyone. _

_Blood didn't even have to be a factor. Children were fair game._

_All those safety signs posted around small towns for small children were there just to patronize, or so that they didn't have to scoop out heaps of little bodies out of the riverside every season or so._

_And adults always say 'pay attention to the signs', 'rules are there for a reason', and if you didn't heed them then it was your fault and they don't have to be held responsible anymore because they had already told you._

_This town had secretly been at war for years, and Naruto planned to win._

_Naruto swung out madly at the rain, flinging bullet-hard spray of water off of his bat._

_Sasuke was not with them today. He was fucking around with the Akatsuki instead. The two of them had tried to get in on the group, to be 'chinpira' at least, their lowly lackeys._

_Him and Sasuke combined had enough brains to outlast and overtake the budding organization of Yakuza. It had been Naruto's idea that they do it, Haku's death was a signal that they had to start gaining power __**now**__._

_At first he and Sasuke had been like the mischevious neighborhood kids, stopping by the group's compound and hanging around like it were their uncle's place and shit._

_It took weeks but they finally took them into consideration._

_They... They took them to their own initiations... lead down to opposite ends of the compound... separate rooms..._

_Naruto ran up to a crosswalk light and smashed in the blinking red light, along with the unlit green bulb. He tried to fight down the sudden onset of nausea, as he knocked over a trash receptacle._

_The mangled, months old scars on the center of his hands and palms burned with a vague agony that he could not easily will away. It was like being lit on fire but his hands were half numb._

_He lifted up the receptable and threw it across the street way, releasing trash onto the sloshing current, allowing water and gravity to carry away the waste and white metal cylinder downstream for a short-lived while._

_He couldn't even tell Sasuke about it. Even when they chose Sasuke over him, when his initiation was a lie, he would have told Sasuke about it._

_But he would have only told if Sasuke was going to care._

_When it had been over it'd been obvious he'd been lied to, and Sasuke was well aware._

_He didn't even blink._

_"I should have just stabbed him in his fucking tattoo!" Naruto screamed, earning knowing and dubious smirks from his remaining teammates._

_Kimimaro however gave a quiet huff in mutual feeling. It wasn't so much Sasuke's betrayal to Naruto or his dumping of Team 7 that put Sasuke on his shit list._

_Kimimaro wanted in on the Akatsuki, he wanted to serve under Orochimaru, he admired the man for many reasons no one else could fathom that neither he could explain._

_Sasuke stole that aspiration from him, he got his tattoo from Orochimaru, and was allianced under him, made to be his chinpira._

_Sasuke never even spoke of any yakuza aspirations, never spoke of a favorite if any, never said a damn thing._

_Kimimaro never figured Sasuke to join Akatsuki other than for Naruto's sake. He didn't figure Sasuke a rival because he assumed the last thing he would want to do is join the organization that made his brother kill._

_Kimimaro couldn't believe he underestimated that piece of trash._

_Naruto's younger comrades began their babbling, not even remotely aware of their sorta-leader's existential lapsing. Sasuke should be enemy no. 1 at this point, he practically ditched Team 7. _

_Naruto should be the true leader with him gone, but the majority of members didn't take him seriously enough by himself to view him as such._

_Because he had been separated from Sasuke, the Akatsuki took complete advantage of Naruto._

_Even the few times they were together at school Naruto still hung around him like nothing had happened._

_Naruto realized he couldn't do fuck without Sasuke._

_And as much as he wished he could beat the bullshit out of Sasuke for what happened, he couldn't. If he wanted to maintain Sakura's happiness, if he said he loved her as much as he did, then he wouldn't even touch Sasuke._

_It wasn't fair. Nothing was fair anymore._

_/_

_Naruto smashed in a car window. His older teammate climbed in and undid the parking brake. Jumping back out, they pushed the mini-van down the road, the increasing height of the rainwater making it easier to send off._

_They stood back, watching it pick up speed as it crashed into a __**Lawson's**__ storefront._

_The boys whooped and cheered at the reckless scene, before swarming inside the convenience store for the loot. _

_They broken into the video store next door, taking video games, dvds, vhs videos and Naruto the register money._

_He snuck around to the back room where he had yet to suspect the obvious nature of the black curtain at the doorway._

_He stole some porn, seeing as Kimimaro didn't, but Naruto wasn't personally interested in the videos, though he couldn't prevent himself from getting his eyes glued to the images._

_He found ten dvds set aside for pre-order._

_They all had Jiraiya's name._

_The knowledge that his godfather was a dirty old man wasn't a new concept for him._

_It was the extent of his perversions that Naruto was continually adjusting to, it always seemed like it was one thing or another._

_"Oh, what the crap?" Naruto muttered as he snatched up a particular dvd case. It was an adaptation of Jiraiya's first Icha-Icha Paradise story._

_He wondered how much he got on the royalties._

_They came upon a kimono textile's shop. Profitably speaking it didn't seem like a place worthy to knock off, but the idea of fucking over an archaic business was a strong enough motivation._

_They took their spoils: register money, safe money, various trades tools... Naruto found a red, white and black kimono with sandy gold and pink accents._

_He was going to give it to her, and she was going to acknowledge him for once._

_She was going to consider him._

_/_

_They broke into a seafood market store, and rummaged through the back room before finding the fish cutting tools, all relatively massive knives in their own rights, some practically like swords._

_Naruto hooked what he could together and carried it in his left hand, feeling his imagination and blood race towards very dangerous thoughts._

_They smashed in the tanks holding the live fish, from catfish and tuna, to octopus, eel and sea urchin._

_The catfish and tuna flopped pitifully on the cold tile and broken glass. The eel slithered around aimlessly, freaking Naruto out, causing him to stumble backwards on an octopus head._

_"Shit, you guys are retarded!" He cursed racing to the other side of room. They just laughed._

_One boy stood behind Naruto, unbeknownst to him, and pulled back his hoodie before dropping a small jellyfish down his back._

_It started with a numbing, stinging sensation that spread out from one spot between his shoulder blade and his spine. As the steadily dying ball of primitive membrane slid down his back, the stinging immediately flared up into heat._

_His skin was on fire, like little throbbing red hot needles burning their way into his muscle tissue and spreading continuously._

_"FUCK! GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!"_

_They just laughed more as he screamed and struggled to pull his shirt and hoodie over his head in one movement. The dying jellyfish rolled off the hem of his jeans and landed at his feet with a quiet, soggy plop._

_Naruto shivered as the cold, muggy air hit his bare skin, his backside burning in discomforting contrast._

_"Oh shit, look at your back." The pranking offender laughed with amused shock at his handiwork._

_His smile didn't last long._

_The boy flew back from the swift impact of Naruto's bat, his face landing firmly onto a broken tank corner before falling in a heap on the wet, salty floor._

_There was a significant smear of blood on the hard plastic corner. The boy's nose was broken, and his teeth stained muddy red._

_"Hoh shit..." breathed Kimimaro, voicing the unanimous reaction in the room._

_Naruto flipped around one of the tuna knives, a sword-like object, in his hands before pointing it against the throat of one he loosely called a friend._

_"YOU THINK BECAUSE SASUKE ISN'T HERE THAT I CAN'T DO SHIT? DO I HAVE TO SHOW YOU ASSHOLES WHO'S LEADER THE OLD FASHION WAY?"_

_Silence. They all had the same reluctant faces._

_Naruto shifted his sights on the ground, searching for the same jellyfish that was used on him. There was a sulking, translucent blob near the prankster's head, roughly twice the size as the first._

_He plucked it carefully and dangled it menacingly above the boy's face, long tentacles merely millimeters away from his bated breath._

_The anxiety was clear on his face._

_"I didn't mean to sting you!" He cried, "The jellyfish are supposed to be processed in salt and alum! I-I just thought it would feel weird, it wasn't supposed to have venom!"_

_Naruto's eyes darted over the boy's defensive position, searching for a tell in his lie or affirmation of his innocence._

_His first two right-hand fingers had ropelike welts._

_"The guy processes the jellyfish in the back, you dipshit!"_

_Naruto tossed the tuna knife to the side and grabbed the boy's lower jaw, hooking his fingers behind his lower teeth and forcibly held his mouth open._

_"Naruto, you can cure jelly stings easily, kid." Kimimaro commented from the sidelines, a mild appearance of concern on his somewhat tanned face. The prankster struggled, wriggled and wordlessly cried out but no one was helping him._

_He knew better, even amongst teammates the self was priority number one. He brought this on himself, and if he couldn't fight back then he deserved his punishment._

_Sasuke essentially left them with that philosophy._

_In some ways, calling themselves a team had become a hollow formality._

_Naruto put his foot atop the boy's broken nose to hold his head still. He began to whimper and garble pathetically, the anticipation clawing inside his brain, and the slight pooling of blood in his nostrils disorienting him._

_Naruto dropped the jellyfish into gaping mouth. He squealed muffled, agonizing cries. The very capable young criminal became a twelve year old who fell off his bike once again._

_The tentacles stuck to the inside of his cheeks, the back of his throat, and wrapped around his tongue. It was almost suffocating pain._

_He couldn't move his tongue, he couldn't swallow. It was like having a mouthful of vodka and iodine-soaked cottonballs, yet the cottonballs were dry. _

_The globulous umbrella filled the cavity between the back of his throat and the roof of his mouth and he didn't know what to do with it._

_He felt like gagging._

_"Enjoy it, it's a delicacy ya prick!" Naruto hollered as he picked up his tuna knife and shoved himself off the quietly crying boy._

_Naruto grabbed his salt water soaked hoodie with his shirt inside and put them back on one at a time. The jellyfish boy turned over on his stomach and gingerly opened his mouth, hoping for the jellyfish to fall right out._

_The globular mass slipped off his tongue and hung dead against his chin, the tentacles still stuck to his tongue. With weak, fidgety movements he pinched at the umbrella and carefully pulled the animal out of his mouth completely._

_It plopped on the floor, deflated and muddied red._

_The boy sniffled._

_He couldn't close his mouth._

_Naruto lifted up his bat and swung the blunt end into the back of the boy's head. The rest of his teammates jumped, as the offending outlier slumped onto the wet tile._

_"Did you really have to do that?" Kimimaro looked at him questionably, but he was so detached inside he could hardly express that he was scrutinizing the blonde._

_The things Naruto had done so far were things Sasuke had always been the first to accomplish. Naruto didn't need to show he was the same as Sasuke, he needed to show he was just as competent._

_"Aside from slowing us down - leaving him here like this to wake up alone in a strange place, rather than his own warm bed - this way next time he sees any one of us, he'll know this can happen to him again."_

_"You wanna leave him like this? This place might get filled with water."_

_"Doesn't matter. Put him on one of the cutting slabs in the back if you want."_

_The older teen and the younger rest began to move the body to where Naruto suggested. It's not like they really wanted to commit a casualty today, just metaphorical ones._

_/_

_The town's savings bank was another archaic business, existing through four generations, and their next in line was in his late sixties._

_There was very little security to the establishment, very little installments and updates._

_They rifled through old metal cabinets for keys and other information that could get them inside these people's deposit boxes. Naruto actually felt sorry over how easy it was to take their life savings._

_Because those set in their ways didn't trust to put their money into a bank, and those willing to do so put them into dingy places like this, because they trusted mom-and-pop businesses over corporations._

_Naruto didn't care if family businesses were supported over coprorate business or vice versa, he wasn't try to make any sort of statement like that - he felt irritated that people were willingly making themselves vulnerable._

_Sure, he and his team members were the only ones horrible enough in four generations of the bank's existence to rob it, and be aware the affect this was going to have and still do it;_

_But the building hasn't changed since the late 50's. So it was as much the old man's fault as it was going to be theirs._

_Naruto pulled out a stack of filing folders and spread them over the banker's desk. He sifted through them, plucking as many keys as he could hold._

_He made his way towards the back room where two of his other comrades were perched up on wooden ladder and chair and digging through their own catches._

_Naruto made several thousand yen with his first five boxes. He did not take the jewelry, burnt scraps of metal, period bullet shells, and family photo albums. Not because there was obviously very little profit in these trinkets,_

_but because they were collections of memories. If protecting these things was proof there was pocket of humanity amongst their neighbors, then Naruto had no right to take that from them._

_As much fear and resentment he held towards those he was forced to co-exist with, part of him wanted to have these people be able to take some relief out of this tragedy._

_People who no longer appreciated their memories deserved nothing in life._

_Naruto tugged out this remarkably heavier deposit box and laid it on his lap. He glanced over the side for the owner's name but it was yellowed and smudged._

_Naruto slid the top open and his eyebrows flew onto his forehead._

_There were stacks and stacks of yen here, all crisp and bundled immaculately._

_"I must be inheriting Sasuke's luck tonight..." He murmured to himself, carefully scooping the bundles into his relatively overstuffed backpack._

_Red caught his eye, then dusty white. There was something at the bottom, hiding beneath all the currency. He packed the rest of the money and discovered polaroids and an envelope._

_The red he had saw had been her hair._

_Naruto pulled out the remaining contents onto his lap and shoved the deposit box haphazardly onto the shelves._

_There were about ten photos, maybe eleven. Naruto flipped through them quickly at first, counting twelve, before going back and looking at them more closely._

_Most of the photos were of the same girl with deep red hair. Red like a tomato, not brassy red like someone with naturally dark hair that tried to bleach, and not red like a carrot top._

_She appeared to be about thirteen or fourteen in the first three. She was slender, kind of long-limbed, and boyish in her stance. Her face was somewhat round, but it looked like she was beginning to grow out of it._

_The first photo she was dressed in a school soccer uniform, her right hand gripping the net wire fence and her body in the midst of turning towards the person with the polaroid camera._

_The picture was taken spontaneously; There was a motion blur from the left side, the corners a kind of reddish-black stain, obscuring the summer bushes outside the tennis court. Also she wasn't centered, she was closer to the left of the frame,_

_consumed slightly by the red shadow and the yellowing of time._

_Her face was strong, happy, and her smile was a grin caught between an incredulous laugh and a bashful smile._

_The next polaroid was by a stone bridge somewhere within central Matsue. The leafy green bushes that lined the stream, and gave company to a large marble fish statue, met up to low skyline of bright blue in a concise agreement of nature._

_She wore rolled up knee-high shorts with a daffodil yellow tanktop tucked in the waist. She was leaning against the rough stone railing._

_It looked like this was taken during a conversation, her eyes had a far away look, and her lips had a slight quirk at the corners like she was about to smile._

_The third one she seemed a year or two older, her face less round, cheekbones becoming more pronounced and her long body filling out tentative curves._

_She was somewhat dressed up, wearing a mauve strapless romper and a pair of lacquered red platform sandals, almost like the geisha's 'okobo' but in the wedge style._

_She was striking a very spontaneous, deliberate pose, either from an old J-pop dance or from a 'Sentai' anime he didn't recognize._

_She had this immensely corny expression on her face, her mouth open and eye winking at no one in particular._

_There was a red vertical banner hanging from a wooden staff at the entranceway of what seemed to be a small restuarant. There was a large clay pot with a neatly cut shrub, and on the ground beside it a beckoning lucky cat._

_The lighting was slightly off in this image, a tint of purple and yellow here; it seemed like the sun was ducking just behind the restaurant's clay tiled roof._

_Naruto wondered who she was posing in front of when each photo was taken. He felt a kind of sad envy for her and was somewhat curious about this goofy, exuberant girl. She would have to be significantly older now though._

_The next few seemed to time jump. She was either a full fledged teen or a young adult in these. The baby fat was gone from her cheeks. Her red, red hair nearly swept at the back of her knees._

_She had a fairly full chest, long legs, and subtle hips. She wore rolled up knee-high shorts again here, red linen this time instead of denim,_

_a sand-colored curve-hugging camisole, and a grey cropped batwing hoodie with a wide neck hole._

_She was standing in the glow of a ramen stand at night, smiling lightly and her eyes focused ahead._

_She was in a yukata here; ecru, white and ultamarine blue traditional patterns with a bright mulberry rope around her matching blue obi. It must have been Tanabata. She held up her paper wish to the camera, a blissful smile to her eyes._

_Her paper wish was for her red hair to grow long enough so that her love wouldn't ever lose his way._

_There was a strong, sun-kissed hand resting around her shoulder. At this angle it now made sense, it had been her boyfriend all along who took these polaroid memories._

_In a subsequent photo he had taken a picture as he had been walking behind her through the food stands, his hand holding onto a strand of her red hair._

_The next photo was slightly blurred from motion as well. She was wearing a white sleeveless one-piece jumpsuit that hung a bit loosely off her, her hair pulled into a low ponytail behind her left ear._

_She had an index finger pressed mischeviously against her cheeky grin, and her dark blue eyes gleamed with secretive excitement._

_An intimate conclusion clouded his vision next. It was a clumsy close-up of her face, and part of her naked shoulder. Her head was on a pillow, as she looked up beyond the camera's lens, laughing at something he was saying._

_A sister photo showed her looking into the camera, her left hand curved into half a heart against her shoulder, and his right hand completing that heart. _

_His hands were so large compared to hers, with long attractive fingers. Hers were pale and tapered, her thumb slightly blunter._

_Her dark blue eyes bore through the photo, as if she saw more than her boyfriend beyond that lens- As if the love she felt that night was love she held for anyone who saw this photograph._

_Next they were at a beachside. She was reclining in the passenger seat with her feet up on the dashboard, and her chin resting against her knuckles. Her hair was pulled into a long, thin braid, the end held listlessly between her fingers._

_Her eyes were far away, looking off ahead into the horizon. She wasn't smiling this time. Sunlight bathed the interior through the sun roof. It looked like a beautiful place, but it seemed the joy was missing in this moment._

_The next photo she was pressing a kiss into the camera lens._

_After that she seemed to be a couple years older. She was standing in front of a full length mirror, in a slightly unkempt bedroom, unsurety and smallness emanating from her countenance._

_It seemed like her boyfriend had taken this picture from the doorway, either with or without her acknowledgement._

_She had her hands resting atop her flat abdomen._

_Naruto put the photos down on his lap and lifted up the envelope. He flipped it front and back, finding no name, address nor instructions concerning its contents._

_It wasn't properly sealed like one would've expected it to be, instead the flap was tucked in. Perhaps there was nothing private about it._

_He flicked it open and pulled out the folded paper inside._

_'I want you to learn how I always saw you. I don't want you to be mad anymore if I was unable keep my promises._

_You used to call this our 'pirate money'. This is everything we worked for, I hope you can make good use of it._

_I know you'll be fine. You were never once without my love, and there's so much love for you here._

_You'll never be alone, that's one last promise I can keep._

_Please - Please share your smile with him._

_I love you, Red._

_- Yellow'_

_Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the abrupt use of nicknames. It was kind of awkward, and a very underwhelming conclusion for an outsider. _

_However, for an unsealed letter meant for a specific individual, the simple nicknames did give off a sense of strong intimacy._

_But now the colors had him thinking about Pokemon._

_Naruto thought about the 'pirate money' he had already taken, and the letter in his hands, and the photos on his lap._

_It didn't seem like she ever touched this stash, and the letter- Naruto blinked. He turned the envelope around in his hands again and ran a finger across the glue strip. _

_Fresh ones normally felt a little sticky. This was one smooth like an unused one, and bone dry after the years._

_So whether she read the letter or not was something he could not determine then._

_The letter itself had been fairly clean, and the creases pristine. It didn't seem like the letter could have been opened and folded all that often, or at all even._

_If he had been given a letter like this, he would have read it over and over again so often that the creases would have become soft, to the point of fraying._

_The edges would have become worn from his daily grip, and various bubbling would sustain on a single spot where his thumb would sweat into the hot processed tree pulp._

_Naruto wasn't sure what to make of the letter. It sounded like he left her, but he still cared. It sounded like she was the one with hard feelings, and he wanted to leave on a good note with the money and the memories._

_He probably would have taken the photos with him if he wanted to remember her, but instead he gave them to her._

_And he stressed for her to share her smile with another person, another guy. If it was another guy in that sense._

_There was no goodbye here, there was no heartache. The wording conveyed a strong bond, as did the photos, but it was also rather... platonic sounding._

_Maybe she read the letter once and didn't want the money because she was still mad at him, and never came back for the deposit box._

_But if she hadn't read the letter, then this deposit box had been sitting here for years. If she returned and found the photos and the letter but the money gone - Naruto sighed - that wouldn't be good._

_Naruto put the photos back in the deposit box and stuck the letter inside his backpack, far beneath the kimono so it wouldn't get soaked from the storm._

_The woman could keep her memories, like everyone else here._

_Today her long lonely Pirate Money officially belonged to a half-pint pirate of the leaf._

_/_

_The boys had to run far from their mess. A stampede of sneakers plodded through the muddy roads, overflowing rice paddies surrounding either side of them for the past couple miles._

_Their skin itched from cold, wet socks, their cheeks ruddy from the exercise._

_A smile crept up at the corners of Naruto's parted, panting lips, and he exhaled a laugh and another. _

_He was so tired and cold. He was soaked to the bone and his blood was on fire._

_He laughed again with a little wheeze, inspiring laughter out of his surrogate friends._

_It finally caught up to him, the success of their operation._

_He had so much money, and he swore he had never been giddier._

_Not to mention the beautiful kimono he was going to give Sakura, when he yet wasn't sure, but he was so excited for that moment too._

_"YEAHH!" Naruto screamed enthusiastically, unbridled pleasure coursing through his freedom-thirsty body. There was something about the rain now that got to him, that filled him with true liberation._

_His fellow criminals screamed out their joy with him, laughed, and screamed louder._

_They jokefully began to scream over one another, with the typhoon a reluctant participant in their games._

_They were back in the outskirts of Konohamura, at the opposite end from where Naruto lived._

_They were heading to the person that was going to translate the symbols on the medication for them. Somehow he knew they weren't turning towards an adult for this side-quest, but he didn't consider how young the person was going to be._

_The house came into view, modest and typical in style for a countryside home. It was aesthetically similar to his adoptive parent's house, but it was flatter and little more worse for wear._

_A girl stepped out from the doorway and caught sight of them from her peripherals. She could hear their muffled thudding like horses in the distance._

_Was she their cryptographer?_

_As they reared to a stop before her, she observed them with wary reluctance, well aware what sort of activities they had gotten involved in._

_/_

_Shiho was a somewhat gangly girl. At thirteen she had shot up like a bamboo chute, standing a head taller than Naruto, but everything else stayed the same. This made her wiry in appearance, whilst her long face retained its childhod softness._

_Her hair was pale blonde that swept messily at her round bony shoulders, her side-swept bangs hung loosely against her coke-bottle glasses._

_She was an unassuming, disheveled and geeky looking girl._

_She studied the labels handed to her with a concentration worthy of admiration, that steadily grew on them into a sense of 'moe', as the boys crowded around under her awning._

_"Your history teacher is taking one SSRI antidepressant, one benzodiazepine sedative, and one very strong acetaminophen." Shiho answered in her small, girlish voice._

_"What's that last one?" Naruto asked._

_"Painkillers." She said matter-of-factly._

_"Dude, or teacher's fuckin' stoned." whispered one of the boys, an incredulous laugh on his bewildered face._

_"Do you know why these are labelled with their chemical formula?" Kimimaro asked Shiho, holding her opinion above most others._

_"Because these drugs haven't been approved by Japan's government. Over-diagnosing is a serious problem in other countries."_

_"What's Hayate's medication?" Kimimaro asked somewhat fidgety, as he shoved the package towards her. Sometimes she wasn't what emotions he was truly expressing, but he seemed genuinely bothered._

_Shiho took Hayate's prescription bag and quietly examined the receipt._

_"Granisetron... it's um, it's for treating nausea and vomiting for... f, for people undergoing chemotherapy."_

_"What?" He quietly scoffed. There was a half lit grin of incredulity hovering over his placid lips, the truth slowly descending upon him like shadows. Yet somehow it didn't make any sense to him._

_"He's been coughing all year... even his eyes have sunken, but... I bug Yugao-san at her work all the time..." He grew quiet, his green gaze dropping to the floor. He couldn't understnad how he couldn't detect it from her._

_She let him call her 'auntie'._

_He couldn't understand why they would put up such a strong front with him._

_Did they care too much for him to or too little?_

_Was it that he didn't deserve to know or that they didn't want him to?_

_He gently took back the prescription bag from Shiho, thanking her quietly below his breath._

_He felt a bit awkward now for having Hayate's medicine, though all he wanted was to know and now he did. He was going to give it to Hayate to personally, he wanted to know how bad it was, whether they wanted him to or not._

_The fifteen year old turned his back to the group, his fists shoved defiantly in his dark pants pockets, letting the storm consume his attention for as long as he needed._

_Remorse filled Naruto over the situation. Even with things like this it felt like all adults did was keep secrets._

_He didn't know Hayate all that well himself, but he liked the man as much as the others. And now he too was good as dead, just like everything else that actually mattered._

_"What about Danzo's?" asked one of the boys from aside._

_Shiho picked up Danzo's bag and viewed the chemical formula on the receipt._

_"... It's... it's an anti-psychotic..."_

_"WHAT?" the boys in the background screeched, looking both amused and freaked out at the same time. Shiho didn't feel any more comfortable than either of them at the news._

_Danzo was a terrifying man as is. If he was taking these pills, or as some point stopped... What would that look like? How ugly could he truly get then?_

_And how long has he needed them for?_

_Similar thoughts seized Naruto, sucking him into morbid scenes inspired by personal experience with the old creeper._

_He was often tongue-in-cheek the way he spoke, deliberately terrorizing him and his classmates with obfuscated threats. But when it was just Naruto and Sasuke alone, Danzo completely dropped the bullshit._

_He had plans, he openly narrated his plans to them in manic, stony enthusiasm, the several ways he would go about their demise._

_He really was a sick fuck._

_There was no way he should be working at schools where there were kids around._

_But there was no way around that it seemed, the man was intelligent, and clearly competent enough to hide this from everyone._

_Danzo seemed especially to have a sick affinity for Sasuke. 'Maybe when they come to blows, we can all just let Sasuke take care of it.'_

_Naruto, who had been sitting with Shiho, pulled out the prescription bags belonging to Iruka and his adoptive mother and handed them over to her._

_"These have actual names. I don't know what they're for though."_

_"Oh - Iruka-san is taking a mild tranquilizer-"_

_"What?" Naruto cut her off abruptly, causing her to briefly stiffen._

_"It's nothing serious, just for anxiety, like an alternative to alcohol. I know Iruka-san, he's just not the drinking type."_

_"Are you saying he's depressed too?" Naruto grimaced dubiously, unable to picture Iruka alone and sad on a couch in a dark room, popping pills until he was 'tranquil'._

_"Judging by your face, I'd have to say these are working for him. He is a very pleasant person. He may have developed some anxieties from his childhood having been friends with Mizuki for so long,"_

_Naruto's fingers clutched at his knees, dark feelings stirring in him at the mention of his name._

_"But other than that he's still the same Iruka. These," she handed the bag back to Naruto, "don't need to be taken daily, just in moments of stress."_

_"Okay." He mumbled, trying convince himself that Iruka was as pure now as he was the way Naruto always remembered him._

_He was still very much the same chummy, slightly dorky optimist- far as he knew at least, since he stopped confiding in Iruka these past few months._

_It wasn't easy to talk to him anymore._

_Shiho picked up the last two with an inward sigh, hoping for this ramble of troublemaking boys to leave very, very soon._

_She didn't like being outnumbered like this and being asked to decipher 'codes' on their stolen goods did not make for the most fun ten minutes of her young life._

_She was comfortable enough with the soft-spoken Kimimaro having known him for a couple years now. She didn't know much about him personally, but he liked flowers _

_and he liked to listen to her encyclopedia ramblings when he presented her with different flora. And she was certain she was the only one who knew he secretly liked the art of dance._

_He sat with her once when she was watching a Russian Ballet telecast on tv, and he sat through the whole thing, never tired or complaining._

_Sometimes she wondered if he ran around being a criminal to appear macho, or if he even really cared about being macho with his peers. He hardly needed to consider such things when his gentle side had more likability._

_Maybe there was a fear of being called a dandy or worse, she hoped he grew out of that fear by the time he was an adult._

_She was just glad her father wouldn't be waking for another three hours or so. She wouldn't have reluctantly agreed to this if he had been active today._

_"And whose is this?"_

_"My mom's- uh, mean my adoptive mother."_

_Shiho rubbed her forehead, unable to understand how he could willingly commit such breaches of trust. Even if Shiho had a step-mother one day that she didn't trust or got so mad at her father that she rifled through his cabinets,_

_She just wouldn't. There were some things one didn't have a right to know or a right to judge. _

_Shiho sighed, knowing there was very little room here to lecture a peer her age._

_"This one is an SSRI antidepressant. This one is for mild insomnia."_

_Kimimaro cocked his head ever so slightly to the side, keeping one eye and one ear on Naruto, giving some of his attention back to the group's dealings._

_"Oh." That was all he said._

_He was blank and sullen, but had nothing else to say, nothing else to feel. It was like he wasn't surprised about it, or didn't want to care._

_Everyone found that to be blatantly inconsistent to the Naruto they knew, the Naruto only he knew how to be._

_This had to be bothering him, one way or another; maybe he finally got tired of expressing himself._

_Maybe he had a lot more on his plate than anyone else could see._

_Shiho handed the medications back to the muted Naruto, an incoherent mumbled 'thank you' falling numbly from his lips._

_She turned wary but expectant eyes in Kimimaro's direction._

_"So what're you guys gonna do? You can't do anything with these drugs. These people need them, Danzo especially..."_

_"Don't worry Shiho, we understand." Kimimaro replied resolutely, silent gratification attached to every syllable._

_Naruto stood up, ready to leave the rain and the mud and this lonesome company, to the private confines of his bedroom with his money, manga and hand-me-down video games._

_He was about to walk off the engawa and conclude their operations, when the white haired fifteen year old stopped him, hand on his shoulder._

_"Give Shiho the kimono." He whispered in a tone of warning, like a pleading order._

_"What? Fuck you, no." Naruto snapped back, a harsh whisper._

_Kimimaro gripped his shoulder harder._

_"Give the fuckin' __**smart girl**__ the kimono." He glared, jaw clenched._

_Naruto bared his teeth, his lips curled back in an increasingly frustrated snarl._

_He knew Shiho helped them._

_He knew she chose to and that recruiting her intelligence was a privilege they hardly deserved._

_But Naruto had a chance to give Sakura something great. He would rather get his hopes up and fail with her than not be able to try at all._

_Naruto pressed his lips hard together, swallowing his urge to punch the older boy out to win the argument, and silently screamed every curse and ugly insult he could derive in one second._

_He threw his backpack off his shoulder and forcefully ripped the zipper across._

_He had to regain his will to continue this act of goodwill, part of him seemingly dying away at the immense disappointment of denying this opportunity so prematurely, as it laughed at him and told him it was never going to happen._

_And now it really wasn't._

_Naruto pulled out the kimono and obi and approached the reluctant Shiho._

_He mustered a smile for her that wasn't entirely insincere._

_"I want you to have this." He said, earning a smirk from the older. Kimimaro came around and took the kimono from him._

_He put the kimono around Shiho's shoulders, a soft blush brushing her plain cheeks._

_She shifted around awkwardly, pulling the silky kimono around her lithe form, while she contradicted herself with lamely mumbled complaints about the obviously stolen garb._

_But it was really beautiful._

_Naruto's smile was small but its sincerety grew. He felt alright now, he was pleased with how it looked on her, accompanied with her awkwardly bashful expression behind thick glasses._

_She was gangly, mousy, and geeky looking._

_But she was kind of cute too._

_"Red looks good on you, Shiho-chan." Kimimaro smiled gently, a brotherly hand on her shoulder._

_._

_._

_._

_"I don't actually know how I'm going to wear this. The obaa-san will recognize it." She replied, unintentionally ruining the moment._

_/_

_The house was quiet._

_Naruto poured water into the unused coffeemaker. He grabbed a cup ramen from the pantry and began peeling off the plastic with his teeth._

_As the coffeemaker began to burble out boiling water, Naruto finally picked up on soft snoring coming down the hallway._

_He should have expected that they were in their bedroom, napping away the storm since there was no work and everything had closed._

_His adoptive parents were in their mid-fifties, merely half a generation younger than Jiraiya._

_They were nice enough people, with good habits and a steady lifestyle, but Naruto always got a sense from them that they were restraining themselves, he couldn't understand why._

_There were times they seemed reasonable and easygoing, but then suddenly they'd turn around and try to give him strict values, like they didn't trust him or believe he had any judgment._

_Obviously now they had no reason to trust him, after today especially, but this attitude of theirs had been there since he could remember._

_There were times when he was younger, before he was a month away from turning six, that he tried do basic stuff children do to make parents proud and they didn't seem sure how pleased they should be._

_Or days when he was feeling extra affectionate that he would run up to his adoptive mother and snuggle in for hugs, and she would become awkward, like she couldn't commit to giving him the same amount of affection._

_She would smile and give him a little squeeze, but nothing more than that. She might let him sit in her lap and listen to him talk, but most of the time she would put him down and told him to run off and find something to do._

_Naruto didn't understand why they took him in if they didn't even like him._

_He understood it wasn't their choice to find him at their favorite shrine, but what if he could have been really adopted?_

_A young couple or a single parent or someone who wanted a child could have wanted him._

_Maybe he could have found friendship in other orphans, they'd be just like him. All these 'regular' kids just hurt him, everything about being here hurt him._

_Maybe they felt they were doing a favor taking him in as their own, that anything else would be too complicated therefore cause unecessary pain._

_But he was in a lot of pain now._

_So where was the pay off?_

_These days he avoided them like he avoided everyone else._

_He was always stealthy in the house, always sneaking in and sneaking out, so long as he didn't have to be seen by them._

_It felt easier for him - to be as if he weren't around - since he never would have been otherwise._

_Had things been status quo, he never would have been there to interrupt their ritual weekend walk, and therefore maybe he never would have existed._

_The coffeemaker gave out a struggling final sound of suction, signalling to Naruto it was ready._

_He pulled out the pot and poured the contents into his cup ramen, the salty, savory smell of broth filling his nose and welcoming him home._

_He turned off the coffeemaker, unplugged it and repositioned the cord back the way he found it. He snatched up a pair of chopsticks from the drawer and silently hopped his way to his bedroom on the other end of the hallway._

_/_

_As he shut himself in, lights off and soundless, he sat out on his bed, hunched forward with his legs crossed and his back still tender; the yen bundles stared up at him from past his knees._

_He slurped down his college cuisine, his mind recounting his acquired loot._

_The videos and fish cutlery were hidden under his bed._

_His register money and cut of the 'tansu yokin' was counted and bundled in a shoebox he tucked high in his closet where no one in this house could reach without a chair._

_His backpack was hanging off his desk getting dry._

_And his adoptive mother's medication was sitting by his desk lamp._

_His wet clothes were thrown in a corner with other dirty laundry he hadn't touched in weeks._

_Partly because he tried to do laundry when the 'rents were away, but mostly because he was still lazy either way._

_If there was a day he ever became scheduled and orderly about anything then he was sure that was a signal he was finally having an aneurysm, or some head trauma._

_He stared at the white paper bags with her name._

_He wasn't sure how to feel about them._

_When Shiho told him what they were, he felt entirely worthless, like it cemented it for him._

_This home wasn't just incomplete and a little hollow, it was unhappy._

_And what was he supposed to do about it?_

_He drank down the rest of his soup and set the cup aside on the floor, before marching over to the packages._

_Naruto pulled out the plastic cylinder containing the antidepressants._

_He never made them happy before, he never figured out what it was they wanted._

_He undid the cap and peered inside, shaking the tablets around, almost being reminded of candy mints by the sound._

_He recapped it and placed it back on his desk with distaste, returning to his attention to his pirate money._

_He picked up one bundle and counted through it._

_One bundle held fifty 10,000 yen._

_"... guess I could try buying her something... 'cept with the stolen kimono getting rejected would've been no loss."_

_Naruto picked up the rest one by one, trying to multiply 50,000 times 8 in his head as he did so._

_He placed them in another shoebox, sealed it in duct tape, and shoved it in the farthest corner under his bed._

_Kneeling on the floor he collasped face forward into his bed comforter, lazy arms draped uselessly at his sides._

_He felt so bored now._

_And all he could think about was his adoptive parents being unhappy,_

_about how this was feeling more and more like an undesired living situation,_

_like he'd always been some poor kid they rented their extra bedroom to._

_Naruto turned his head, dragging his nose as he did so, and stared blankly at the antidepressants again._

_Adults could drink alcohol if they were sad._

_He couldn't._

_He pushed himself up and marched back over, deciding it was worth the experiment._

_If anyone was unhappy here, it was him._

* * *

Shikamaru rested through the first half of classes, mind turned off yet ears readily surveilling the activities within the infirmary. No one but him came by. Tsunade's temper tantrum this morning must have established a 'do not enter' warning to all the students.

The past few hours had been relatively voiceless, but Tsunade had been making an orchestra of percussive noises since; impatient foot taps clacked constantly againt the hard tile, accompanying the _ratta-tatting_ of her pen on the desk. She would occasionally release an angry sigh, and every so often lean back against her office chair until it creaked with finality. She shuffled around the infirmary a lot when she got too suffocated from her repitition and would try to bide her time with mere movement. Other times she had dialed her home phone to check her voicemail and would promptly drop her cell phone on the desk in a huff when she had nothing. She had been a ball of impatience, anxiety and stress all morning, and in the end they were both waiting for the same thing.

Shikamaru's cell phone began to vibrate in his pants pocket.

_ 'It's nearly lunch time. Have you heard anything yet?_

_ Sender: Hinata'_

_**'Nothing yet, she's been pacing about the place.' -send-**_

Hinata's reply came a couple minutes later.

_ 'Alright, thank you. Would you like me to bring you something?'_

_**'Thought I was going undercover for you.' -send**_

_ 'Bringing you lunch won't be suspicious lol.'_

_**'If you want to then, doesn't matter what. You holding up btw?' -send-**_

_ 'More or less.'_

* * *

He continued to indulge in the rain, let it dilute his woes and free up his spirit like one's willing suspension of disbelief. In this moment, everything could be overlooked, and only in this moment; all his bad acts, his misguided missile judgment, and the future that would further define his past, all suspended in delicate solitude.

He didn't bother wander around today, he didn't bother seek for food.

This sleepy corner of the city was all where he needed to be, away from people, amongst likewise forgotten things and never having to worry about his privacy being encroached upon. The perimeter of this playground was his bubble. He could imagine whatever he wanted until the rain passed away, he could breathe for a while.

He slunk back until he laid out fully on the tower, his mouth hung open for thick cold droplets. He chuckled noiselessly to himself at the taste, at the puddles forming at the inner corners of his eyes, and the occasional droplet that rolled down into his steaming nostrils.

In the back of his mind he fought not to imagine someone being beside him, enjoying the rain same as him. He fought not to recognize the loneliness again. His brain darted around, like one in a dream trying to capture lucidity, as the person who did not lay beside him took on different inner appearances but seemed to maintain one outer appearance. Beside him it looked like Sasuke, and sometimes it felt like it was him, but only for a second. For several seconds it would feel like Haku and sound like Haku, and then somehow it'd turn into Sakura scolding Sai and saying something under her breath to Naruto that was just between them. Back of his mind he heard Ino's shrillish fake laugh before shutting her out, and the one beside him became Sai for about five seconds before trying to will him away as well before he said anything. He became alone again, just like the period of his vague falling out with Sasuke; though there was still a shape of a person beside him, it was only body heat, no outer or inner appearance. This was what those years felt like, like there was still a spot for him to return to, as if his abandonment was 'just a phase'. Instead this feeling was just those missing years that Naruto was unable to fill even with imagination. He could not make up what kind of person Sasuke could be now. He could not humor himself with 'what ifs', nor make an idealized version of him. This emanating shape beside him remained blank, a void impossible to fill because in the back of his mind he felt like he never got to really know him.

Then something light and fresh filled his nose, calming and feminine like flowers, and her far away laughter floated in his ears. He crinkled his brow, trying to concentrate, but it kept eluding him. Her inner and outer appearance refused to take shape beside him no matter how hard he tried. She flickered in and out like a flame. However, he was starting to recognize something now; bows and frills and lace, and a big skirt, a heavily layered skirt actually... a girly girl. Who did he know that was _that_ girly?

"Wait..." He breathed, "That's 'Lolita' right?"

Straight long dark hair appeared on the vague ghost beside him, an innocent bliss-filled smile penetrating his inner vision.

He clenched his eyes, the puddles rolling off in streams down his cheeks and into his ears. He knew now it was Hinata he was feeling, but he couldn't feel her completely, he couldn't see her completely. It was truly as if she were a ghost more than a memory or a feeling.

That was it then; she had only been a flicker of light in his life, and the last person to nearly fill this shape beside him.

He sighed, disappointed over ever starting this line of thought, but then unwilling to release it by opening his eyes. He liked the feeling too much now, of someone being beside him, even though there wasn't... it didn't matter anymore.

It made more sense, that the people in his life would be his legacy and not as he lived or the things he'd done. His friends, his few friends held more significance than the fewer good things he ever done. Having bonds at one point was a true accomplishment.

He thought of clouds and baby blue as he let his mind dwell on the Hinata hologram beside him.

There really was something about her that was cheerful and right sometimes...

Something skidded abruptly against the road beyond his perimeter, a break in stealth, as the creeping, mind prodding sensation of being watched pulled him off his back. He gripped the steel yellow bar and peered into the rain, as the hologram Hinata scrambled to her knees and with startled eyes peered out with him.

He noticed her scuffed motorcycle boots first, encasing scar blemished moon pale legs like planted stalks in a pot. Her wrinkled black mini shorts hugged tight at the crease and loose off her hips, curved bones peaking above the waistband. She obscured the rest of herself from beneath an umbrella, semi-transparent white and an opaque blue hexagon at the center.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Naruto challenged vociferously, the imaginary Hinata disappearing beside him like an expired spell; body heat, baby blue and all.

"Your attitude hasn't changed... I'm surprised you're still here."

His fingers tightened intensely around the slippery steel bar, cold knuckles turning ghost white as the blood drew away; he could feel the numbness grow.

That husky, toneless voice of hers... it was like it'd been pulled directly out from his brain, he couldn't see any other way for his memories to manifest now: this was divine treachery.

"Fuck me..." Naruto muttered in an apprehensive groan, as his stomach flip-flopped between flight or fight as always. He could practically feel the acid sloshing inside him, ready to climb up and soil his mouth. She slowly began to lift her umbrella away from her face and- "FUCK ME!" He cried, slamming his forehead against the steel pole repeatedly in agitation and despair, his imaginary hologram glitching out beside him; it blinked rapidly between identities, from Sasuke to Sakura to Haku to Jiraiya to Sai to his teammates and the various youth he fought, because he prayed for back up, any back up he could get and willed for it now.

He hadn't spoken to anyone in years. No one would come for him even if they wanted to.

The woman with hard grey eyes frowned at his frantic dramatics, having not expected such an uncontrolled reaction, though control was a rare association for the boy.

"Are you frigh-?"

"JUST FUCK OFF!" He screamed, eyes brimming with anger and threat. She stepped back, as if having been brushed away by a burst of wind and met his eyes directly again. She knew he had no weapon on him, and she knew he wished he did. There was desperation churning beneath the surface. In face of confrontation he always needed a crutch, because somewhere along the way smiling stopped working.

"I'm not here to antagonize you, Naruto-san." She assured, taking on a softness in her voice. He continued to glare at her.

"Then just leave. I'd like to forget I ever saw you, I had such a good record going with that." His bitter words gave her pause, as the sordid recollections dredged themselves up from where she laid them. It'd been so long, she had forgotten these were his memories too.

"You know there is no Akatsuki anymore. What do y-"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?" Naruto cried with a scratched voice, his blood boiling hotter the longer she was around. What was this bullshit she was trying to pull? What could she possibly want if she wasn't here to bait him into another Akatsuki trap? It didn't matter if they were dissolved or not, she was still with Yahiko, she had scars he never saw before, so the others still had to be within contact. They didn't have much to entertain themselves with not to continue associating with that pierced sadist. Naruto's demand put her in an awkward position, a silent affirmation that he was correct to see the absurdity of them having casual conversation. "IDIOT! YOU DON'T HAVE A GOOD ENOUGH REASON TO BE TALKING TO ME!"

He didn't understand; she could just leave, they never had any use for one another before, they never became friends... and she never helped him when she could have. There was no reason for her to expect civility from him, he had no use for her either.

"You don't have shelter." She stated, stern and tentative, almost sounding like she was leaving room for a question.

Naruto grit his teeth and leaned his forehead sullenly against the pole.

"I'm doing fine, thanks," He bit sarcastically, "I bet I can go on this way longer than you were able to."

"If that's what you wish." Came her passive-aggressive answer, earning an irritated scoff from the blonde. "But if I said 'food' to you right now and walked away, you would become hungry, wouldn't you?"

Angry blue narrowed into harsh slits, his fevered brain disassembling her implications and analyzing them with utmost incredulity.

"So you're saying you wanna take responsibility for that?" He glared with distrust, his voice a quiet rumble.

"Yes."

"You're offering to feed me?" He iterated, tone growing in undisguised disgust at the thought of accepting charity from one who had allied herself with abusers of all kinds.

"Yes." Konan seemed sullen herself.

"Fine. Get me a bucket of chicken and bring it back here."

Konan stared at him, finding a disturbing trait in his response.

He was smirking at her smugly, as if he had thwarted some secret evil plan.

* * *

Hinata wandered through the quiet corridors, heading her way towards the infirmary with plastic wrapped bread delights in her arms. It felt somewhat eerie walking the halls, perhaps it was the anticipation she had about disrupting the bit of privacy that Tsunade had.

Hinata had been feeling alone again today, she needed to be around Shikamaru again.

She had gotten a text earlier from Emilie about the G&L Bible photoshoot, it had actually been a rant. She was decrying this friend of hers who had edited the photos and said he was on board with her emotive portraiture ideas, but the head publishers who had the real say in things declined the photos because Emilie hadn't squared it with them personally and that she should know better than anyone the work that goes into planning the issues. She was so incenced that it made Hinata feel awkward, because after hearing that Hinata had to agree she should have known better. After having bitching out her photo touch-up friend for leading her on and calling him ass backwards and all kinds of things, she was told that the publishers agreed to steadily immerse Hinata as a new model, emphasis on 'steadily'. Hinata thought it was incredibly gracious of them to give her a proper chance, she felt silly for believing it was going to be as instantaneous as Emilie made it seem. Hearing their acceptance felt extraordinarly more exciting than when Hinata got to wear the custom brand dress, this had a feeling of officiality, finality, suredness - a feeling of steady ground to walk on that she hadn't ever experienced before.

It wasn't a permanent path, but when she would go work for them, that steady ground would be there to greet her and suspend her insecurities with productive distraction.

Then Hinata asked where the money they had both 'earned' had come from if the photos had been declined.

_'He said that was partly out of guilt, and decided to buy the photos himself. Said I could put that money towards my University tuition, pfft._

_Is everyone somehow blocking out in their brains that my family is wealthy?_

_Sender: LaBelle'_

Hinata tapped a somewhat timid row of knuckles against the infirmary door, allowing Tsunade a chance to prepare but she heard nothing. She was about to knock again when the door opened a creak, startling her.

"Hey," Shikamaru stood by the doorway before stepping out, hand lightly gripping the door so he wouldn't have to fully close it, "She drunk herself stupid again. She's been asleep for a few minutes, she'll probably be that way for an hour or two."

"Where has Shizune-san been?" Hinata pondered aloud, brows furrowed together in deep concern.

"I dunno..." Shikamaru realized now that Shizune's absense was kind of strange, considering the stress Tsunade was going through and quite possibly would continue to go through, "Maybe her pig got sick." He shrugged lazily.

"Shizune has a pig?"

"No, it's Tsunade's, but Shizune loves that thing. She takes as good care of it as she does Tsunade."

"I see..." She nodded ponderously, her eyes drifting unseeingly to a spot on the door. For some reason this was new to her, to learn personally of demon-plagued adults and their private troubles. All she'd ever known was her detached, stone-faced father. She barely knew a thing about Kiba's family, nor a thing about Keisuke's. She had known Emilie's twin sister for a time, but beyond that Emilie's personal life was a mystery as well. The most she knew of anyone's family or personal life was the fervent rants Moe made about her mother, a depressed party girl. Her father she complained of significantly less, but it seemed he was a homebody, the complete opposite of her mother. Hinata could see how that would bother Moe more than an absent mother: Moe lived to move.

"What should we do then?" Hinata asked, pulling out of her trance.

"We can eat out here," He said shrugging, closing the door as silently as possible, "I skimmed through as much of her documents as I could by the way, but I'm not sure there was anything there that would be entirely useful to you."

They sat down on the cold tile, backs pressed against the wall and half-lidded stares aimed at the ceiling like looking at anything else was too hard and distracting. Hinata unwrapped a sandwich and handed it to Shikamaru who murmured a 'thank you'. She unwrapped hers as well, but didn't feel quite as hungry as earlier.

"You know what they were about?" She asked.

"A few were the same: Missing Persons biography to help with the investigation. Others were copies of personal documents, bills and lease papers, various cost estimates concerning all kinds of things, and his current school records. It seems like she's considering other work... maybe she's preparing to take Naruto into her care or something."

"... I suppose she could if she wants." Hinata mumbled, getting an unexpected laugh out of the lazy lad beside her.

"You would dictate what others could do long as it involved not having to see him again, haha." His shoulders shook back and forth as his abdomen vibrated with low belly laughter, and his head craned back with an incredulous smirk of amusement. He took one glance at her face and saw scrunched up nose and an embarrassed frown, bottom lip conquering upper lip in battle of force. He laughed again. "Cute, hahaha- You look like an angry five year old, hahahaha-"

Hinata found that having it pointed out didn't make it any easier to smooth away.

* * *

Naruto waited roughly fifteen minutes, allowing Konan the chance to do this strange decision of hers. As much as he would love to walk off and ditch her completely, having no greater chance than now, he didn't want to give up the grander chance at free food, nevertheless a bucketful. He never really got to celebrate Christmas the way he should've or would've liked, and he hadn't even been able to have a happy commercial holiday in several years, so making an original Akatsuki member buy him fried chicken and deliver it was the closest thing to Christmas he was ever going to get.

His fingers tightened instinctively around the metal bar again at the sight of her return. Her blue hair was a thin disguise, with wayward strands that fell over her round cheek bones in defeated impudence. Her scars and light bruises could not be hidden behind her blue curtains, it brought more attention to the damage, almost sarcastically, like a person shouting to a crowd that they would never guess what he was hiding in his hand, and everyone could see he held a severed hand at the wrist. Or maybe there was something worse inside the cupped hand no one was looking at.

"You really got me food." Naruto commented casually, maintaining tone of skepticism to cover up his initial pleasure. Silent, she approached the slide tower and handed the KFC bucket to his dirt rough hands like an agreed peace offering. She draped her umbrella over him, situating it on the bar until it was perfectly balanced. He had this look of discomfort on his face that he could not smother, her closeness permeated through him like cigar smoke. She smelled a bit like antiseptic and clover. Her rebellious strands bobbed limply against her cheeks. He could see pink and blue mottling curve around the bone of her left eye, down the round of her cheek to the edge of her jaw. Her often darkly painted lips were bare and pale, blemished with a freckling of deep red pinpricks - petechiae- emanating outward from the corners.

Seeing her up close was like motion sickness.

"I offered to do so, so why wouldn't I?" She replied, nearly finding the perfect angle to steady the umbrella. He really didn't care at this point about his food getting wet or not, he didn't understand what was in her head to bother with him any further.

"Thought you might've finally realized that this is still freakin' weird of you."

Her faded black field jacket hung morosely around her shoulders, doing nothing to cover up her indiscreet cleavage or the pebbled nipples pressing relentlessly through her bra against her ribbed cotton tanktop. Beneath the shadows of her jacket, he also saw her _irezumi_ tattoos that decorated her upper arms, spilling slightly onto her shoulders; it was a wave design climbing upwards with sakura branches in bloom, and he remembered that her entire back was fully decorated as well, with an eddying current design swirling between her shoulder blades, and a chrysanthemum at the base of her spine where the sakura trees sprouted from. He remembered, there had also been a three-legged frog tattooed onto her left hip, and a snake tattooed on the right.

The three-legged frog represented her desire to fulfill Yahiko and Nagato's desires no matter what they were, and to keep them wealthy. The snake represented herself as 'God's Messenger', a role given to her at the beginning of it all, and a role she had carried out with efficiency. She had a list of hits as long as both her arms.

She was highly capable and yet she was here trying to make sure he would be dry enough to eat his family sized meal.

It took her a couple minutes, but she got the umbrella steadily balanced over him. She stepped out of the way, reading into his awkwardly leaning away stance, and gave him his space.

The rain slicked her down in a matter of seconds, making her feel warmer in contrast.

Naruto did not attempt to eat. He squinted his eyes at her.

"Why're you trying to be nice to me?" The acidic sloshing was starting up again, "Are you feeling guilty?" She could not meet his eyes directly this time. She was taken over by a ghost of indecision. "Go fuck off if you're feeling guilty! You could've done SOMETHING if you didn't want to feel guilty!" He placed the KFC bucket down beside him and scrambled out from under the umbrella, and stood with feverishly embittered fists, "You wanna _understand_ me?" He screamed, lifting the KFC bucket in his hands. A fresh drumstick struck the front of her cheek. "You still believe in that shit, huh? You and Yahiko?" A half breast piece struck her collarbone. "You fuckin' masochist," another half breast piece struck close to her left eye, "You're accustomed to _understanding_ guys, aren't you? You even let Hidan borrow you for some _understanding_! You fuckin' emotionally dead bitch!"

A second drumstick struck her in the middle of her forehead.

Her eyes were glued to the ground.

Her breath was locked in the back of her throat.

He couldn't see the tremor in her hands, or the stillness in her eyes. All he saw was a woman too dead to react. He scoffed and kicked the bucket of KFC over the edge of the slide tower, breaded chicken rolling out in all directions. He didn't care anymore.

"You understand me yet?"

He stared her down with hard eyes, maintaining his demand that she leave. He would not be followed, he would not be chased down if he backed off and left instead. She had to walk away first.

Through stilled breath she spoke, her voice taking on a disturbing insecure tremble.

"I stayed with Yahiko for four months after Nagato's death and the dissolve of Akatsuki. I've cut myself off from him since then."

"Bullshit! Your face is all screwed up!"

"It hasn't gone away." Tears she hadn't felt since her childhood formed over her bottom lashes, threatening to spill in her lament; not over the damage she suffered four years ago but over his cutting words and the wretched memories he pulled up so caustically like yanking cables from concrete.

She didn't realize she never had a purpose until she found him again.

* * *

Hinata was curled into herself.

"You think i-if Tsunade-san ha-hasn't heard-d anything... you think tha-that's good n-news for us?" She stammered and sighed wetly, trying her best to breathe. Loose tears fell off from her knees onto the tile, joining a small constellation of shining saline winking back up at her.

Shikamaru continued to rub her back gently. His hands felt larger than Naruto's, much sturdier too. She was suddenly surprised he was so kind, they really had only become friends no more than fourteen hours ago, and this was where they were now.

"It certainly means they haven't found him." He replied, transitioning into circular motions. She sniffled as her fingers flexed continuously in her hair, catching and releasing useless strands, a veritable metaphor of how she couldn't get a handle on anything. She wasn't sure what more to think about when it came to Naruto. She couldn't stand this waiting, she needed to focus on something, on making a plan, but she needed that update first. Not hearing the update should be what they want actually, it should be so easy for them to have stopped by Tazuna and Tsunami's apartment by now and taken him away- unless they needed the papers Tsunade was working on first. Hinata wasn't sure. She knew she should be relieved by the lack of updates given to Tsunade, she was still technically a step ahead of Tsunade, though Tsunade knew where he was by knowing him. If Hinata hadn't followed him to Osaka, or gotten taken advantage of in Nagoya, then she wouldn't have a clue about Naruto's whereabouts and she would be stuck fearing his return than fearing his safety. He ran away for a good reason and she felt so stupid for not realizing that, or asking him further, or that she wasn't even the least bit impressed anymore about the cut in his arm that whole week. However, she didn't think she was ever going to leave him so soon. True, somehow she stopped caring about details, and had the secure expectation that she would learn about him in due time. He shooed her off almost preemptively.

A strained and agitated groan rumbled meekly in Hinata's throat, she tried to finish off any more thoughts of him before it kept going and going. This was their dead end road for now, she had to deal with it for a couple days longer.

"Oh noo..." She moaned hopelessly, somehow sinking further into herself. Shikamaru transitioned back to up and down strokes.

"What is it?"

"I have to avoid going home again, tomorrow as well. Where am I supposed to go? What am I supposed to do with myself? I don't know how long Neji-nii wants me to do this."

* * *

Naruto had no idea why he was following her.

He still hated her.

She promised him that she was no longer in contact with former Akatsuki.

She promised him that she hadn't seen Yahiko in four years.

She promised him that she fell off the map after everything, she promised him so that she could make it up to him, to make some final good in her life. God, how he couldn't believe how easily he was still swayed to appease people, how easily the concept of moral savior still seduced him.

All she wanted to do was give him shelter and food. He could hardly say no to that now. She knowingly stayed too long in his prescence, spoke too much, and in her refusal to leave him alone- a silent plea to give her a chance.

He couldn't even believe the sliver of history he had with her and Yahiko actually bothered her to the point of this, this maternal guilt of hers.

The Akatsuki never cared about him, they kept him around to be their puppy to kick, right up until that day, and when they would chance upon they still treated him like their cigarette scarred pup. Her especially, Konan had always been the passive-aggressive one. She saw what the others did and didn't even bat an eye. He knew the depths of her loyalty to Yahiko and Nagato, which was why he hated her so much. They were a fuckin' twisted bunch, the three of them. Konan would do everything for them and get it done, and she wouldn't question it and she wouldn't have regrets. Nagato had been slowly dying since who knows when and Yahiko had been dead for a long time, and she still obeyed them like it made absolute sense. She let Yahiko beat her up because she thought it made sense.

Naruto hated her so much.

She wasn't going to ask him to like her though. She just needed to do this to make herself feel better, and he'd let her. A place to sleep, a shower to use, and a way to get fed for free. She was used to getting taken advantage of, and this was her choice in the first place.

He was going to do this much for her as a favor, any else he did that would be considered unkind to her would be her fault.

They remained walking the backroads until they came upon a six story building, ramshackled and waterstained, with heavy cracks in the concrete and rust on the balcony rails. Her apartment was the third last from the middle. Her upstairs neighbors had these potted plants with overgrown vines hanging off the balcony and obscuring her window like a beaded curtain. There were a group of men, some scrawny, and some with a paunch, who hung out next door beneath a balcony, chatting and smoking casually. Naruto tried to listen in on them, purely out of curiosity, when nothing they said was making sense to him.

Konan pulled her key out from the lock and twisted the knob with a firm push forward. The jamb gave a crusty rustle, making Naruto stare at it uneasily, like something was going to fall. When nothing did he gingerly stepped inside, and became consumed in the loamy undertone of the apartment. It smelled wet, musty... like old pipes or parking garage during the rain. After a while he could begin to smell something sweet, like hydrangeas, yet it only reminded him further of the loam.

Konan closed the door and Naruto looked around, still uneasy for doing this.

She had an old plastic-lined composite wood table up against her window, with a couple plates, bowls, chopsticks, and sake cups cluttered in one area, and dozens of origami flowers scattered in front of her chair. The floor was a dated lineloum, as this was the kitchen. The lineolum was faded, scuffed and yellowed to the point of the corners turning ochre brown. The kitchen counter was plastic lined and also faded, the cabinets looked flimsy and the walls were waterstained. The sink seemed to be the only thing that looked flawless.

There were two doorways on either side of the kitchen. Directly in front of him, the right doorway, he could see down the hallway lead to her bedroom. From his angle, he could see a couch in the shadows of the left doorway, assuming that had to be her very small living room.

Without a word, Konan walked off down the right hallway. Naruto's hands clenched into fists, his eyes fixated on her in a somewhat paranoid stare. A light turned on from a room that had been hidden in the shadows, and he saw that it was the bathroom. He watched Konan disappear into the bathroom. With breath held he waited four seconds, but it felt like nearly a minute to him. She returned with towels.

"Here." She said, toneless as ever. He plucked it from her outstretched hands, making sure to never to remove his eyes from her, and draped the white towel over his head. He rubbed his head briskly, then left the towel to hang around his neck. His clothes were still wet, but he had no idea what he wanted to do here. It still felt so absurd to him. "You can do as you please here." Konan replied, not having much of an idea herself what to do with him. She was used to taking orders or doing nothing at all. If he had an order for her, she was fine with that. If he could figure on his own what he wanted to do, that was fine too.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Like there's anything I'd _wanna_ do in this rathole. How about I just stay here until the rain stops."

"You can always come back here for a bed." Konan stated, explaining the extent of her offer.

"Why would I want to? This place is depressing and you're extraordinarily tragic to look at."

Konan's eyes dropped away. She took on a silence that was entirely different than her usual, like a faltering in her countence.

"I'll stay in my room then, until you may need me for something. Help yourself to anything." She turned round and headed down the half lit corridor once again.

Half way down she heard him curse to himself, "So fuckin' passive-aggressive."

* * *

The period bell rang, signalling the students back to class.

Shikamaru stared with puzzlement and curiosity at the passed out Tsunade. She was curled cozily against her desk, arms splayed around her head like a protective gate. He wondered if the sake made her feel any better, when it had made her cry more.

With her passed out he doubted they would get any information today. He would try to stake out here again tomorrow, but up until all planning was on hiatus.

He placed a packaged anpan bun by her head, a gift from Hinata, before returning to class with the rest of his peers.

* * *

Naruto had been rooted to the kitchen floor for minutes, a few at first, then several, that windless, breathless, booby trap paranoia surrounding him like a stadium of secret eyes.

He waited for something to happen.

He stared wide, focused and hard, upon her bedroom door down the hallway, the crevices lit up ominously like something he saw from a movie; any moment now a shadow would burst from the light and pass through him, causing him to explode. He'd become a splatter of blood and nothing more.

He chanced looking away and whipped his head around to the front door, fear stabbing needles in his brain. He waited. Nothing happened.

"Where the fuck is the ambush...? Come on you dicks, I'm right here..."

Still nothing happened.

The apartment was deathly silent aside from the flurried thoughts in his head.

He still didn't trust this. There would be Akatsuki at some point, there always was; But despite all that and a genuine dislike of being here, he didn't really feel like leaving yet either. He felt far too spent, more spent than he realized, and he couldn't help but give into the idea of rest; wonderous, dry, warm rest.

He briskly rubbed his face and hair again before tossing the towel on the table. He doubled taked several times between Konan's closed bedroom door and the front door, making sure things were secure long enough for him to get to work. He checked the front door and made sure it was locked. He then grabbed the closest chair he could and crept down the right hallway, towards Konan's bedroom. He shoved the chair as quietly as possible against her door knob, making sure she couldn't get out yet.

He jogged back to the kitchen and began pulling out all the drawers, until he found what he was afraid of. Most of the drawers were empty, one had batteries, a lighter, and two boxes of matches. The second drawer was a minimal set of western utensils and chopsticks. He found what he was looking for in the third drawer.

Naruto pulled out the set of kitchen knives and took them with him to the living room. He turned on the light and took a quick look around. He decided shoving them under the futon couch gave him the best vantage. He ran back to the kitchen and grabbed the lighter and matchboxes, taking them back to where he intended to sleep off the day and shoved them under the futon. He ran back to the kitchen again, and hopped up on the counters so he could search the cabinets and reach atop them. There was nothing hidden atop nor on the fridge, and the cabinets were relativley bare, with nothing more than a meager array of cereal, mixed dry snacks, and top ramen. He hopped down and checked the refrigerator. It was overstocked with take-out/delivery food, and one carton of milk. The side-door had sauces and condiments. There was one bottle of pink wine. He wasn't sure if that could create a molotov cocktail like he had been fearing, but he could still be beaten with it, or cut. He grabbed it up and hid it inside the end table by the futon couch. He decided he had to check the closets next.

The living room closet had five jackets hung on coat hangers, and a couple of file boxes on the floor up against the corner. He checked the pockets of each of the jackets, and found one package of cigarettes in the bomber's jacket. He wasn't going to risk anyone reaching for these and stole them up too and hid them with the pink wine. He then pulled out the file boxes and rummaged through them, but it was all crap; camcorder parts, a few messed up polaroids, a finger-full of foreign bills, two mini-albums, one with decades old pressed flowers, and the other unused. He figured if she was sentimental about anything, she had her precious items tucked away in her bedroom.

He crossed over to the right hallway again and found another closet right across from the bathroom. It had three shelves, only the middle taken up by extra towels. He wandered into the bathroom and immediately rummaged through her medicine cabinet. She had ibuprofen, a couple jars of tiger balm, bandaids, a travel size mouthwash, and several square packages of alcohol soaked pads. He checked beneath the sink and found bleach, tampons, and toilet paper. Bleach itself could be dangerous, but he decided not to bother with it.

When he didn't find anything particularly flammable or sharp he went back into the kitchen to check under the sink. It had the bare minimum of cleaning items; floor cleaner and drain cleaner. He grabbed the drain cleaner and hid it in one of the file boxes from the living room closet before shoving them both back in.

He heaved a sigh, now wearily assured he had secured the place.

He glanced backwards at the futon, finding it increasingly attractive as his desire for rest grew.

He walked out of the living room and marched back to Konan's bedroom door.

He pounded on it twice.

"Hey, Hey! You awake?" He shouted. He heard movement stir within the room before the knob jiggled a little. He grabbed the chair and pulled it away slightly. She tried to open the door, only to find it bang against the chair he was holding. She addressed him with one sullen eye. The cieling light inside her room was the brightest thing in the house and it greatly emphasized the damage on her face, revealing to him an extent he hadn't seen before. It made him cringe. "I'm gonna sleep now, and I gotta dry my clothes. So you don't get to come out 'til I let you. Get anywhere near me and I'll kill you."

Konan took some time to observe him before nodding in concede and closed herself back in. Naruto shoved the chair against the knob again and headed for the bathroom to get more naked than he'd been in three months.

* * *

Naruto sat on the toilet, carefully peeling his hoodie from his skin. Every movement created a brush of air, making his skin feel like ice. He peeled off his shirt in a rush and tossed it over the side of the sink and clutched at his arms immediately, breathing out a shuddery "Damn." He rubbed his hands up and down vigorously, an ephemeral effort that helped somewhat to smooth away the goosebumps.

The subtle hum of a bass echoed from beyond Konan's front door, the sound pulsed through the floor and vibrated against his feet and ears. He could hear the chatter of youthful females mixing in with the scraggly voices of older men. He could hear two different sets of music playing outside, the first sounding like a cross between lounge jazz and trip-hop, and the other sounding like _Enka_ music.

Naruto resumed warming himself, running his palms up and down his arms, then up and down his sides. He stopped. He glanced down at himself, like this was the first time he had gotten a good look. He could feel the round ridges of his rib cage in his palms, the bathroom light created soft shadows between the divots. The toned quality of his body had withered away with the weeks. Being an ectomorph, feeling his ribcage was nothing new, but seeing it was different. Even his sternum was fairly pronounced.

His hand drifted to his scarred up navel. The scar tissue was broad and smooth, reaching halfway across his abdomen and a quarter inch vertically. The way Tsunade had to staple him back up left faded pigments that nearly ran a perfect circle around his bellybutton. His bellybutton itself healed rather awkwardly, having become stretched horizontally and a cleft knotch hooking across from atop, in an appearance he considered a mangled swirl. He remembered he revealed himself to Hinata at least twice before. Back then it was alright because they hadn't gotten too close yet. He wouldn't have minded back then, if she had voiced any of the questions he knew she must've had. Back then he wouldn't have worried so much about her opinion.

He peeled off his pants and socks and hung them on the towel rack with his hoodie. He glanced at the shower. Faded green tea colored plastic tub with a foggy clear plastic curtain. He slumped forward and frowned in scrutiny as he began to further consider the benefits of a hot shower after the cold rain. He was concerned about using female soap and female shampoo. The further he mulled it over, the more he began to 'come to terms' with her item choices and decided with her cheap lifestyle she could only afford 'gender neutral' soaps and such.

He promptly hopped in, with the decision that if anything were to happen to him, he could suffocate the person with the shower curtain.

* * *

Konan heard the rush of water in the pipes and the squeak of the showerhead and the dull thudding of pelting pressurized water against the tub echo through the hall from the bathroom.

She lounged lazily against her many comforters and futons strewn about in the center of her room, a swirl of vintage and classic Japanese patterns encasing her in a nest of security and isolation. The whites and navy blues contrasted with the rusty reds and ochre yellows. The colors distracted her mind, filled her with geometric shapes that reminded her of her thousands of origami animals, flowers and dolls that stood on her shelves, hid in her shoes and hung off her walls. Repeatedly worn clothes laid strewn about random spots on the floor, amongst other obstructions like photobooks on origami, flowers, Turkish rug patterns and various Japanese regions. Beer cans, half stacked used bowls, junk food bags and socks were other identifiable objects that cluttered around her nest.

It would almost be an understatement to say that she lived in her room. No where else held enough familiarity for her, and all the heat from her neighbors' apartments settled right here in this room alone. The living room was second warmest but not by enough, the kitchen sucked out practically all of the heat. Especially on rainy days like these.

She wondered if he knew how long the rain usually lasted this time of year.

* * *

He wanted to be friends with her again. Everything was so weird now, sometimes it seemed like everything was alright cuz he'd hear how she kept in touch with Emilie, but then things would still feel off. She wasn't exactly no longer friends with most of the group, Moe specifically, but she wasn't keeping in touch like before either. It was like silence was safer, like it would preserve what had stopped so that no one would have to acknowledge the truth, that they had been dropped, whether she intended it or not.

He still wanted to be friends with her again. He didn't want to be grouped with them, he wanted to be with her for her, no matter what her inner circle was.

Kiba glanced behind his shoulder, the socio-political lecture going unheard by some.

Hinata sat in the furthest corner of the room, resting her head on her desk alongside with Shikamaru who sat next to her in his usual seat. They both had their study pamphlets propped up to 'shield' them from the teacher's peripherals. He was far too invested in his own voice and wisdom to be fully aware of who was paying attention and who wasn't.

It wasn't so much that Kiba felt envious of Shikamaru that seeing them together made him yearn to insert himself into their company, he almost admired them in fact, they made a cozy image, like big brother and little sister.

He wanted to know where he stood, how much he mattered to her, how he mattered to her. He knew he was friendzoned, it was okay at this point. Seeing Shikamaru motivated a need in him, he wanted to be like a brother to her too. She called her cousin 'Nii-san'; to be that type of close to her, moreso than before, it would be an honor, even a blessing.

Him, and Shino and Shikamaru. Things would be so much fun again if they all stuck together.

Hinata would complete their group, she'd be the sun, the center, and it would be so nice.

Plus... they only had another year left together.

* * *

The sun made its way down, sucking the reds and yellows form the sky as it did. The final bell rung and students fled for home or the shopping districts with friends hooked in arms and escape on the brain. Others jogged to extracurricular obligations, and the very few remaining stayed behind to clean.

Tsunade roused awake, the shadowy blue of the evening seeming sudden to her as she remembered the fluorescent lights being on before she passed out. A twitch ran down her right arm, her body steadily awaking as she tried to reclaim cognizance. Her knuckles lightly knocked into something, the crinkle of thin plastic pulling at her curiosity.

She pushed herself up and grabbed the packaged anpan. She squinted at it in the darkness, before getting up for the light switch. Her head was somewhat full of cotton, her eyes slurred to her brain what she was supposed to be seeing, and her body felt heavy and limp like pulling a 160 lb rag doll full of sand and trying to put it into specific poses.

The flash of fluorescence stunned her momentarily, then it gradually faded away.

There was a simple line drawing of Hinata's likeness drawn onto the plastic with black marker. She had black dots for eyes and a small 'u' for a smile. There was a scribble of kanji with a looping arrow pointed atop her head, reading 'Shikamaru's skills'. Tsunade leaned her head into the palm of her hand, the incredulous amusement mixing with the lingering 'weepies' in her system, filling her with an uncomfortably awkward bittersweetness.

She flipped the bread over and found another drawing, this time the likeness of the decades old cartoon character Anpanman, with a little crater depicted atop his head.

A surprised laugh escaped her and she quickly draped her free hand across her grimacing lips.

Part of her wasn't sure if this was dumb coming from high school students, or if it was awesome because of the sentiment itself.

It was more sweet than she could bear, something this cute she would have expected from a five year old.

_"Baa-chan, why is it just baker's in Anpanman? Where's the ramen makers?"_

_He was covered in mud again as the small child struggled to keep a hold of the large toad in his little fingers._

_She sat out on the porch to watch him, with a plate of anpan and ohagi beside her._

_It was one of those days where everything difficult could be forgotten, a fresh spring May with lots of sun and little pollen thanks to last night's rain._

_On these days, watching him play, it didn't seem like that part existed and she could enjoy him better._

_She tried on occasion to forget Jiraiya's declination to watch him today._

_She tried to pretend he didn't feel awkward around little Naruto._

A small drop rolled off her eyelashes and slipped down her eye, settling atop her cheekbone like a pin-sized glass pearl.

"Why haven't they called yet..?"

* * *

The clothes flew aggressively towards her, shirt and flannel bottoms attaching themselves to her face and head in an instant. Shikamaru smirked sympathetically as he helped peel the items off her and into her arms where they were meant to be.

Hinata bowed a hasty, slightly awkward 'thank you' towards Temari who had willingly offered her pajamas to borrow. As for now she still had a choice between sleeping in the guest house or one of the available bedrooms upstairs. As paradoxically standoffish and easygoing as they were, they didn't expect her to make a choice until she wanted to sleep, and they didn't require an answer to their face or anything. Formality here was as dead as their Senator father.

"I guess you can come here any time you need to. I've avoided coming home on countless occasions," She continued as she turned away, hand on her hip, "But god, I can't imagine having to be shunned like that with no explanation. It's like your home is on fuckin' quarantine and you don't know what the fuckin' disease is."

Hinata scratched awkwardly at the back of her head, unsure how to answer to the idea of her home being diseased like she depicted. Her forenail brushed against her scar and she immediately withdrew her hand from her head. Her heart was racing and she tried to push away the face of her cousin from her mind. She began to think that maybe it could be alright to spend some time away. Maybe she definitely needed it.

Temari clapped her hands together and spun on her heel to approach her two guests.

"Okay, so what're we doing today?" She asked boyishly, dropping her hands away from eachother, her brief-lived chipper countenance instantly done away with. Hinata couldn't help but drift her gaze to her right, awkwardly meeting Kankuro's intent smiling stare on her. After dealing with Kiba for the past two seasons she knew what infatuation and adoration looked like, and it wasn't on Kankuro's face. A big part of her was grateful, and yet it didn't help her understand why he was looking so friendly and staring in the first place. "What're you doing, Gepetto?" Temari asked accusingly of her brother after quickly noticing what was happening on the sidelines.

"Just getting inspired." He replied nonchalantly with an amused smirk. Temari visibly shivered at his words, setting upon him a dark blue cock-eyed stare. Hinata discreetly shifted her weight from foot to foot, unsure how to react to his answer as well.

"That's freakin' creepy! Why would you say that? What the crap is going through your head now, ya pervert?" Temari complained, her voice raising in volume and emotion.

"I'm not being perverted. She just really looks like a doll, y'know? I think she puts my 'Miruko' BJD to shame," He answered calmly, smiling at the end as he turned his attention to Hinata again. Temari still shuddered at his words. "Seeing you, I think I might have to change out her eyes and redo her blush."

Hinata smiled shyly at his words, quiet gratitude exuding from her eyes a like a firefly glow. She wasn't creeped out like Temari was, now she understood how artists spoke, what they sound like when they were inspired, this was his reason for smiling and staring. It didn't bother her at all. It was significantly different from LaBelle's artist modes, she always had an obsessive air about her, like she was trying to preserve Hinata and keep the ideal she had of her all to herself. She'd whore off her image like a proud mother but protectively grasp the real thing to herself, and damn the rest who wanted her too, and some of them rightly so, let's say family for one thing maybe, or other friends.

Yes, Kankuro was different. He was surprisingly warm in his own way, and clearly committed to his hobby. It didn't seem like there was any money in it for him, no soughting after being the best talent, only the bettering of his dolls and fleshing out their personalities as if they naturally had personhood.

"You like Lolita, right?" Kankuro asked, smirking as he knew his intuition was right on before he even needed an answer. She smiled and nodded fervently once before pausing and transitioning into much shyer nodding. She felt so embarassed for looking so excited. He just laughed. "I knew it, it's so perfect for you. I bet you have good taste."

"Okay, now you're hitting on her." Temari scowled before shoving his head forward in reprimand. Shikamaru was starting to become uncomfortable himself after the apparent change in conversation.

"We haven't gone out in about three months. Could watch a movie or go bowling." Shikamaru shrugged.

"Aaaahh, I wanna do air rifling!" Temari groaned out passionately to the cieling. "Fuck it, yeah! Let's go down to a dry riverbed, right now!"

Shikamaru and Hinata stared at her incredulously like they both knew she was out for blood.

"Even if we wanted to get shot, it's dark out right now you know." Shikamaru smirked.

"I'll take you pussies on at night!" She exclaimed as she climbed up on the table, taking on a boyishly domineering stance over the younger bunch in the kitchen. "We shall take battleside amongst the fireflies!"

Kankuro hung his head defeatistly as Shikamaru smiled warmly to himself in amusement, happy to see her in this mood again.

Hinata felt entirely out of her domain, realizing how little in common she had with this new group and how little she'd continue to have with them, and yet despite not fitting in she did not feel scared or overwhelmed like she normally did with new people, with _any_ new people.

She was out of place, but it felt right somehow.

Maybe... maybe it was that having the same interests didn't matter as much as she thought it did. And compared to her first group, there was no tug-of-war of egos, there was a sense of simply existing and nothing more, and it was nice, it was strangely comforting because she realized that she didn't feel suffocated.

She never realized until now that she had always been suffocated.

* * *

Naruto curled beneath the pile of towels he covered himself with as a makeshift blanket. There was no blanket he could find nor duvet, and he wasn't going to ask Konan for one. He'd been lying in the cocoon of moist body warmth for the past couple hours or so, his legs sticking awkwardly together and his feet clammily digging for more towel cover while trying his best not to move too much at the same time. The slightest movements caused air to seep in and his heat to rush out, it reminded him of sick days from his youth, the unwanted fluctuation of hot and cold and that vulnerability you feel when the slightest slip of your blanket makes you feel too weak to move.

Naruto growled in frustration to himself, hating how easily cold he got with these stupid towels. He threw his head against the futon for the umpteenth time and growled a long sigh as he remembered why he kept trying to avoid sleeping on his face though he really wanted to.

The futon really really stank. It smelled like it'd been locked away in storage and then left to air out in a weed-ridden field with mothballs and wet dogs.

He awkwardly tried to pull up a corner of a towel near his face with his arm that he laid on. He shivered despite the air seeping in and pulled up the rest of it with his teeth. He adjusted it beneath his cheek with his hand again and laid his head on it with a huff. It helped enough, now he just smelled soap, must and mothballs.

He closed his eyes but could not give into sleep. He didn't feel as tired as he had before, most likely because he had reinvigorated himself with the shower. It started to seem counter-intuitive because now he couldn't relax his thoughts. He felt restless being here. He didn't belong here. She was a fuckin' enemy of his, a horrid ghost from his past, a truly detestable person. It only seemed logical to him that he should do something other than this, laying around trying to get warm, he should be getting back at her.

He should either rob her or kill her or something.

His hands clenched as his thoughts swirled with disgust and hate. It actually gave him a strangely addicting thrill the more he dwelled on these thoughts, immersing himself in the scenarios, the sweet justification of it all making his heart swell and race.

He thought about the knives he had hidden beneath him, within arms reach and so tempting. He thought about the lighter and the matches and the cigarettes and the stove. He thought how he could set this whole place aflame with her trapped in her bedroom.

He thought about how he had limped away from the compound with bleeding feet and broken fingers, how they just sent him on his way, minimally bandaged and thoroughly nauseous, crying, praying to God to take back the past three days from ever happening, wishing he never saw Sasuke's indifferent face, wishing he didn't feel like dying.

He thought how that should have been her in some way, he played out the scene, imagining her walking around with needle-stabbed, sword-cut feet, blood painting dirty smears across her kitchen floor.

But he wouldn't be able to remind her not to show fear, he wouldn't be able to tell her to 'take it' because she already would. His initiation may have been a farce, but with her experience with pain, she would have easily passed the torture test they put on him.

Did he even want to revel in seeing her pain, though? He wasn't entirely sure, he seemed to enjoy his violent daydreams for the sake of payback alone.

The person he hated, the real person, began to take a more accurate shape in his thoughts and he felt an insatiable frustration at the idea of her not responding to anything he did.

There was a stronger possibililty now that it wouldn't be as satisfying as it should be and it irritated him.

The more he thought about her, not more than six feet away did he really think that he wanted to kill her. He could rush into her bedroom, knife in hand. He could punch her, beat on her like her lifelong lover Yahiko.

His teeth grit suddenly, his eyes pricked with tears.

He hated his thoughts now. He hated his mind, he hated what was in his heart. He hated that he wanted to see blood so much, that he wanted the suffering of others, to hear the cracking of bones and see the lifelong deformities take place that they'd be stuck with just like him.

He hated his darkness so much, but they gave him this burden.

They willingly continued the cycle of abuse, forced upon him the taste for human flesh, and he couldn't think of anything more pleasurable than deriving his pain from others.

"Ambivalence is weakness..." He miserably quoted from that time, those words having been a mockery from the start, yet their fake teachings still stuck with him because he had believed them so thoroughly at the time, so naively. Part of him still believed in them. His jaw clenched, he fought against his judgment, fought against the justification of harming her, of doing away with an Akatsuki member, and he fought against the part of him that was still moral, that had already made itself known and reminded him his tears still meant he was alive, that his heart wasn't lost forever and that his desire for payback was a lie and would always be a lie. "... but ambivalence is weakness..." He mumbled, still confusing his morality for weakness.

Why should killing her bother him? She didn't mean a thing to him other than be one of several dark holes in his heart. Being rid of her and other Akatsuki should put him at ease, help him sleep at night and find comfort that they're gone forever and that he overpowered them in the end, that he was the strongest one after all.

He shouldn't have two thoughts about this, she should be dead _now_.

"Fuuuuck." Naruto growled out as he threw the towels aside and reached under the bed for a knife. Ignored as best he could that he was shivering down in his damp boxers and clenched the knife in his hand. He worked to grasp hold of that hate he had earlier, to have it consume him long enough to go through with this. He kept telling himself that he had to do this, he had to do this, over and over again. After what seemed liked an hour, in truth it was a few minutes that passed, he finally put a shaky foot forward, and then another, and another, eventually growing a little more embolden each time, and his body only shaking with excitement than unsurety. Tears continued to prick his eyes as his jaw set and unset itself repeatedly, a twisted grimace straining his features.

He found himself standing before her door.

The chair still stood between them.

The vague shadows that passed across the floor intimidated him more than he liked to acknowledge. The knowledge of her being awake, alive, moving... it was fucking daunting. The idea of a shadow bursting from the light and turning him into meat slush continued to capture his imagination. Yahiko may have been The Dragon in every sense of the meaning, but Konan was a dragon as well, she was Nagato's protector, his loyal fighter.

What the hell made him think he could take her on?

His breath was short and slow, his throat tight. He made an audible swallow.

"I-if i take her on... If I take her out, then I can handle the others easily... This has to be a win-win, I can't puss out just because she is who she is..."

Her blood flashed across his mind, spattering the walls and his chest. The life draining from her eyes stared back at him. The knife shook in his erratic grip.

He was losing his nerve.

The unbidden tears rolled down in pairs down his cheeks, a rage swirling in his stomach at his weakness.

_"I have to kill her... I have to kill her... I have to... I'm not fuckin' weak, I will kill her..."_

Konan could hear his insecure ramblings diminish into weepy struggles of his identity. She heard how much he tried to be strong, to convince himself he could be competent and ruthless like she used to be, that he could secure what was owed to him.

She waited for him to try. She listened to him in silence and she waited.

She wondered what was holding him back. Why was he struggling if he was so full of hate for her?

She heard the knife drop with a clatter. She heard his nails scrape against the floor as he hastily grabbed the knife back up and he screamed at her.

"DON'T THINK ABOUT MESSING WITH ME, I _WILL_ FUCKIN' KILL YOU!"

And then he left.

Konan turned her attention away from her door and twirled the origami rose in her hands.

Perhaps they hadn't broken him enough after all, she thought.

* * *

Hinata sat on the edge of one of the guest house beds. There were a total of five beds, each lined up against the walls, each room separated by a partition.

She said she was tired but Shikamaru kept her a little company for now. She couldn't climb out of her thoughts and she had very little effort left in her to do so. The air was somber and lackadaisical and she felt more like a stranger in this life than she ever did. As opposed to years of having felt like she didn't belong and didn't deserve to be alive, now she felt like something akin to a foreign visitor, dropped into the real world armed with very little knowledge and even less experience.

Maybe this was what people saw of her; a child, a shyly distant observer, an ambling spirit unaware of her place in her own life.

She didn't really feel sad thinking this, it seemed when she was here that she gave up on sad, but it was a bittersweet taste, living was a bittersweet condition.

Shikamaru hung by in the comfortable silence, sitting on an ottoman a few feet away from her with his elbows resting on his knees. He watched after her, observing how she fiddled idly with her hands, immersed in her thoughts and a ghost of a smile hovering on her lips.

She was still thinking about her situation, about her cousin, about being forced to avoid home for however long for whatever unsaid reason. She was drifting so much, being pulled in multiple directions at a time, forced to concede to whichever current came her way, dragging her to promiseless destinations.

No one could promise her stability, he thought, and he could see that she already accepted that fact.

She glanced up at him and let out an awkward laugh, half-hearted and ironic sounding, and he chuckled knowingly too.

Things were weird now, complicated and confusing, that was what they knew.

* * *

"Neji-nii... Where's Hinata?"

The slender wisp of his youngest cousin stood from the kitchen entry way, round white eyes staring back at him like a child without its mother. She was starting to grow up, she'd gotten a couple inches taller, her limbs longers and the baby fat receding from her cheeks. She was still very much the same baby-faced, mean-eyed little girl he'd always known, with her small shoulders and tiny hips, and yet she was just as much a woman as her sister was.

He felt a dull pang, a disappointment in knowing how time was escaping them all, how so very soon the remainder of their childhood together as cousins was ending, with nothing more than the promise of isolating adulthood. He was already there, but with his cousins' youth he could stay in his childhood a little longer.

"She's staying with friends again." Neji fibbed, having not seen her, heard from her, or texted her since yesterday. It could only be assumed that she was with friends, she had slept away from home dozens of times before. Now that Neji thought about it, Hanabi was coming back home more often lately. He couldn't detect a serious change in her, so he doubted a falling out with whomever she may have been spending all her time with previously. She was quick to change into comfortable clothing and lounge around the house, finding ways to entertain and seemingly enjoy the silence that he grew to hate.

She did seem so much more mature now. It was in her eyes.

"I guess I need to get friends again." Hanabi joked dully with a quiet huff as spun a quarter turn on her heel, and brattily shrugged her shoulders with the haughty roll of her eyes and exasperate throw of her head back.

"Something happen that you've come back home these days?"

Hanabi shrugged again.

"No, just got tired of the scene. Kinda been to everything already." She answered plainly, staring at the wall in front of her. She was quiet and sullen, a disconcerted frown on her little lips. She still wanted Hinata to be here.

Sometimes so did he.

* * *

Faded sunlight poured through the kitchen window, a dull blue haze thanks to the unending rain. It crept across the linoleum and barely touched the tips of his icy toes on the old brown carpet.

He hadn't slept. His eyes felt fuzzy, uncomfortable and warm, like he had swam in hot tub water with his eyes open. He knew they were pink, he didn't need to check a mirror, it was his furthest concern anyhow.

The kitchen knife shook anxiously in his tense, unsteady hands, the hilt rolled between his fingers, switching from palm to palm. The textured plastic was the warmest thing in the house, it was a weird sort of comfort, not because it was a weapon, but because it was imbued with his body heat and he feared losing that heat if he let go.

He heard a quiet banging from the hallway and turned towards the entryway amidst the following silence.

The knife shot up in his shaky grip as he jumped back atop the futon couch.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" He exclaimed anxiously, pointing the knife defensively towards Konan who stared down the end of the blade in nonchalance. She expected no less from him, and yet she knew this paranoid hostility was not natural to his personality. His chest was heaving with hasty breaths and his fingers tightened white around the black hilt. "I-I told you can't come out 'til I let you!"

"Because you're not dressed?" Konan rebutted with teasing intention, but her voice was devoid of inflection, making it easier for anyone to assume she was condescending rather than joking. His arm reached out further towards her, pointing the knife with more threat than initially. Then he glanced down and grabbed one of the towels and dragged it over to his lap, an attempt to look less stupid.

"Because how can I trust you not to slit me in my sleep or something?" He shouted.

"And what was it you were trying to do last night?" Konan replied knowingly, watching him grit his teeth in frustration.

"... J-Justification... ... Anything more you do to me would be overkill." He pulled his arm down but kept the knife securely ready for anything, his hostility replaced by a wary-eyed but sturdy defense stance. He glared incredulously as Konan nodded, seemingly in consent.

"I know." She answered slowly, her solemn voice confusing him. She could see how he read into her with scrutiny, easily believing her to be mocking him.

"Don't be so buddy-buddy with me, you _Yuki-onna_! I'll accept your charity, but don't pull that sympathetic bullshit on me!"

Konan finally noticed the red eyes, the sleep deprivation pulling on his eyelids, occasional tremble in his tensed grip. She wondered how far he was able to go and she took a step forward. Naruto instinctually slid back on the futon and raised the knife up, weakly snarling lips telling her to back off. She took another step forward and watched the desperation creep into his eyes. He steadied his grip, trying to synch his mind to react with his body, to push down his ambivalence and be ready to strike her at any second. In the back of her mind she recall all the things she was supposed to do in this situation, the techniques and timing were cueing themselves up in her head and she had to ignore them, they were no longer relevant to her life.

She took another step forward and he screamed.

"BACK OFF!"

The knife shook in his raised grip, the tip dangerously pointed towards her eye level. He, however, had slunk so far back against the futon that he was practically laying down.

Maybe he was strong enough to still have this much fight in him left, but despite that, he cowered before Akatsuki after all. She could see the memories flash across his eyes the more she continued to stand here so close to him, standing over him.

She wanted to see him do it. She wanted to feel it from him.

"Have you harmed a female before?" She asked in a voice that sounded strange to him, like she was inviting him to learn a secret. He could practically see her holding forbidden fruit behind her back the longer she loomed over him, her blank cold eyes asking him for something, something he didn't understand.

She asked him had he harmed a female before? Physically..? Or what? Was this another 'rite of passage' she was presenting to him? Was that why she was alright with being their ragdoll? What the fuck was she asking him?

She saw his struggle to answer, part of her thought he hadn't changed a bit, he still had trouble grasping people's questions like it was some new concept.

His mouth suddenly tasted acrid. It felt like his heart was pushing up through his throat as he fought against his nausea. He felt so disgusting here like this, half naked in cold moist boxers, cornered by her on her ratty old futon, lamely trying to defend himself with a kitchen knife... and she... she in her low hung short-shorts, black and wrinkled, and her hole-ridden tanktop that did nothing to cover her black lace bra... she hovering over him, half dead and blank with a rotten, bruised face.

He recalled the _senbon_s stabbed through his feet. He recalled her deceitfully soothing voice telling him not to be afraid as they placed a row of blades beneath him for him to stand on as he hung from his fingers, blindfolded and desperately trying to imagine the same thing happening to Sasuke, so that way he wasn't alone.

But he was alone.

He was alone with her, this embodiment of poison; she was serenity and death all at once.

She got on the couch. She knelt between him, the expanse of her scantily covered hips emphasizing the vastness of white skin that was her thighs. Icy fingers grasped his wrist and tugged the knife tip towards her neck, her ample chest swaying obscenely before him.

He saw the damage again, he saw everything.

Vomit sputtered from his lips, yellow droplets stuck to her cheek and lower lip. The sour smell hit her back as she released him and watched him continue to retch onto himself. Bright yellow mucus dripped off his chin and mixed with the other puddles on the towel on his lap. Eventually he had nothing more but foam and he spat and coughed repeatedly to rid himself of it. He winced and gasped. He bit down on a pitiful sob as he clutched at his sides, unable to stop his uncontrollable gagging.

Nothing was coming up.

* * *

Hinata laid on her side, one hand beneath her head and the other close to her lips.

Shikamaru sat on the foot of her bed, school bag hanging from his shoulder and dressed in his school uniform, same from yesterday which he had quick 'cleaned' by throwing it in the dryer for ten minutes.

"I don't think I feel like going." Hinata quietly commented, feeling cozily sapped and somber. Her bed was so warm and the guest house was mild but a little cooler than she liked at the moment. The shadowy shapes that populated the silent air were complemented by the overcast sunlight that drifting through the shouji partitions.

Shikamaru kind of smirked at the idea of his laziness rubbing off on her so quickly.

"I don't know if leaving you here is a good idea though." He joked with a quietly amused smile.

"... Would it be weird if I were still here?"

"Kankuro is pretty good about going to class, but Temari won't go. She still hasn't decided if she wants to drop out or not. Either way, you'll be stuck with her today. Dunno if she'll bother trying to find you though."

Hinata shrugged a little further beneath the covers and stared at the corner of her pillow, finding her surroundings more interesting than anything she could recall.

"I might go out then, wander around a little."

Shikamaru frowned at this idea. He knew she was no where close to alright, she wouldn't be able to be alone like that, not without setback.

"You'll get stressed out again." He rebutted knowingly. She was silent for a while, staring unblinkingly at the pillow corner, a stubborness entering her countence before becoming replaced by remorse as she pulled her eyes away and shrank further beneath her covers.

"I just want to stay here, please."

* * *

Konan leaned awkwardly against the entryway connecting the kitchen and the living room, as she silently observed the exhausted blonde slowly recover. He shot loatheful glares at her as he wiped the bile from his face and neck, varying degrees of disgust cycling on his face. His dry heaves had subsided a couple minutes ago, leaving him drained and in pain, like he had been punched repeatedly in the gut and starved for a week. The sour smell stuck to him, it was worse with every second, like rotten cheese or something.

He swore up a storm beneath his breath, cursing her out as much as himself as he berated himself vehemently, wondering why the fuck he was here. But then he began to think that no matter how scared or pissed off he was, he couldn't leave without struggle.

Who was to say once he left that she wouldn't know where he was? Where he went? Where he hid away? Who was to say she wouldn't follow him even, keep tabs on him. This could end so many ways, but his only option was to make sure she'd never see him again.

He still thought about killing her.

But seeing her standing there, thinking back to how she had been pretty much inviting him to cut her with her on top of him, it continued to disgust him and he couldn't figure out how he wanted to go through with it, or anything for that matter, not if she wanted it.

He wanted nothing to do with her, he didn't want to look at her, didn't want to smell her; but what could he do about that? She didn't give a fuck, she wasn't scared, she encouraged it instead, like it were some sexual experiment.

"S,Sick bitch..!" He coughed resentfully at her, and continued to cough for a short while. His mind roiled with thoughts of her and Jiraiya, the particular details of their relationship dredging up distateful and disturbing stories he wished he had never heard. He was drunk at the time though, and proud, proud of the beauty he had slept with despite being as old as he was, despite having practically raised her and the other two up until a point. Naruto coughed again and muttered, "Doubt he'd be so proud now."

Konan shifted her weight to her right foot and dropped her arms away from their crossed position.

"How long has your stomach been empty?" She asked. Naruto continued to glare distrustfully at her, his eyes narrowing to slits at her question.

"A day... maybe..." He mumbled below his breath at the end, stubborn eyes looking elsewhere but her. He was still wincing, the pain really sucked. It felt like his insides were sucking him alive, trying to replace what was gone like a cave in. Konan knew he liked to wander like a stray cat. Osaka was the most familiar to him. It wasn't too far but it was far enough. It was large enough and crowded enough for him to lose his demons, but it was no cure, he lacked the desire for confrontation. However, she couldn't imagine what drove him to stay away for so long.

"Isn't Jiraiya still your guardian?"

He scoffed. Then he was silent. He appeared to be pissed at first, frustrated and disappointed, then it faded into distant resignation.

"I don't want to talk about him with you." He answered, shaking his head with somewhat forced disgust. Slumped forward on his knees and hung his head, keeping the knife within his peripherals just in case.

"You've committed a serious crime then?"

"Just shut up already!" He screamed at the floor before raising his livid eyes to hers, "I told you not to get buddy-buddy with me! You think we're gonna have a fuckin' casual conversation? Just shut the fuck up."

Konan shifted her weight again, as if she were uncomfortable beneath this tense air. He stared her down for some time, unrelenting, practically demanding she disapear in a puff of smoke like an evil witch. As stubborn as he was, and far more fearless, she remained in his prescence, part of her unable to resist tormenting him, if only benignly. He gave up reactions too easily. Despite his walls and his twice bitten reluctance, he was absolutely the same, heart on his sleeve and all.

"Do you still think you're hot or something?" He suddenly asked, scoffing incredulity aimed at her like arrows. Her short brows briefly furrowed together, assuming somewhat uneasily that this wasn't going to be pleasant. "Why don't you try to hide that shit? Go away and get dressed or something, it's really disgusting."

A hand drifted subconsciously to touch her neck where she remembered the ligature marks from when he had dragged her around like a roped steer before their last goodbye. Her gaze fell slightly, darkened at the memories, the living corpse known as Yahiko had often said the same things to her in idle derision, just for the sake of saying it.

He used to worry that she was trying to bring attention to her injuries, to show off their dirty laundry under the feminist rights that she was allowed. That was when he used to be alive. That was when he started to die away, just as slowly as Nagato did. With his soul discarded he gave in more and more to what had started out as angry accidents and became his true nature. In turn Konan gave into him and his needs, she had been with him and Nagato for nearly every second of each other's lives, she understood her lover's pain and let him express himself for as long as she could take it.

And at times she thought she would never heal because leaving still hurt him.

"It still hurts him..." She mumured close to herself.

Naruto squinted hard at her in aggravated confusion.

"This was how he felt when I said goodbye."

His face fell. She watched how the color drained from his already pallid cheeks, sweat-sheened and worn. His eyes rolled as he dropped his head into his hands, slumping over the bile stained towel, weakly trying to fight his gag reflex.

"I think I'm going to be sick again..." He exhaled in a single breath, his muscles lurching uncontrollably only to force out gutteral noises of empty heaving from his throat, growing frequently in between, his frustration building. His body felt cold but the sweat on his skin was warm. Suddenly his hand clapped to his mouth, eyes brimming with pain and tears as he tried to swallow his sobs, the desperation climbing with his voice. He didn't know how to stop it, he needed to throw up so badly, but there was nothing left.

If it hadn't shown before it, her awkwardness was showing now.

Rooted in place she just watched him suffer, much like she had before, complicit and involuntarily passive, yet she hadn't expect such an affect on him and she didn't know what to do about it.

* * *

Silence. Somehow it didn't seem all that noticable.

Hinata stared out into space, staring into the same spot she had for the past forty minutes. It was the _genkan_ by the entryway, where she had last seen Shikamaru before he left.

She knew it had to be noon by now. She had gotten a couple texts in the past two hours but she hadn't bother to reach for her phone.

She considered staying in bed, ignoring all health purposes of eating or going to the toilet for the day just to see what it was like to be willfully deprived.

She couldn't help but imagine this was his normal day when he didn't have the help of others, because he was a proud failure, because anything else that wasn't his own effort or intention was giving up.

He made her eyes unendingly moist and she frowned back her tears.

He still made her mad, and yet she wanted nothing more than to have him here, to speak with him in secure privacy, to hear him be up front with her, to see him smile again.

She just wanted to be over him. She needed that resolution.

* * *

Congealed in sweat, he laid limply, face clinging stickily to the musty fabric as he weakly breathed. He was sore and hollow. It was almost nostalgic. It seemed like only this part of his past could be this contaminated, to evoke such a wretchedness in his perspective and enclose him in the darkest and most isolating corners of humanity.

Konan was in the kitchen. He could hear the fire burning from the gas stove. There was an 'cooking sound' that described that a pot was being used.

He couldn't seem to focus on anything other than the concept of death. Not his own or the want of it, and not necessarily hers. He waited for the others to show up, for their shadows to loom from the entryway and spread his blood all over the room. He didn't blink. There was nothing but his short breath and the murmured clangs in the kitchen as he laid with zealous anticipation. He was only mad he could barely grip the knife in a final effort of perseverence.

_hah..._

_hah..._

_hah..._

He did not blink.

Shadow.

Naruto tensed, his endless adrenaline giving him enough energy to maintain a snarl towards the approaching figure.

It was Konan.

She knelt before him, cold eyes giving off a sense of pity towards him.

His snarl never faltered.

"You did this on purpose." He heaved raspily. Question mixed with pity.

"Did what?"

"You put me in a vulnerable state so you guys can kill me..!"

His sickly dull face was tinged with a ruddy flush of anger. How much more sorry could her difficult eyes express to him? She knew she didn't deserve his acceptance, part of her wondered what made her want it.

He was still young. He was the godchild, and in a way, disciple of Jiraiya. In those ways he was a vicarious connection to her past, just before the irrevocable changes of growing up occured.

All those regrettable decisions.

Every bridge that was burnt.

The steady death in all of them.

She wanted to be cured of that somehow. He was still alive. He was still defiant, fighting.

Her selfish hopes were on him, less they died with him.

Konan lifted out the teal ceramic bowl towards him. Steam wafted up in wisps. It exuded a salty, muggy smell. He peered quickly at it and shot his glaring eyes back up to her. She had made him _Okayu_, a rice congee. There were sprinkles of sesame seeds and _furikake_ as well, a thin attempt at adding flavor since Naruto knew how little groceries she had.

"I haven't had _Okayu_ since I was three..." He stated a bit randomly, the wary tone vaguely obscuring the casual nature of the statement.

"I haven't had it since I was eight." Konan replied with a soft voice and subdued smile. She had ran a fever after training in the rain, and Jiraiya had made her a bowl to make her feel better. She kept it down and it kept her full, as intended. He had even sprinkled it with the skin from his flame-broiled fish he knew she'd been staring at with longing.

"It was all 'Baa-chan offered to feed me at the hospital when she was too busy with work because it was the same thing that was fed to the invalids. Every time I was there I was supposed to be with Ero-sensei. Then when I was four he gave me some coins and I got canned Ramen from the vending machines." The smell of salty rice water was getting to him. He hadn't even realized he'd been talking so much, the exhaustion was fully setting in and his mind had become an ongoing slur.

Konan saw the awareness dim from his eyes. She withdrew the warm bowl and laid it back in her lap with a quietly troubled frown.

He would not be able to eat right now.

* * *

The noisy click of the guesthouse door suddenly swinging open startled her. She visibly bristled and tensed as her eyes eventually recognized that the sudden intruder was in fact Temari. She stared back at her with that disinterested tough girl gaze of hers, comfortably dressed in low-hung boyfriend jeans and a mauve flannel blouse, three top buttons undone, enough to show a peek of her bra at the right angle.

"Well, hello there truancy buddy." Temari greeted with blithe sarcasm. "Shikamaru texted me that you were gonna stay here."

Hinata sunk a little further into the covers, self-conscious as she feared the perception of being weird and selfish and all kinds of things.

"He said you wouldn't bother look for me." Hinata replied, stating not that she was hiding but her surprise to find Temari here after all.

She headed over to Hinata and stopped a couple feet short of the bedside, her gaze constantly giving the impression that she was sizing you up.

"Normally, no. He texted me this morning, only now did I have the curiosity to check up on you," Temari turned her head left and right as if she were looking for something. "Do you know what time it is?" She then spotted the cell phone softly vibrating on the end table and picked it up. "Missed texts. Not interested?"

Hinata shook her head.

"I really... I really don't want to acknowledge what others have to say." She murmured. Temari shrugged and flipped the phone open anyways. She pressed a couple buttons and began to read back to her the first text.

"Ah, first text is from Shikamaru. He says 'still nothing'," She stared intently at the message for a second or two more. "... What the crap is that?" Temari glared at the phone, annoyed at Shikamaru for sending such a dumbly worded cryptic message, even though of course it wasn't meant for her. "I bet you know what that means?" Temari turned to the fainter girl in the bed.

"Yeah..." She mumbled. Temari pressed a couple buttons again and prepared herself to read the new text.

"Ra-be-ru..." Temari blinked before giving up on understanding the name, "He or She tells you 'Come to Omotesando this Saturday. G&LB will take your webpage photos at 1 pm'..." Temari trailed off suddenly, the rest of the text not entirely important as the main information had already been stated. "Oh great," She shrugged with apathetic sarcasm, "Guess we can't let Kankuro know you're actually a loli model."

Hinata blushed self-consciously.

"B,Because of his doll hobby..?" She suggested unsurely.

"Well..." Temari leaned against the end table, her disapproving tone changing into contemplation. "He's got a talent for 'em. But he doesn't try to sell them. I keep saying 'make a blog or join one and post your shit to sell', but he doesn't want to do that. He had an interest in G&LB a few years back, to design stuff for them, but it's been an off and on relationship honestly... Maybe he'd change his tune if he knew you worked for them."

"I-I'm actually just starting..."

"Psh, doesn't matter. You don't think it's gonna be a sure thing after starting?"

Hinata suddenly pushed herself back against the mattress as Temari set resolute and vaguely curious eyes upon her.

She crawled onto the bedside, swiftly planting her left leg down to stop Hinata's frenzied escape as she caught her wrists in both hands and secured her in place. Temari overlooked the fearful wide eyes or the consistent tremble in her shoulders.

"S-Sunahara-san..." She whispered, barely audible.

"Now, now... I just want to check out what we got here,"

Shadows passed over Hinata's vision, flashes of a dark room and male form looming over her, his unsympathetic voice murmuring in the back of her mind. Temari tugged the bed comforter away. The flashes of darkness were increasing. Temari roamed her eyes all over the girl's prone form, effeciently making a list of her cursory observations.

"Lithe arms... soft wrists... long fingers... _really _big eyes," Temari joked at the expense of her hugely wide eyes, "Satiny thick hair... Straight nasal bridge... Hm, cute lips." Her roamed southernly just then. "Let's see what else." She gripped Hinata's wrists with her left hand as her right hand drifted to the hem of her shirt. Flat, nihilistic blue eyes stared Hinata down from within a dark room. Her trembling began to turn into quakes as Temari blithely lifted up Hinata's borrowed shirt. "Ohh, wow. What a cute tummy. Your belly button looks like a little donut hole," She placed her hand atop Hinata's stomach and dragged it aimlessly across her skin. She didn't notice the disgusted flinches or anxious crawls rolling down her body. "You're built like a marshmallow, maybe you should do _Gravure_ instead." Temari smirked to herself.

"Please stop..."

Temari's eyes flashed up to Hinata's face. She became perturbed by the sheen of unshed tears threatening to spill from her dejected eyes.

"Don't be such a crybaby, I'm not hurting you." She laughed a bit uneasily to herself and resumed her totally 'kosher' examination of the young Hyuuga, never realizing where she was right now. Hinata saw the shaded beige cieling, the sliver of sunlight that mocked her as she wrestled futilely against his hands and lips. His desperation and bitterness whispered in her ear, casting her in a miasma of his unbidden pain. Temari tugged the cotton pants off her hips and dragged it to her knees. She threw aside the rest of her shirt so she could directly witness her measurements. She blushed slightly when she realized that Hinata had opted to not sleep in her bra. "You are curvy as hell for your size." Temari commented, openly impressed by the decent body squirming and struggling beneath her.

"Stop it... I-I told you to get off of me..." She whispered, thin trails of tears leaking from her eyes and gathering inside her ears, her anxious breath turning into hastening pants, building atop one another seconds at a time. Temari reached out mischeviously to test the pliability of her large breasts. The way she was heaving so nervously made it hard not to tease her.

"**DON'T TOUCH ME!**"

Temari scrambled off the hysterical girl, her ears blown out from the scream. She slipped off the foot of the bed with a thud and scrambled back to her knees. She rested her arms on the bed as she set equally wide eyes on the younger girl. She was huddling in the center of the bed, weakly trying to cover herself as she wept herself tighter and tighter into a frantic little ball, her tapered nails digging, clutching and scratching at herself in a bubbling rage.

Temari's fingers twisted into the covers, her heart twisted like a wrung rag and throbbed dully in her ears as something about this image echoed with her.

She'd seen this before.

"... Shit."

* * *

Kurenai found it difficult lately to look after Hinata as she had been so informally instructed to do so in the past weeks. A cordial 'hello' here, a casual but heartfelt 'how you are doing today?' there, but could never get much more out of her.

And now she was truant again.

She hadn't the slightest clue whom to ask about her. Sometimes it looked like she would have a different falling out with Kiba and Shino and it concerned her, but she left it alone.

It was difficult, because she was too easily persuaded by Asuma.

He told her not to give Hyuuga Hiashi the satisfaction by accepting his arrogant demand after she had told him about the tense and gloomy meeting with the school counselor.

Honestly it still baffled the both of them over what had happened. She and the no-show Naruto seemed to have been bickering, and that scenario itself was already hard to wrap her mind around. Asuma thought it was a lover's squabble and Kurenai had asked him where did that assumption come from, but he didn't elaborate and Kurenai figured he was bullshitting for the fun of it, something that quietly irked her. Then they heard Hinata's shriek and in true tantrum style she had shoved defiantly against the blonde. Then the next thing they knew she was on her butt, this look of fragility and horror glued to her humiliated face, easy tears falling down her wan cheeks.

Asuma said she wasn't her responsibility. His intention was well-meaning, though it sounded cruel nonetheless. There was no reason she should have to pick up his slack, he said. She was Hinata's teacher, not Hiashi's subordinate.

Nearly a decade ago Kurenai would have written off his opinion as not worth her time. His dull sense of humor and seemingly good-natured twist of indifference belied the big brother air he wrapped himself in. Sometimes you want to go to him, to procure his wisdom and briefly revel in a sense of camaderie, but then all he would give is a lazy chuckle, and you realize that he's not as reliable as he looks.

Despite all this he managed to grow on her, permeate her skin like his cigarette smoke and make her forget her put-offs.

What officialized it between them? What had tied the red ribbon around her pinky and kept him around as naturally as her own breath?

They were twenty-four years old. They thought they were going to have a baby.

They moved in together, precisely he moved in with her, and with his prescence he was prepared to be a father, and with his prescence she had accepted him as if he had always been an innate part of her life.

Those days of subdued domestic romance and casual obligation had ended after five weeks.

She wasn't pregnant anymore.

They rarely acknowledged the miscarriage. They treated those five weeks with silence, as if they'd never happened, but they continued to live together, eat together, and sleep together.

They were romantically entwined without having to put a date on it.

They didn't tell each other 'I love you' because they didn't need to. They didn't tell each other 'I miss you' because they were rarely apart. They never entertained marriage or trying to have a baby again because it never really appealed to them all that much.

But maybe she did want to be a mother, to have that validation that she could take care of someone, that her heart could be felt.

Maybe she looked to Hinata for that validation. She really did care about the girl. She was far too quiet to be trusted with her own feelings, she had to cure herself of that poison.

It was evident she was forced adrift. There was so much unsurety if she'd ever find a shore.

* * *

Shikamaru ambled up the hill, a bit lead footed as he carried a hefty bag of take-out from the Sunahara's favorite barbeque restaurant. He felt more tired than usual, his body just felt heavy, and he knew the first thing he wanted to do was crash at the kotatsu or in Temari's willing lap.

Maybe the whole day felt heavy because it started off that way. Leaving Hinata alone made his stomach sink from time to time, it was difficult to disregard her panic attack a few days ago and he hated the thought of leaving her with that pain.

What the hell could be done to help her? Get her a therapist and a psychiatrist? Anti-depressants? Trip to the ocean? New school? New city?

They were all months away from graduating and moving on to college (or not). She'd get a chance for that new school/new city feel if she found something she desired. Maybe that would be the most practical thing for her to devote her time to, aside from her well-meaning search for the blonde _bancho _wannabe.

Shikamaru kept all this in mind, adopting a tentative optimism as he looked forward to talking with Hinata about a means of escape. He never gave college a second thought, he wasn't even sure what he wanted to do with himself. He was excellent at strategizing and playing _shogi_. What the hell was he going to do with that? He never even entertained tournaments though his mom obviously wanted him to, even Temari wanted to see him try. But somehow talking about college with Hinata sounded really enjoyable.

There was Temari. She was sitting up against the guesthouse door. That pensive look on her face he often saw because of Gaara and all the shit still going on because of him.

"Hey..." He called out carefully. As he got closer he saw something more in her deep stare, a morbid unsettling behind her darkened eyes. "... What happened?"

The evening sun glinted dimly golden across her bangs and cheeks like ghostly copper leaves. Her dark brows knitted tightly together and for a moment he was reminded of the day Gaara had been taken away from her. So many deaths in the family, the last thing she had wanted was to lose her littlest brother.

"... Do you know why you're looking after her..?" Temari asked distantly, a terrible secret throbbing to burst from her brain.

Shikamaru placed the take-out down beside her and straightened himself back up with a softly weary sigh.

"She was on my train route to school. She already looked so lost and when I spoke to her and tried to console her a little, she began to have a panic attack. I helped her from the station to the infirmary and she passed out right then and there. I don't think she can be left alone for too long, honestly... but..." Shikamaru blinked, realizing Temari wasn't merely asking why he was looking after, but if he knew why. "What happened?"

Temari's face soured and spun curtly from his gaze, her own thoughts making her sick. How many times had she experienced this herself? If only Gaara hadn't been there, she would've... it would have surely happened to her.

"... I think she might have been raped."

Had he not put the food down earlier, it would have been spilt all over himself and the finely hewn granite bricks beneath their feet.

"... What the fuck," Shikamaru stammered in an incredulous whisper, "Don't make this shit up, Temari."

"Why do you think I would?"

"What did you do then?" He tersed, repetitious disgust plaguing him as cold crawls down his back.

"I wasn't messing with her on purpose! I just thought I could play with her a little, you now I'm not this stupid with people!" Temari leaned her forehead in her palms as she fought against her own guilt. But she knew this had to be said, it was more important that it was known and because of that she didn't entirely regret that it happened. "She screamed 'Don't touch me'. She screamed it so hysterically and began to curl up in tortured little ball, sobbing and shrieking until she fell asleep."

"But you can't really say it's rape yet." Shikamaru desperately urged, unwilling to jump to that conclusion without more evidence. Temari knew he would want something more tangible and he was correct to stay rationale. But for her it was an easy assumption to make, she had certain experiences that he didn't.

"If not rape, then sexual assault. Shikamaru, you don't know why she had that panic attack. Something's fucked up in her mind. Do you know why she's not allowed home all of a sudden? You think maybe it's happened there, like it used to happen here?" The thought made Shikamaru's stomach twist and turn cold. "Maybe they know who did it to her and now they're ashamed? Shikamaru, I don't know what it is that you know about her, but I think this goes so much deeper than you bothered to realize."

His body craved for rest. The heaviness was encasing his head like the pull of gravity. He peered through the reed curtained windows, the distance between him and Hinata going greater than the mere wall between them.

Kiba cared deeply for this girl. In the past few days he'd grown attached to her as well, her soft-spoken ways, her trampled innocence, that fragility that also seemed to carry a courage so rarely seen in most people.

He couldn't let this be true. Did Kiba know? Should he know? She wasn't like Temari, she couldn't just push forward with a well-honed sense of disregard, all sarcasm and brass.

Temari knew who she was. She'd always known. She ridiculed the boring ones who didn't know themselves and shoved aside anyone irrelevant to her.

Hinata had no self-assurance, no security, no niche in life. She didn't know what she needed, nor what she wanted. She couldn't find her reason to have a peace of mind. Her heartache was her own existence.

A vague male face with unruly blonde hair surfaced in his mind and he began to have his doubts on the nobility of their mission.

"What do you think I should do about it..?" He asked distantly, silently pleading for a cure. Therapist and psychiatrist? Anti-depressants? Physical examination? Should he just ask her if it was true? Could he?

"I'm not sure..." Temari wearily apologized with a sigh. She'd been wracking her brain with the same question the past four hours.

* * *

Star - Herpderp, I cut this chapter short again. But heyyy, 32k words is nice, roight? Lol. Any way, cutting this short feels somewhat more pragmatic than the last few to several times I've done it, heh. With the way this chapter has been going, it all feels like just a buttload of introspective prose eheh, so it's gonna be the 'Arc Introductory' chapter of... this new arc lol.

Yes, I hope I can complete the next chapter within three months at least. OTL I mean, if I'm feeling optimistic, it should be done like 'fwish', done.

I don't know whether to apologize for this chapter or not haha. Uhhh... Yeah, I dunno haha. I'm most proud of the flashbacks. ewe But I feel like I should reiterate that I'm like... 'chara deconstructing' Naruto as we knew from the waaaay beginning. Much like my passion surrounding the 'Break Up Arc' in Sailor Moon and all the great but extreme ideas it has given me, my favorite thing to toy with in Naruto was what I thought of his character as a whole back in the beginning, that whole ostracized backstory. What with Shippuuden being off-and-on-again awesome and not, I think for most of us Naruto's character is permanently cheerful and invincible, and my bud _Rageofkyubii_ tries to remind me that I guess, eheh. So I have been trying more to meld that back into his character, what with the other junk I've apparently made him do and forgotten I had haha, like... just sooooo much sexual harassment. XD I reread part of the Hiro arc and forgot I had written some of this stuff. I know she's my own OC, but I still like her so much when I think about her eheh. I know I made her a nearly omnicidal bitch or something, I'm kinna just blaming that on sacrificing her true personality for that mysterious but ominous air I gave her. Idk, I'm kinna machiviellian when I think about the extreme places my logic goes, so maybe I'll be the only person ever to appreciate her.

Speaking of OCs, yeah dunno if you've noticed or not, but I've been trying to write them out as best I can without it being abrupt and awkward of course, but I do feel weird about the fatalistcally overly sentimental air I last left with Moe and pretty much that I'm prolly not going to be giving them Arc resolutions or anything eheh. I'm especially ashamed with what little I've done with Kurenai, it seems so illogical that I haven't touched on her more, but hopefully what I did here somehow made up for that. I actually haven't had any ideas on what exclusively Kurenai and Hinata scenes would be like, so that's my own fault. OTL

Anyways, I said a lot here already and I forgot what else I was gonna say.

Oh right! Yeah, this story has been pretty much improv since like chapter 22. XD; w000000t, inconsistencyyyy! I derps a lot. (hurp)

Anywaaaays, yeah still dunno whether to apologize for this chapter or not, but I sincerely hope for some reviews and some support. Q3Q **(thank you for reading my cruddy AU angst haha)**


	39. Road Regrets

Star - Hi. Lol. Forgive me, I do feel like this chapter could be better, but then again isn't that the way? (looks off wistfully into space) Anyhow, I dun think I'll be starting over with this thing agaaaain. It, yet again, didn't got the way I planned, but it's not like it's off course either. Again, Really sorry that it's short. But and update is an update, yah? Kay.

(Chapter title is from the Dan Mangan song)

* * *

Scratch the Surface

Ch. 39 - Road Regrets

The train knocked about on the tracks. Trees, powerlines and ceramic shingled rooves sped by like multi-layered 2-D props, giving a sense of heading nowhere, like drifting through an augmented reality with their destination non-existent.

Their overnight bags laid at their feet, tucked away beneath the seats ahead of them. Shikamaru was finding it difficult to compose himself. It didn't show in his voice and it didn't show in his eyes or other mannerisms. Being as aloof as he was made it nearly impossible for his emotions to slip. However, being as aloof as he was, he never had to deal with these emotions before; an erratic flutter of discomfort and nervous worry. He found it difficult to feel like himself again.

He craned his head back and collapsed against his seat with a stifled sigh. He lolled his head to the left and resisted a pensive frown. She looked so small. She stared out the window and watched everything pass by like they were never meant for her.

She really was small.

She had been this way since the afternoon encounter in the guesthouse. She hadn't outright ignored Temari nor seemed frightened of her, but she stopped speaking, as if she were ashamed of what was in her mind.

Even if he had wanted to ask her now if Temari's speculations were true, he couldn't. She wouldn't talk.

She was dressed in a casual take on classic lolita: a black zip-up hoodie with a chrome zipper and rose-shaped pull tab, a white lineart motif of a rabbit amongst two large roses atop her right pocket with tiny roses tapering towards the zipper and around her lower back, and a thin white satin ribbon inserted an inch apart through the hem of the hood leading to a medium sized lolita hairbow. She wore the hoodie zipped up and hood down. Her dress was an A-line style that stopped above her knees, black with a repetitive pattern of small white roses loosely outlined by light cream and accented with two forest green leaves. She wore white lace stockings with a vertical eyelet design, and black mary janes. Her hair was french braided and coiled into a round bun behind her right ear, held by a white rose that framed against her cheek. Her tall blonde friend had recently trimmed her outgrown bangs, they now fell just short of her eyes.

Ever since her withdrawal she had re-immersed herself in Lolita. This was the third time he'd seen her dress like this, the first being her photoshoot yesterday and the street clothes she changed back into afterwards. It continued to impress him however, it was as if being around a different Hinata, or a different side of her, and she looked really attractive in it, like an embodiment of maturity and innocence.

He had escorted her to Omotesando yesterday and hung back when her tall blonde friend showed up. They bought some things for the shoot and headed to the Old Furukawa Garden in Kita-ku where the photographers had set up location around the French-style parterre. Shikamaru was lucky enough to look as boring as he did because her friend never noticed him following them ten feet back the whole time. He had a feeling it'd be best minimize interaction and not make himself known, he knew if Hinata wasn't talking that she wouldn't be up to introducing him. He also got the vibe that Hinata wanted to keep certain things separate. After an hour or so he realized the uptight personality in the taller girl. She had a complex for Hinata, a thinly obfuscated desire to monopolize her. It made him wonder if Hinata still liked her the same way. He wondered how their friendship must have been like the past few years, if she was suffocated or not, if she had been tugged around like a preschooler dragging around a toy dog.

The photoshoot had gone perfectly far as the crew was concerned. They seemed to enjoy the girlish fragility that surrounded her. They all thought she was a _dandere_ and her tall friend seemed to proudly joke with them in agreement, encouraging whatever they chose to see in order to strengthen their desire for her.

They were ready to put her in the next _mook_ after that day, the fall and winter issues would be the perfect introduction they felt, considering her bittersweet looks. The publishers who were present said they wanted her in the next _KERA_ as well and wondered why they hadn't stopped by the _Harajuku GAP_ building before. It was practically a culturally known fact that the main photographer hung out in front of the building, and lolitas stopped by there on purpose so they can appear in _KERA_. Most of the models weren't professional because of that, therefore they were able to document the latest trends and find the true trendsetters.

Somehow they thought they would've noticed her right away if they did go, but the girl with the wistfully pale stare and small pert lips was a romanticized illusion, and her tall friend didn't want to admit to them that they had tried before, back when Hinata was starting out.

Shikamaru got that from the hesitation and awkward smirk on her friend's lips. He got that from the subtle way Hinata's gaze seemed to dim.

She was more than used to going unnoticed.

* * *

"Two rooms, please." Shikamaru answered the young male concierge. He seemed momentarily distracted by the quiet girl beside him, he had this goofy smile and his black eyes were gleaming adoringly. He took Shikamaru and Hinata's combined payment and gave them their keys. Then he leaned forward on his elbow, craning his head towards Shikamaru as he gave himself a better look at the silent Hinata, who held their shared clear umbrella in her long fingers.

"Hey... Is she a model?" He murmured discreetly, as if he were asking a lifelong friend 'hey, introduce me to her'. Shikamaru flushed slightly as he brought a hand to scratch at his head.

"Actually she is."

That made the guy giddy and he straightened himself back up, gleaming directly at the reserved cute girl that didn't seem to acknowledge him back.

Shikamaru grabbed his and Hinata's bags off the floor, and bowed briefly to the happy twenty-something year old man before heading for the elevator.

"Goodbye, my sweet _Suntory Blue Rose_!" Called the young man enthusiastically. He was leaning over the counter and waving his arm above his head like a lovestruck third year.

Shikamaru flushed awkwardly again and glanced down at Hinata as they walked inside the elevator. He glanced back outside before the doors could close and saw the man lean happily in his hand with a wistful sigh.

Hinata didn't seem to acknowledge any of this, and the man seemed to like her more for it.

_'I guess dandere is fairly popular.'_

* * *

Shikamaru slouched on the foot of his bed, his bag laid tossed at his feet. Hinata sat hugging her legs in the chair by the window, having left her bag on her bed in her room. He knew the first thing they wanted to do was find a place to grab lunch. She stared distantly out the window, seemingly waiting on his lead.

After lunch they had to head to Naniwa-ku and meet with the people Naruto was staying with, Tazuna and Tsunami and her son Inari.

Shikamaru was still wracking his brain around Temari's speculations. The mere thought of abuse struck him in a way that he could not fathom but half of him already believed. As much as he hated the thought, there was substantial evidence, and he found himself wandering through unsavory scenarios, lead by his morbid curiosity and sense of logical chivalry; he wanted to know how it must've happened so he could understand how to help her.

This was a puzzle he didn't even have the pieces to.

"French, Curry, or Hot Pot?" Shikamaru asked her. She turned away from the window, her eyes briefly meeting his before dropping contemplatively to the side.

"Hot pot." She softly murmured. He hadn't heard her voice in six hours. Its faintness still caught him off guard.

* * *

They emerged from the elevator, Hinata dragging behind slightly with the damp umbrella in hand. Shikamaru asked the concierge where a good place was to get hot pot. He concisely gave directions and handed Shikamaru a map just in case, all the while stealing delighted glances at Hinata.

"_Uokura Bingomachiten_ has delicious crab _nabe_." The concierge piped up directly addressing the one he called a blue rose.

Her lips pressed faintly together, seeming prepared to answer him but hesitating around it. Suddenly she grasped Shikamaru's jacket and tugged him by his shoulder. He leant down, flushing a little as he let her whisper in his ear. He couldn't ignore the way the concierge's smile seemed to grow upon seeing her mysterious and shy actions. His eyes were practically glowing with 'moe' for her.

She released Shikamaru's sleeve and he straightened himself back up, scratching lightly at his cheek.

"She says she doesn't like crustacean."

* * *

Maybe it was like a short circuit.

Shikamaru peered carefully at Hinata as she sat across from him, dipping a piece of pumpkin into the boiling hot pot until it was softened. She retracted her arm and pulled the steaming pumpkin chunk close to her face. She cupped her hand around it and blew on it softly.

She was so reserved now, her habits were strikingly refined. This Hinata was the same one who had laughed so hard she dropped pizza on herself.

Shikamaru thought it was a short circuit in her brain, like half of her just shut off; empathy, humor, concern, all decommissioned. He wondered without all that if this Hinata was the real Hinata, if these graceful demure mannerisms were innately her own, or if she had taught herself in the years of becoming a Lolita, or if it was her father who had previously hardwired this into her.

Shikamaru retrieved his beef strip from the hot pot, having becoming rolled up in a shape reminiscent of a wafer stick. He brought it to his mouth and bit pensively into it, a flash of yearning and recognition going off in his brain at the familiar shape.

"You wouldn't mind if I bought cigarettes after this?" He asked. She shook her head curtly and retrieved a steaming shiitake mushroom from the broth. She cupped her hand around it and blew softly again.

She repeated this action throughout the lunch.

* * *

Shikamaru balanced his _Caster_ brand cigarette between his lips and took a slow drag. He tucked away the pack of super milds into his rifle green field jacket and ducked back beneath the umbrella Hinata held touched to the awning. He plucked it from her hands and held the clear bubble umbrella carefully over them as they began to walk through the damp streets.

An occasional chill passed through them, the moist breezes a bit too cool for their light dress.

The apartment complex was only a ward away. A subway would cut their time in half, he thought, but he doubted being packed in like sardines would be good for Hinata. The most he could think to do for her was to avoid as much personal contact as they possibly could, even if she _was_ in a self-preserving state.

He had been worrying how this was going to go, between showing up suddenly at these people's apartment to her reunion with the complicated blonde. He was sure she was a different person now than when they last saw her. It would be awkward for all those involved, and it would be even worse if he had to explain it to them. _'Troublesome...'_ Then there was Naruto, arguably the main reason for all of this. All they had to do was tell him that Tsunade-san had filed a missing persons report for him and ask him what he wanted to do about it. It was easy to assume what would follow after that. The people he was staying with would urge him to go back home, they would remind him that Tsunade-san had to be worrying about him, that he had been gone for nearly two months and it was time to move on.

An argument could ensue. One they didn't have to stay around for, it wouldn't be their responsibility anymore. Something else could happen even, he could leave their company but never return to Tokyo. Their urgings could imply no longer having a need for him, or it would derive a fake agreement, forcing him to leave but ultimately disappear. Tsunade's missing persons report would remain valid, and then who knows how long the search would last.

What if it didn't end happy?

Would it be their duty to Tsunade to tell him how this is affecting her? How she's stressing herself out missing him, crying herself to drunken sleep. Would that move him? Even if Hinata said nothing, they both knew how Tsunade was hurting, somehow they ought to tell him. It would be an arsenal in Tazuna and Tsunami's urgings, it would be a disservice not to mention Tsunade's pain.

Naruto couldn't have a good enough reason to continue sacrificing Tsunade's peace of mind.

But Hinata was worried about seeing him again... or at least he thought so... but then again, she was volunteering for this confrontation, so there had to be more to this than forgetting him or helping Tsunade. Her resolution had be based on something he had yet to understand.

She had been worried for him, fearful, upon hearing the missing persons report. Was his well being at stake somehow? He was hiding in Osaka voluntarily, there was a dark secret somewhere here, it gave him disconcerting chills thinking about it.

Was she trying to give him a warning then? Tsunade's pain had to matter more than that. He decided he would mention it, he really didn't like how this warning idea was sitting with him, it was almost appalling. He respected Hinata and her well-meaning intentions, but if she didn't say anything in Tsunade's stead then he would not allow this cycle of secrets to continue.

How would that end, though? Would Hinata be upset with him? Would it worsen her mental state? Would the runaway Naruto fight back against the advice given to him? Would he get mad at Hinata for seeing him in the first place? Would he care about her sudden detachment? Would he notice? Would it bother him? Would he just run off again if the arguments got too one-sided for him? But then there'd be five witnesses to his last whereabouts, it would be a foolish decision if he ran off. Tazuna and Tsunami would surely alert the police and ruin his escape.

What could he even be hiding from? Hometown societal shame? What did he even do?

Shikamaru wracked his brain for a bit. _'Kiba chased him away after that video leak of Hinata a while back... That was the last time we saw him, wasn't it..?'_ But then he had Hinata with him for the following week, before sending her back.

What the hell happened during that time? How could he have had Hinata for so long after the implications of that video?

His fingers curled tightly around the umbrella handle. These thoughts were not sitting well with him at all. He couldn't jump to any available conclusions but he couldn't rid away the bad taste.

Males took care of the females. This was his belief, no matter how old it made him sound. He would protect Hinata anyway he could. The damage had been done and he could not ignore the need to make up for lost effort.

Shikamaru flushed a little as his eyes darted back and forth amongst the crowds they passed through, finally realizing what had been happening the past twenty minutes. _'Why are we getting these glances?'_ Some young women hid their smiles behind their hands, while pairs of high school girls openly gawked, giggling to themselves as they passed by. _'It's not just Hinata-san...'_ There were young and middle aged men alike who gaped or grinned albeit bashfully at the aloof lolita. _'... But it is because of her.'_

He glanced down at Hinata. He couldn't deny the mysterious air that clung to her, her faraway eyes were subtly captivating in an ethereal sense, but he was mostly surprised such an unsmiling face could be so attractive to these people.

Maybe it was because she was dressed so cute. The juxtaposition of sweet and cold was, simply put, eye-catching.

How nice it must to be as naive as a stranger.

They did not understand what it was they fleetingly admired.

* * *

"Which floor is it?" They stood in the front of the apartment complex. Shikamaru tried to fight against the nervous quiver slithering in his heart as he discreetly wiped his palm inside his jacket pocket.

Hinata held up two fingers. Her eyes were downcast, they would not meet his.

"... Are you nervous?" He asked, despite immediately kicking himself for it. He shouldn't have voiced a concern, it was just going to plant itself inside her head.

Her right hand drifted to the back of her neck. Her lips were pressed firmly together as she began to scratch, and scratch, and scratch, and scratch.

_'Shit,'_ Shikamaru grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from her neck. There were thin red welts already. Her fingers suddenly wrapped themselves around his, fervently gripping his hand. She still could not look up. He gripped her hand back with a reassuring squeeze. "I'm right here."

She nodded. She looked up and briefly met his eyes. Then she detached herself from him and started for the stairs.

* * *

Tsunami steathily worked her way around the living room, picking up bowls of rice crackers, spicy beef chips and half-eaten curry. She moved them to the kitchen table and quietly returned to gather the empty used glasses and balled up napkins.

Her son and father slept identically in front of the tv, heads craned back and _Wii_ nunchuks attached to their wrists, the controllers having fallen at their feet. They were lightly snoring, with identical trails of drool seeping from the corner of their gaping mouths.

It'd taken nearly Inari's entire break off, roughly five weeks to be exact, but her son had finally warmed up to them once again. They spent a lot of time outside of Osaka, exploring various hiking trails - forests and beaches alike - they had spent several days at different lakes, different parks, Tazuna got Inari to like fishing again; anything to do with fresh air and avoiding the urban clutter, that's what they did. And it seemed to help, it gave a sense of family structure. The expectation of leisure in a calm environment gradually grew on Inari and he seemed to have motivation again. But she knew it wasn't entirely his family's attention that brought him around, he was far too independent now.

Whatever it was that had been bothering him, he worked it out himself. He was over it and enjoying his family instead.

She was happy for this, she was grateful... but she couldn't stop herself from feeling the guilt.

Her Inari would not be happy now if they had kept Naruto around.

Her Inari would not ever be happy if Naruto were around.

The well-being of a dear friend had to be sacrificed for the well-being of her own family, and ultimately the end conclusion was to no longer be friends with Naruto.

They would never know what became of him, they would never know if he was alright, if he was eating, if he had shelter, if he was hurting... Tsunami didn't know how to mend things between him and Inari. She didn't understand what made Inari hate him so.

She was afraid to ask because she didn't want to lose her son to hate again.

They would just have to live in blithe ignorance.

Maybe if the day came that Inari moved away for university, perhaps she could find Naruto and reconcile things with him. She had her own debt to him, her friendship and hospitality had never gone unappreciated by him, and it was all she could give him.

Theirs was an easy friendship, that was something she had always liked about it. She even nearly promised to never nag him again about things he didn't want to hear.

Tsunami's head snapped up from her work. She pulled herself upright and turned towards the hallway.

_Ban ban ban_

It was as clear as it was soft.

Tsunami headed towards the door, a strange unease passing through her. It was the early evening, and rarely people stopped by, so she couldn't be sure who to expect.

Maybe the paranoia was too easy for her. The blue darkness of their home was an unsettling reminder of an old memory, one that she refused to forget. It would be a disservice to forget.

She leaned against the door and peeked through the peephole.

"Oh no..." was mouthed with a mournful breathless sigh. She felt her heart sink and sink over and over again, like lead through cold water. "... oh no..."

* * *

Shikamaru jumped back as the door suddenly swung open and a lithe woman with long bluish dark hair quickly stepped out. She quietly closed the door behind her and leaned briefly against it.

She was flustered, Shikamaru noted with concern. She looked nervous.

"Hinata-saaan!" Tsunami cooed a bit awkwardly, wringing her hands involuntarily behind her back. "Are you here because you forgot to say goodbye last time?" She joked, her chuckle half-hearted.

Shikamaru blinked a couple times at this woman. Her behavior was already a bad sign.

"I'm sorry, Tsunami-san," Hinata exuded breathily, a ghost-like smile floating across her minimally functioning features. Tsunami craned her head to the side at this, curiosity overtaking her at this vaguely different Hinata. "I hope he apologized on my behalf."

Shikamaru's hand flew to his neck in perplexity. Had that been a joke?

Suddenly Tsunami's eyes caught Shikamaru's and he realized it was introduction time.

"Nara Shikamaru. I'm a classmate and friend of Hinata-san's. It is a pleasure to meet you Tsunami-san." He recited with a casual bow. On his way up he saw the smile and wistful eyes. What the hell was going on?

"Pleasure to meet you, Nara-san." Tsunami smiled, seemingly trying to pull away from the rest of the words she wanted to say. Half of him wished she had said it, he wanted to know what the hell was going on. The atmosphere was already thick with secrets, it was fucking gloomy. "What brings you two to Osaka?" She asked, turning back to Hinata.

"... Can you tell him I'm here? ... I need to speak with him, please."

Tsunami fought against widening her eyes and diverted her face to the side. She saw the streets. She saw the rows of numbered doors and the flimsy metal mailboxes and the concrete buildings and the crying skyline. She didn't see what she needed to see: a blonde-headed loud mouth who had trouble keeping friends.

"He's not here, is he?" Shikamaru answered for everyone. His low voice cut through both of their consciences. Tsunami's lips trembled as they pressed tautly together, fighting against the disappointing words she hated to utter.

"No." She murmured dully, as if any more words would physically hurt her.

"Do you know where he went?"

Tsunami's eyes clamped shut.

"No."

"Well, when did he leave?"

Her hands found each other and she wrung at them anxiously.

"... Same day Hinata-san left."

Shikamaru's eyes flew widely and Tsunami found herself on the other end of an unintended glare.

"That was nearly eight weeks ago!" Shikamaru's fingers curled even tighter around the closed umbrella. "Why?" He demanded suddenly, unaware he was sounding as pissed as he felt. _'How could he just disappear after sending her off like that? !'_

"We kicked him out," Tsunami dully admitted, not at all sounding like she was committed to that decision. "We had to. My son was unhappy with him, and... he's done this far too much already. So w,we wanted him to move on."

* * *

They idled in her hotel room.

Hinata sat in the middle of her bed, hugging her legs to her chest much like she had earlier in his room. Shikamaru sat in the desk chair. The silence was deafening, a wind-like ringing plagued his ears as he continually clenched and unclenched his fingers around his knees. He was pissed he would just get rid of her like that.

Her face remained placid. She did not grimace and she did not cry. She didn't flush with anger or frustration, she didn't frown nor smile. She stared at the same spot on the wall for the past hour and a half.

How was she handling this? He couldn't read her this time and he was surprised to imagine that she had been readable at all, but she had been. Was she okay with this somehow? Had she accepted it? Was she ending it here? Was she detaching herself further in order to embrace the inconclusion?

"Tsunade-san already knows he's here, if he's still here," Shikamaru started solemnly, "I don't know how we can expect to be faster than the police. I'm surprised that they haven't found him yet. But he has to know how badly this is hurting Tsunade. Do you still want to find him?"

"I had to pay for our dates," Hinata softly murmured over her knees. Shikamaru stared uneasily at her, worried she wasn't lucid anymore. "He doesn't have money."

Shikamaru's face suddenly felt cold. He dropped his head in his hands and rubbed tiredly at his eyes.

"So he would be here then. He'd be stuck here somewhere." He grumbled to the floor. _'He is a rough sleeper then. This __**is**__ the blue tent capital of the nation.' _"There's far too plenty settlements to visit, it would take us at least three weekends to comb through the largest ones. That's even if he joined one yet and made his own tent." He rubbed impatiently at his eyes, "Then there's the welfare center, the _doyas_, the nightly shelter, and the labor building. He's got to have least tried one of those places, so we could probably go ask them if they've seen him. He could even be there when we show up. We'd have to be at the labor building in the early morning though... Troublesome..." _'How the hell are we going to do this?'_ He inwardly groaned, suppressing a heavy sigh as he shook his head in his hands. "Maybe..." He began slowly, catching Hinata's attention though you wouldn't know it, "Maybe we should've stayed long enough to ask Tsunami-san more questions..."

Hinata rested her chin on her knees and closed her eyes.

"Favorite places?" She murmured, the barest touch of wistfulness tinged in her flat inflection.

"Yeah... although..." Shikamaru dropped his head in his hands again, "You think she would have tried finding him too, right? She doesn't know where he is." Shikamaru's head shook back and forth in an entirely exhausted sort of pity.

_'This guy... this guy __**sucks**__.'_

* * *

Cheery music sang out of a student's heavily decorated cell phone, four of her friends crowded around her desk and singing and giggling to the bubbly nonsensical lyrics. Mild chatter filled the classroom, the innate human desire for interaction displaying itself in full with this particular group.

Hinata entered quietly into the classroom, intending to take her spot by Shikamaru in the back corner as he followed lazily behind, hands stuffed in his pants pockets.

Even now Hinata remained attached to lolita in some form; she wore a cotton petticoat beneath her uniform skirt and kept on the nail art from the photoshoot, milk white with ivory polka dots and bisque pink bows on her ring fingernails.

And just like in Osaka, this persona of hers was quick to derive reaction.

A boy watched her pass by his desk and suddenly he clutched at his chest, "Auughh, what a depressing aura..!" He groaned mockingly, his dramatics blatantly exaggerated. He turned around in his chair and began laughing as Hinata payed him no mind and sat down in her seat. There were a couple girls stifling giggles behind their hands, but otherwise they were mostly curious if they understood what they were seeing. Was Hyuuga-san really all that different? They never noticed her before but to notice her now had to mean something.

Shikamaru inwardly tsked at the laughing boy as he passed by, and mid-stride he hooked his foot around the boy's chair leg and swiftly pulled at it. The boy choked on his laughter amidst a confused yelp as he fell backwards onto the cool linoleum, his chair knocked on its side with him.

Only a few had been sure what had happened just then, but none said anything. Shikamaru could feel Kiba's gratitude like a warm spot on his shoulder as he shrugged into his seat next to Hinata and lazily smiled back at him.

That inevitable curious, questioning look Shikamaru had feared then settled on Kiba's face as he took closer notice of Hinata, faraway and sleepy looking. Kiba's eyes darted around the room like he wanted to ask something, and Shikamaru could feel himself almost sweat at the anticipation. Days ago, he felt that he would have to strategize his responses. He didn't want to create secrets nor keep them, but in all honesty he had nothing to tell. Did he want to tell Kiba that Temari took her fooling around a bit too far and put Hinata in a mental/emotional hibernative state? Maybe he didn't even want to have to imply that she was traumatized. He couldn't even bring himself to believe that she might have been raped or assaulted, and he still wasn't even sure how to go about proving that.

Anything she wasn't up to talking about, he knew it wasn't his duty to relay it, and that was that.

Kiba pointed a stare at Shikamaru and began to mouth to him, "(What happened?)"

Shikamaru leaned his head in his hand with an exasperated sigh and shook his head, declining to tell him right now.

Kiba's eyes darted around again, struggling to find a way to ask him immediately but discreetly. Shino could feel what was going on between them. Occasionally he glanced between the 'conversation' but you wouldn't know it.

Shikamaru blinked as Kiba began to draw kanji in the air with his eyes. His mouth dropped open at how ridiculous the swift rotations and sweeping diagonals of his eyes looked. _'Uhh...'_ He thought, never having a dumber thought before than that.

"What the hell are you doing? !" Screeched a female classmate accusatory at Kiba. She sat just one row diagonal of him, putting her front row and center of Kiba's awkward display. She was utterly creeped out and confused and she wanted him to stop. An incredulous grin stretched across Shikamaru's face as Kiba dropped his head on his desk, hiding his embarrassment in his arms. Shino stared oddly at him, having seen the display himself. Kiba gripped lamely at his hair as Shikamaru began to laugh in the background. He hid half his face in his hands as his shoulders shook vigorously, the warmest sound filling the room.

This really reminded him of their days back in elementary school.

* * *

Neji had never felt discomfort like this before. It was like there was this itch on his brain - and as long as he had his suspicions and inlaid regrets, that itch would persist. How it came to this he wasn't sure at all. When along the vague forward march that had been his life did he finally fall into his role of eldest sibling amongst his cousins?

It had never been asked of him.

It had never so much as been expected of him.

In overall scheme of things, he had never been given a role amongst the family. Of course he had to go live with his uncle and cousins. There's hardly such thing as adoption if the country's orphans don't get adopted. It wasn't that he would have chosen otherwise, it's that at the moment of being taken in by them, he felt nothing like family but indeed an orphan and nothing more.

What exactly was he trying to accomplish here?

"No, this is crap!"

Neji stepped back from the doorway he had entered, his grip unconsciously remaining on the handle as he watched the scene unfold before him.

"I'm sorry, I can't accept this. This hardly proves your case," casually replied the middle-aged man of slight build. He was dressed down in an office suit with one suspender hung on his shoulder and the other resting against his thigh. He had dark hair that, instead of receding, was gradually turning white. He had hooded eyes, a shallow forehead, and a wide nose above a somewhat small mouth. Strangely in Neji's mind, he was reminded of those black and white ronin movies he used to watch in his youth- Zatoichi.

And Zatoichi was arguing with a spirited young woman.

"... kidding me..." She muttered under her breath after having her tirade shot down with ease by the older man.

Neji hastily stepped away as an old couple came shuffling up behind him, taking advantage of the open door he forgot he was still holding. He peered back inside to check on the scene, a vague self-consciousness holding him back from pursuing the errands he'd set out to do. Really, he still wondered deep down inside, what exactly was he trying to accomplish here?

The civil affairs office was dully lit, the fluorescent bulbs subdued by yellowed plastic covers. The interior was expectedly quaint and lacking in color scheme. She stood out amongst it all, like a leading beacon of youth.

The spirited young woman had dark brown hair held in twin _odangos_ and a short, choppy fringe that parted from the middle. She wore camo green thai fisherman style pants, a white ribbed tank top, pink converse, a single black wristband on her left arm, and a white mid-sleeve silk kung-fu jacket with red trim and pale pink embroidered chrysanthemums.

And her eyes were equally as dark and plain brown, because she was staring right at him.

"Hey, we meet again," she said matter-of-factly with a curious blink.

* * *

Hands shoved in his pockets, Shikamaru hurried towards the Infirmary - well, he felt hurried - and while the hallway remained classmate-free for lunch, he was hurrying, inside, because he couldn't allow himself to get stopped by Kiba.

No, of course not. Kiba would have questions. Hinata went off somewhere on her own to eat lunch, possibly on a secluded bench outside he assumed, somewhere secluded at least. He couldn't deny how mysterious her behavior made her look, with those dolled up nails and that fluffy bounce of her skirt as she moved (thanks to the barely-peeking petticoat beneath).

_'Run, run, run run-'_

He wasn't running, and yet he felt he had to tell himself 'run' as if it would help get him out of the hallway faster. As soon as he disappeared down the corner he had heard the faded echo of Kiba saying "Hey!" and it was then he decided that he could, for once in his life, try to run.

* * *

"What the hell do you think that was about?" a girl with braids turned to her friend quizzically. Kiba had suddenly sprinted from their classroom after shouting for Shikamaru. They could hear his footsteps tromping heavily all the way 'til it faded off after a minute or so. Some were surprised that he never got pulled over by a teacher for such noise.

This left Shino awkwardly - awkward in their opinions - alone to eat lunch; well, he looked like he'd just gotten ditched out of nowhere, his desk pulled up along side to Kiba, with Kiba's food untouched and Shino to eat across from no one.

Maybe Shino was put off, it was hard to tell. No one tried to look at him directly for too long. For someone to wear shades indoors at all times, it wasn't necessarily jarring, but you couldn't tell if they're looking at you too or not. Shino's vibe could only be likened to a mirage: from afar you see that he's there, but then up close it's like he disappears, you're practically encouraged to look away.

So when he finished his meal, fixed his desk, and slipped out of the classroom, the classmates were watching from the corner of their eyes or the back of their heads as he left; wondering yet again what that was all about.

* * *

Tsunade was hovering over by the medical cabinets, a small roll of gauze, scissors and a bottle of peroxide placed on the counter before her. She tied off the gauze around her thumb and cut off the excess material. Finished, she let her right hand drop on the counter with a sigh.

She could feel the presence of the little black book on her desk like a hard, heated gaze burning down the length of her back.

She had to try her hardest not to put the skin of her thumb between her teeth again.

There were so many numbers, so many old names she hadn't spoken to in years... They weren't finding him. She'd call and they'd call and she'd call again and they'd assure her, and she'd ask again, and they'd say no, and she'd ask again, and... On and on... How could they not find him?

Police are not terribly tasked, missing persons are... well, they tend to be... but there's still that one murderer that's been loose for four years now... And there's even another one too, no, two from Tokyo, fairly recently... Two months ago in fact... That makes three people now.

_'What if they're pushing this down on the priority list, then?'_

How much she would love to burst into a lieutenant's office and raise hell on them, to tell them off, tell them that they're not doing enough, tell them to work faster and get their shit done... He's a seventeen year old minor. He can't be impossible to find.

That's why the black book had been pulled out. Dug up, in fact, from a few boxes she had yet to unpack due to the lack of necessity for it.

She considered calling someone from Konohamura, but she didn't know what she'd say. Yes, she wanted to ask for help but what would they be able to do? He's definitely in Osaka, he would never go back home when he could be there.

She told them where to look! She gave them the address!

"Pathetic! Pathetic! How can they be so _pathetic!_" Her feet thudded across the linoleum, her mind set on those damned policemen, fully prepared to scream her heart out 'til they dragged their asses out before her with that damned blonde in tow. "I told them! _I told them!_"

* * *

"Shit..." The twenty-nine year old _junsa_ winced as he held the telephone from his ear. He knew this voice all too well by now, and he cursed this for ever getting that far. How he managed to be the one to always pick up her calls- He cursed wearily again, acknowledging the obvious: All the officers in his division had their own phones at their desks, and it was his number that she had received during the start of this, because he had been the one to write out his Missing Persons Report. The man leaned back crookedly in his seat while her tongue-lashing floated harshly into his ear. He nodded, and sighed, and constantly made sounds of affirmation whilst she went on and on. "Yes... yes... mm... yes, I know... no... no, I'm sorry ma'am... Ma'am, I'm sorry... yes, we're looking of course... yes, we're looking in Osaka as you've said... yes... no... You need to talk to someone else? O,Oh, you want to talk to someone else..?" The man stifled an audible groan as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose, the white bandage crinkling from the movement. Fuck, how did he turn out to be her lap dog? She rode him more than his Sergeant...

"Kotetsu?"

The man flinched foward and uttered a furtive "Hold on, please," to the fuming woman before switching his attention to his fellow officer. "Izumo?"

"What are you doing?" The man named Izumo seemed put off as he stared at his partner with mild accusation. Kotetsu averted his gaze, giving away the game faster than his mind could blink. "That's the same woman?"

"Of course it's the same woman," Kotetsu was finding knots in his neck now from the stress of the situation.

"She's been calling roughly eight times a day. What's the deal here? Haven't you told her anything?"

"This woman is scary,"

"That's not an excuse. She's worried sick-"

"Alright, smart guy. You think she won't have a heart attack that we tell her his case has been officially handed over to investigations? Because thanks to her we've been able to identify a kid responsible for three majors incidents in the recent past. Not only that, but the higher ups want him because of his close ties to Uchiha Sasuke,"

"You've withheld the fact that someone did go check on that address in Osaka, the one that she gave?"

"The one to answer had been an old man. Neither his daughter nor grandson were in at the time. The old man had quite concisely stated that the boy was not with them and hadn't been for a while,"

"She's skeptical. She can no longer go one believing that no one ever checked there as instructed. Sooner than later she's going to come busting through here demanding answers,"

"But because he's truly missing, the higher ups took the case from us. It's a secret manhunt, much like with the Uchiha,"

"So you're just going to drag this farce out until she's storms on in? Is dropping the bomb in person better than over the phone?" Izumo had always had this highly responsible attitude, and so Kotetsu knew; the man was telling him to suck it up and do the right thing.

Kotetsu took a resigned pose, resting his cheek against his knuckles as he thoughtfully murmured, "Maybe if I were to drop it in person, she'd at least have a few faces to attach her anger to," because he knew she would be alone when she turned distraught, he'd seen those reactions from mothers before, he hated the thought of ever being responsible for that. And he knew she'd be alone to take the news, because only someone so serious and so single would portray the obsession that she's shown. "Look, I don't think it's any of my business whether this kid is innocent or not, whether he ends up in a prison or a reformation camp- even if we never find him, or we find him dead somewhere, it's none of my business... But as it is, I am responsible for one thing here,"

"I'm not accusing you of being soft, just short-sided. If you want to keep on deceiving her, I suggest being smarter about it. Go on and tell her about him not being in Naniwa-ku. The truth is he's still missing, and telling her that isn't telling too much," with that Izumo placed down the two manila folders he'd been holding atop Kotetsu's inbox stack and turned to leave, "Really, Kotetsu, the one thing you're responsible for is how often she calls us," and then he walked off.

Kotetsu watched him within his upper peripherals while he glared pensively at the stacks of files in front of him. "That was a bit more condescending than I needed,"

* * *

Strangely enough, if it was strange, Shikamaru had randomly considered ducking in the gym equipment room, even though he was on the opposite side of the school and hadn't passed by the gymnasium either. Also, the thought hadn't gone without wishing for Temari's presence and asking her to pull off a ecchi farce with him as a way to scare off the dog that was still tailing him.

_'That would have scared him good though, just Temari alone does,'_ He muttered internally before snapping 'round another corner and finding the Infirmary within a few steps reach. He definitely could use a comfy place to rest.

Shikamaru jogged the remainder of the distance and grabbed hold of the metal door handle with a brisk turn and push. Shikamaru gave with an awkward jerk and found he couldn't lower his foot even a centimeter, because this is what he had been brooding over since yesterday, this was what had been hoping to avoid, or hoping to help her avoid...

Tsunade was sunk against her chair behind her desk, head craned back enough for the ceiling to get the full view the pain twisting across her somewhat smooth features, and a hand weakly pinching at the bridge of her nose to help push back the onslaught of frustrated tears. Her cell phone laid limply in her right hand, that one clue meaning everything to him and yet meaning so little at the same time. He could force himself to slip away from this scene with his heart pounding painfully loud in his ears.

"Shit..." He hissed to the air, all the possible scenarios lining themselves up like multiple choice answers. An insignificant part of him regretted leaving so prematurely, surely he would gotten the answer or more clues explaining this... but no, he wasn't that insensitive.

But what could he tell Hinata? Should he?

Tsunade looked as frustrated as she did miserable... and she was a very passionate woman... So, this couldn't be a... mourning reaction, right?

Shikamaru decided he would just have to drop by another time. If the news was tragic, she would be in obvious mourning for days.

_'This guy really sucks,'_

* * *

This type of silence resembled being alone in a vast field of tall grass or wheat, the sky overhead blue and absolutely peerless. This was the type of silence that one felt small in, and appeared small too. So meek, so empty.

Yet utterly peaceful.

Shino entered her personal bubble like a ghost, perfectly adept at maintaining this type of unblemished silence. She sat on a bench beneath a hallway overpass, a block of shadow cast beside her from the obstruction above. Beside her in the shade was her lunch, an assortment of fruit tarts in a box, a pair of longevity peach buns on a long napkin, and boxed strawberry milk. Somehow the various textures and shades of pink matched with her nails, like they were congruent to her ensemble.

This area was rarely visited. They were nearest the power facilities in the rear of the property. Above them the overpass lead into the cooking class's lab room, so there was very little incentive for lollygaggers.

As he took the empty spot on the bench beside her, he felt her acknowledgment and acceptance, getting a sense from her that words were superfluous. She took a delicate bite out of her peach bun and stared straight ahead as he did.

* * *

This girl... She remembered him somehow, but... he hadn't a clue who she was.

She had stopped him aside from his original errand, and for the past twenty minutes they'd been sitting along a three layer brick retaining wall a few feet from the property, with her alternating between 'politely' observing him to muttering complaints and sighing over her situation like it were a conversation she was having with herself.

"You seem really sucked into yourself,"

Neji stiffened as he shot her an incredulous glare.

"Is that something to say after you've been quietly carrying on to yourself for quarter of an hour?"

"Ahaha, your buttons are as easy to push as ever," Neji bristled at that, "What I meant was that you seem really stuck," the brunette then tapped at the side of her temple, "inside your brain,"

Neji's glare dulled somewhat as he released a dissatisfied sigh. So far this spirited young woman showed no redeeming characteristics, and he had no idea why he was still sitting with her other than that she knew him, her pulling him away felt as if she had something more important to tell him, something relevant? Maybe his desperation was beginning to infect him, he was making no rationale decisions anymore...

"I have something very pressing I ought to do, so I'll just excuse myself now," Neji lifted off the retaining wall without a glance her way when suddenly her voice stopped him.

"Ah! What's pressing now? Whaddya gotta do at the civil affairs?"

Neji gave another dissatisfied sigh as he turned halfway around to face her. She had sounded so earnest, it was rather off-putting considering this was his business and his business alone.

"What were you trying to accomplish there?" He answered back, switching the attention onto her.

"My grandfather died eight months ago. I'm his only kin and he was mine, however the city refuses to recognize my right to claim his property,"

Her eyes were so clear, with emotion firm, that he had to pause. In that brief second he had experienced abstract curiosity, wondering what she was about, and what was the extent of this bravery she seemingly displayed, if it was really bravery at all.

"What do you mean his property?"

"Everything, even what was my childhood home. Just because he's gone, I've gotta lose everything and start from scratch? You understand why I tried to bitch out that old man, right?"

"Homeless?"

"No, I've got an apartment. Took me a couple weeks at the start,"

"Wait, you must have had to pay for the funeral too,"

She nodded plainly, "I did. My place coulda been a bit more decent, but long as my grandad has a decent gravesite then it's good enough,"

Neji continued to size her up in the corner of his gaze, pensively processing her gallant words. Even though she did attempt to bitch out the old man, she backed down just as easily enough. Feisty as she could be, she was actually a shockingly grounded person. But even so, there wasn't much her presence offered to him. And even if he were in a position to lose everything the way she did, even if his uncle were to die suddenly, he would never fight to obtain their childhood home, nor would he care to pay for his funeral. In fact, if they were forced to go through with the ceremonies, he would find a way to pay for it with Hiashi's own money. Then afterwards he would take his cousins some place far far away and give them a life they want.

"Good luck with your efforts then," He nodded dully in her direction before taking his leave yet again. He had to find a solution, his research had only gotten him so far, he needed to expand.

"What are you trying to do?!" Again her voice stopped him, and he couldn't help but stiffen with a heated sigh.

"Something almost similar to what you're doing," He answered with clear finality, clear enough that even if hadn't walked off for the third time, she would have to be an idiot to ignore that he was done with her.

* * *

As Shikamaru rounded the corner of the school building, putting the large rectangular pool behind him, he found that he'd been wandering for quite a while. In fact, he never explored the perimeter like this, but somehow it felt almost as relaxing as looking up at the clouds. ... Maybe it would help if there were any clouds today, actually... Nonetheless, the dry clean dirt, the white walls, the covered windows and the fresh air... the sense of getting past something, walking away from it, it felt good.

No longer did this have to do with evading Kiba. The warning bell was to chime in about five minutes anyhow, he was sure Kiba had gone back, though rebellious as he was. Shikamaru bet that Kiba wanted to be in his seat to watch Hinata in, moreso than try to fight him for answers that he may never give.

Then he began to find himself in a very unfamiliar area, oddly quiet and isolated despite the open air and clean, open paths... he heard footsteps.

Shikamaru lifted his head and thus connecting a body then a face to those pairs of feet that entered his peripherals.

"Shino," The enigmatic teen nodded his greeting, then he caught notice of Hinata trailing behind, her stride even and calm. "What's that?" Hinata was holding her cell phone out, the flip screen open. She stuck out her arm and pointed the screen his way.

_Sender: LaBelle_

_Title: KERA meet-up after school! _

_Body: Darling, come to Yoyogi Park!_

_The photographer is collecting_

_street photos of the scene, and_

_he especially wants to include_

_you. - XOXOXO_

"That's today?"

Hinata nodded.

"And you're gonna do it?"

She nodded again.

"Alright, I don't have a problem with that," He smiled wistfully.

* * *

Because of the incident several weeks ago, the plans to replace the Harajuku GAP building with a 'shopping theme park' have been delayed. The Shibuya GAP building's upper floor restaurant were still dealing with investigations; police were going in and out every day, and to lose both locations in this way was very troublesome. As such people weren't able to use the Harajuku location, since it was cited for remodeling and therefore closed off for several months to come - however people could still use the Shibuya location, but certainly did not want to. It was the appearance of all this that made decisions to move forward with the Harajuku location _inconvenient_; the enthusiasm for the project was simply met with hesitation.

"They're talking about tearing the whole place down,"

"No they're not!"

This particular conversation pricked at Shikamaru's ears as he passed by, escorting Hinata to their appointment in the park. The only type of people that say or believe an entire structure should be demolished are those afraid of ghosts and hauntings.

There had been one critically wounded employee, but no one knew if he actually died or not, and if he had even died inside the restaurant. Occult rumors such as those were always flimsy and heavily traded to the point of being worn out.

Still, it wasn't exactly the most pleasant scenario to think about it.

_'What a mess...'_

* * *

The _KERA_ photographer made a fanning motion towards Hinata and the two other young women. The current location was outside of Yoyogi park, and Shikamaru was slouched against a bench some fifteen feet away looking on. This part of Yoyogi was a harmony of asphalt and greenery; and a medley of seemingly clashing counter-cultures: Lolitas, cosplayers, punks, painted faces dressed up in pseudo-Nazi uniforms, shirtless rockabillies dancing to the music that thumped out their amplifiers, and random old men in jean shirts and oversized stetsons atop their small heads. Beyond the the black fencing that curved around the green side of the park were couples walking their dogs, families out on picnics, and kids running around with frisbees or baseballs.

He couldn't help but laugh to himself at the imagery here: Was the fence meant to keep the 'freaks' out or trap them in? It looked like it was the regular people that were trapped within a zoo-like natural habitat.

He returned his attention on Hinata's photoshoot, a tentative warmth filling his chest at the image of her leaning in close with the girl in the middle and the third girl doing the same, as if they were posing for _purikura_. Just like friends.

The middle girl was crazy tiny, she had limbs like poles, and shoulders like a coat hanger, with a compact body that was a slender yet curvaceous, even for her. Her abdomen was long and flat, her palm-cup breasts high set along with her waist. She played up a vixen persona, with her round, sullen pout and doll-like deadpan gaze. Her hair was two-toned, ash blonde atop while it was dusty lavender from her ears to her hips. Her antique-pink lace bra was her bodice, while a black high-waisted mini-skirt put it together as a 'dress'. Her stockings were practically invisible on her except for the patterns, making her legs appear fully tattooed. Her shoes were white four-inch lace-up ankle platforms. Two tiers of her white petticoat barely peeked out from beneath her mini-skirt, but it added something to her otherwise nearly naked appearance. These were her street clothes, her daily everyday look. Shockingly sexy for someone so tiny. He'd seen girls that dressed like her, but never a girl like her. She easily had a lolicon quality about her. The photographer seemed to eat up her juxtaposed style.

The other girl was about five centimeters taller than Hinata, and eight centimeters taller than the vixen girl. She was dressed in an off-white lace top with half sleeves, atop that a backless halter jumper with a low swooping neckline, and lots and lots of pearl string necklaces with bows, so many bows, enough to obscure the sexuality in her outfit as well. Her stockings were sheer white with a bow pattern, her shoes were white three-inch platform mary-janes with a bow trim, and her hair was done up in unevenly placed double buns (kind of like Mickey or Minnie Mouse at a certain angle), with also a huge white bow situated on the largest bun, kind of like Minnie too.

Since all Hinata had was her school uniform, the photographer was prepared (thanks to the tall blonde's help as well). He let Hinata keep her uniform skirt, he liked the classic red plaid of it. Her doe-eyed Snow White expression made her stand out from the other two girls and yet she complemented them as well. They painted her lips with poppy red gloss, tousled her hair into a loosely toppled bun with little red roses here and there like blown pollen, and lined her upper eyelid with black liner. She wore a somewhat flowy white bib top with puffed sleeves and cuffs that hugged at her shoulders, the top itself draped a little past her hip, allowing to take focus off from her impressive bustline. Three chain loop necklaces hung off her neck, also adorned with little red roses. She wore white thigh-high stockings with a thick band and polka dot pattern, and red lace-up cut-out boots with a 3-inch heel. She was able to keep her white petticoat beneath her skirt, and because they wanted to hike her uniform skirt a little higher than she normally wore it, the fluffs peeked out much like the vixen girl's tiers.

It was interesting... what would one call her style today? Something like casual lolita and punk lolita right? Maybe? Or just casual punk lolita? He never thought he'd see so much red on her... The excessive use of red roses was fairly romantic though. It kind of bothered him actually.

_"I had to pay for our dates," Hinata softly murmured over her knees._

Did they deliberately make her to look both benign and devastating?

_She held up two fingers. Her eyes were downcast..._

Coupling her melancholic face and her saccharine looks into something purely bittersweet for this photoshoot?

_Tsunade was sunk against her chair behind her desk, head craned back..._

Or was he just overthinking this shit because... because he had so many thoughts... because his mind was full of dead ends...

The vixen girl spontaneously pecked her big pink lips onto Hinata's cheek, eliciting a surprised squeal from the taller girl before she broke out into shrill laughter and pushed the vixen's shoulder aside.

"What? She looks so dolorous, y'know? I mean, I know neither of us are really smiling, but I thought 'maybe I can wake her up, like the prince in Snow White!',"

"Wake up? That's Sleeping Beauty. Snow White died, ya silly,"

"Is that so?" the vixen blinked curiously.

"Neither of that is correct!" Hinata's tall blonde friend suddenly snapped from aside. Then she began sputtering with an uncomfortable blush, "I-I mean, it's not any one way that is..."

_'She sure is skittish all of sudden,'_ Shikamaru inwardly smirked. He watched Hinata observe the conversation much like him. She was as placid as ever, yet somehow she managed to look attentive. It was subtle, but her gaze would switch to whomever was speaking. Even when she was so sucked into herself, she could still pull off basic etiquette... why did he continue to get surprised by that?

* * *

He was avoiding her.

He had to.

Naruto sank into the tub, letting the water rise to chin, yet only for his legs to pop out. He growled with vehement displeasure at this. There wasn't really anything else he could do about it though; he was too long for this tub, fuckin' piece of crap, couldn't have an apartment with a furo? Who the fuck wants a Western style tub/shower combo? Who the fuck wants a toilet in the same place someone is supposed to bathe and brush their teeth in? The fuckin' thing isn't even square. Who the fuck wants to experience splash back?

But he couldn't say these things.

Because he was avoiding her.

Naruto gingerly reached up for the wash cloth, slipping it off from its rung and letting it fall with a plop. It sank and brushed against his hip, where he carefully grabbed it and knocked about for the soap or shampoo with his free hand.

He was starting to see her around here lately. They never took a bath together before. He wondered what that would be like.

Naruto hastily scooched himself up against the tub end, and started searching for the soap again. He wondered if she had any room over there, but he couldn't ask her.

Because she wasn't really there.

* * *

Star - Okay, as is the thing now, I've decided to end this short yet again. I feel like this ending bit with Naruto will make it smoother for me to ease into the rest with the start of the next chapter. I could had thrown it all in here I tried, but again it feels smoother this way.

Sorry it's so short, but hey! Two chapters this year! Pffff... Alll the faaaail, durrp. :p (also funniest coincidence evaaaar, but these have happened every now and then when I've written this story heheh. The red rose motif with Hinata's outfit there? And then the Snow White referencing? Well when I went to google Snow White to be sure if she did die or not (yeah I don't know jack squidly either), and then it had a reference to another fairy folk tale 'Snow-White and Rose-Red' and so for me that's like 'whooooaaaa! coincidence!' cuz I didn't even plan Hinata's outfit there, I made it up on the spot. :B Same with the taller girl. However the vixen I based after a RL little hottie on a particular street fashion website, I don't want to name names cuz it's prolly awkward that I use the likeness of a real person in here. (sweatydrop face) But she is a little hottie, lololol.

**TO PANTYANARCHY89: FFNET MAKES WEB ADDRESSES AND EMAIL GO BYE-BYE IN PMs AND REVIEWS, SO I WAS NOT ABLE TO GET YOUR EMAIL. I FEEL IT MAKES MORE SENSE FOR YOU TO CONTACT ME THROUGH MY EMAIL IN MY PROFILE. THEN I'LL GET YOUR EMAIL THAT WAY, INSTEAD OF YOU POSTING IT FOR SEMI-ETERNITY ON THE INTERWEBS LOL.**

**Also... NEJI WHYYYYYYYY? QAQ *tantrum*  
**


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